This book is set, I believe in the late 1700s - although there is no clear statement of the fact - but that is when the first Enclosures Act was implemented. The story is simple and simply told and clearly shows what the implications of the new law were to be.
It is well written and gave me a new insight into what life in a remote village was like at that time. Compared with the world today, people's lives were incredibly simple, with almost no contact with the outside world. The writing is in the first person, which gives the author a freedom to describe the world in a vivid way.
The title of the book is somewhat ironic. The story takes place at harvest time, but, far from being a time of rejoicing at the produce being safely gathered in, it is a time of destruction and sadness. Is it a fair contender for the Booker? Yes, I think that it is. Will it win? We shall see on 15 October.
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