The Butterfly Isles

Reviews / Votes

A beguiling book ... Barkham criss-crosses Britain, recording his search in a vivid, adept, unapologetic voice, wonderfully catching the spirit of these ethereal creatures -- Richard Mabey * Guardian * This engaging and idiosyncratic account was not written for the experts ... Those of us who find it hard to identify any species beyond the Red Admiral , the Tortoiseshell, the Peacock and the Cabbage White will be astonished by the details of the teeming natural world that we so blindly inhabit -- Margaret Drabble * Daily Telegraph * A delightful book ... Barkham writes with authority, love, charm, understatement and the dryest of wit. There are wonderful descriptive passages, moments of absurdity and frequent small epiphanies of wonder and awe, as he luxuriates in the glorious variety of butterfly life * The Spectator * A beautifully crafted book that encompasses overlooked corners of the countryside, eccentric butterfly obsessives, one-time collectors, as well as looking ahead to a future in which many of our butterflies will struggle to survive on an overcrowded and overheated island * National Trust Magazine * Enraptured, visionary, witty and erudite -- Jonathan Keates * Sunday Telegraph * Barkham writes with schoolboy excitement and his enthusiasm is infectious * New Scientist * Suffused with engaging family anecdote and the genial humour of a patient man, this is nature writing at its happiest -- Iain Finlayson * The Times * Patrick Barkham succeeds in entangling the reader in the net of the aurelian's consuming passion * Time Out * A delightful mixture of butterfly and personal biography -- Richard Jones * BBC Countryfile * Beautifully written and enormously entertaining, full of curious pieces of butterfly lore ... a splendid and accomplished account of all of Britain's butterflies and a tribute from a son to his father * The Independent * Barkham has the gift for conveying excitement in easy, unpretentious prose, and his book is an enjoyable read -- Saturday Review * The Times * A terrific achievement, excelling at conveying the individual qualities of species that to the non-initiate look like identical bugs in different outfits. And it usefully doubles up as a field guide, thanks to the inclusion of colour "identification plates" and the author's photos -- John Dugdale * Guardian * Butterfly netters have too often been laughed at for their eccentricity, but you don't feel like laughing at Patrick Barkham's book, which takes a good look at British butterflies' distressing decline. -- Nicholas Bagnall * Sunday Telegraph * Barkham's enthusiasm carries you along and even I will look out for butterflies this summer like never before -- David Crozier * Hampstead and Highgate Express * Barkham's beguiling book skilfully blends nature writing and memoir -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times * A quintessential summer read that follows one man's quest to see all 60 species of British butterfly in one summer. Informed, inspirational and occasionally deeply personal, this is a lovely piece of natural history writing -- Greg Eden * Independent * A book about a delightful subject, butterflies, written in a delightfully intelligent style that mixes just the right amount of erudition, drama, and humour, which in turn made it an absolute delight to read ... There is truly something in its pages for all and all are heartily encouraged to obtain a copy and read it at the earliest opportunity -- John Riutta * Well Read Naturalist * If you'd like to feel you have walked sun-washed paths in search of brightly coloured, living gems, alongside a chatty and well educated companion, then sit down with this captivating book, and enjoy yourself * Birds * I've read book after book about butterflies, but never one as charming as The Butterfly Isles by Patrick Barkham. Every hedgerow and every bit of grass in every supermarket comes alive with possibility in this book. It reveals a wisdom of tenacity in those who monitor the 59 British species of butterfly and it has taught me more than I've ever before been able to hold in my head -- Ali Smith * The Times * Patrick Barkham's The Butterfly Isles opened my eyes to the world of butterflies. Under his guidance I became ever more entranced by these beautiful (and endangered) creatures * Guardian * It's entertaining, informative, amusing and, as you would expect from a features writer for The Guardian, superbly written. By sharpening the senses, a summer walk in the country will never be the same after reading this book * Guardian * Enchanting ... its high quality illustrations provide exactly what is needed for recognition. Written with verve and amazing knowledge ...brilliant offerings to those who set out to seek them. Give yourself a treat - a joy * Oldie * An enchanting chronicle * Irish Times * [A] deeply personal narrative... with humour and sharp observation, he recounts the daily delights and disappointments of the nature watcher, creating snapshot of the human-influenced environment that makes his book a strong candidate to become a classic of its genre. Informed, cogent and engaging, it celebrates the enthusiasm and fortitude of those who cherish these celebrated and enigmatic insects - along with the wider, often threatened, ecologies that supports them -- John Gilbey * Times Higher Education *