Ponies At The Edge Of The World: On nature, belonging and finding home

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I had this on my wishlist and then when I did buy it I wondered whether I would take to it. In the event I found it a thought provoking and enjoyable read. Intelligent in observation and precise and elegant in her writing, Catherine Munro shows how people and animals live and respond to each other, particularly in island communities like Shetland. She shows great insight into the way both the seasons and the sea's strong winds affect people in places like these' Donald S Murray, author of In a Veil of Mist

I loved her descriptions of Shetland scenery and culture - I have never been to Shetland, so I can say how accurate they are, but they left me with a strong sense of the place. I also appreciated the way in which she was willing to learn from local people, her concern to adapt to the culture and her awareness of her own ignorance - it made a refreshing change from the know-it-all attitude of some memoirs written by those who move to more remote locations!

Books by Catherine

Despite vivid descriptions, I found myself Googling areas to gain better understanding of the landscape and locations. Some photos, maps or a few sketches would’ve really helped.

I'm not a horse person particularly, but I live close to an area where ponies roam freely so they are commonplace in the environment around me. I hoped that this book would not be exclusively based on the ponies but would be more a memoir style account of the experience living in the Shetland Isles - it is exactly that. There is an enormous sense of place, of the community that welcomed the writer and the nature and landscape around her. I loved the observations of wildlife - otters, seals and birdlife and also the story of the adopted lamb or caddy. I also liked her thoughts on the ways in which both people and animals are connected to the environment they call home and how both can ultimately suffer if they are removed to a different environment. One breeder talks about the importance of ponies finding the right work to do, explaining that different animals are suited for different roles, and she speaks of one pony needing to 'find herself'. It's impossible not to see Catherine's own time in Shetland as being part of the same process. Against Munro’s journey to understand the ponies is set her own desire to have a family. When tragedy hits it is the natural world and the animals that inhabit it that provide the comfort and hope she needs to move forward. The author, an anthropologist, transports you to Shetland with her descriptions of the landscape in beautiful language. I very much enjoyed this book. I was tempted by the cover and the blurb and when you read that a book has been written by a PhD student, you are pretty much assured of good writing. I wasn't disappointed.

Catherine Munro is living in Aberdeen, lurching from temporary job to temporary job, the stress of not knowing if she can pay the bills gradually eroding her spirit and soul. Eventually, her application to study for a doctorate is successful and she travels to the Shetland Island to study the eponymous ponies of the archipelago.