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"We talk about people behaving like sheep, which assumes that sheep all behave in the same way. That has not been my experience. Some are affectionate, others prone to head-butting. Some are determinedly self-sufficient, others seek our help when they need it. And some can be trusted to lead the flock home. They are as individual as we are."
Farm animals are familiar to us from childhood stories, but little did we know that their inner lives are full of complexity, deep bonds and family dramas. Rosamund Young has been an organic farmer for over forty years and this is her record of a life at the beck and call of the animals while observing and preserving the abundant wildlife at Kite's Nest Farm. It is a story of joy, discovery, cooperation and sometimes heartbreak. We learn about sheep growing old disgracefully, the intelligence of supposedly 'bird-brained' hens, 'conversations' between cows and why you should never send a text whilst milking.
Rosamund Young is the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Cows, which was named a Times Book of the Year. She farmed alongside her brother Richard until his recent, untimely death and now runs Kite's Nest Farm with her partner Gareth. Nature is left to itself as much as possible and the animals receive exceptional kindness and consideration. The farm produces beef and lamb from 100% organic, grass-fed animals which are sold in the farm shop.
"Rosamund Young has been shovelling muck since she was a child, always carries a penknife and can be found delivering hay in the "stolen hours after midnight" [...] The joy of Young's writing is in her observations [...] The Wisdom of Sheep is a pastoral. It is a testament to the power of slow observation, and that's a lesson for us all."
– Helen Davies, Sunday Times
"Made up of short chapters on aspects of farm life, from the sheep and cows to the abundant wildlife, this is a delightful book to dip into [...] One thing is certain: after reading this book, you will look at sheep in a different way."
– Daily Mail
"A wonderful antidote to the hectic pace of modern life [...] there's gentle humour, stoicism and countryside wisdom to be found on every page. Rosamund writes with an easy skill, and the short anecdotal nature of the book can be quite addictive [...] Packed full of delightful conversation."
– James Oswald
"Elegiac, funny, warm and wise, The Wisdom of Sheep will delight country folk and city dwellers alike."
– Katherine May, author of Enchantment
"Full of surprises and wonderfully life-enhancing. It gives a glimpse into a real but timeless agricultural world where wildflower meadows still thrive, work is hard and where an intuitive relationship between animals and humans makes the difference between success and failure. I heartily recommend it."
– Charles Clover, co-founder of Blue Marine Foundation
"Kite's Nest in the Cotswolds is a family farm whose definition of family is wide: included are a host of inquisitive and characterful animals [...] The book is a collection of scribbled diary entries, memoir, and poems – Young's own, as well as others from popular literature. Young's love of her profession and the creatures who depend on it is unmistakable."
– New Statesman
"Rosamund Young continues to spread a little bit of magic, courtesy of her organic farm, menagerie of livestock and supporting cast off flora and fauna [...] An uplifting read."
– Countryfile
"Sheep are good judges of character and they have long memories [...] A meadow is made up of many parts, 'whose heart you can hear only when you become part of it too' [...] Never mind the wisdom of sheep, these are only a few of the many droplets of lore from organic farmer Rosamund Young [...] A series of gentle, sometimes random, musings. Soothing."
– Country Life
"Young's work is infused with poetry and literary illusions [...] [and] is down to earth, in every sense, as you might expect from someone who believes that "grass is the answer to everything" [...] Written in short, episodic chapters, which are more like diary entries, this is a thoughtful [and] pleasing book [...] every page is tethered to Young's experiences with animals and her love for them [...] The Wisdom of Sheep is both beguiling and compulsive. The product of decades of hard work, it is filtered through a shrewd but generous perspective on the world, and how to make it a better place."
– Rosemary Goring, Herald
"If you've read Rosamund Young's charming anecdotal book The Secret Life of Cows about growing up on a Cotswold farm, then you simply have to read this [...] a joy to read."
– Cotswold Life
"A gorgeous book [...] Conversational in style, Rosamund's narrative leads you through meadows abloom with wildflowers [...] to a bird-table crowded with great spotted woodpeckers, dunnocks, tits and goldfinches, plus observations from frosty and snowy pastures when winter arrives."
– The Simple Things
"As a follow up of sorts to Rosamund Young's surprise 2018 hit The Secret Life of Cows, The Wisdom of Sheep applies the same intimate perspective to the ways of sheep [...] From Kite's Nest Farm, her small organic agricultural base in the Cotswolds, she reports back on the activities of the livestock, including sheep which it has taken her "more than half a century" to get round to keeping."
– Strong Words
