One man and his boat take a trip up the river Trent
Tom Fort read English at Balliol College, Oxford before going on to work as a reporter on a newspaper and then on to the BBC where he worked for over 20 years. He is married with five children and is the author of four other books. (Under the Weather published by Century and The Grass is Greener, The Far From Compleat Angler and The Book of Eels, published by Harper Collins).
In Downstream, Fort sets out by punt to explore what he describes,
in a characteristically lovely phrase. as 'the concealed dimension'
of water. Fort is a quintessentially English guide. A pleasingly
unstructured ramble through the history of the Midlands.
*Observer*
For the river-lover, who likes to pause and look over bridges to
see what is going on beneath (and alongside), and who likes to
think of the past and the present continually flowing into the
future, this book will be a delight.
*The Spectator*
The story of the river that bubbles up throughout the narrative is
told with the quiet authority of one who knows about the hidden
flow beneath the riverbed. Well-referenced scholarship lies behind
Fort's lively accounts of the history of this part of Middle
England. Erudition with a light touch, cleverly interwoven with
stories of pints downed, clean sheets and greasy breakfasts
appreciated and characters met; what fun it all is and how
impressive is the learning that lies behind it.
*TLS*
Sitting contentedly in a backwater with a glass of Rioja or a
fishing line, Fort bestows an almost lyrical beauty on rivers both
actual and archetypal, whether explaining the carved intricacies of
the watercourse of simply peering deep into its "flickering
being".
*Daily Telegraph*
It is difficult not to like Fort, if not simply for his
encyclopaedic knowledge of all things fluvial then for his wit and
irony too. Once engaged it is difficult to escape. He has stirred a
latent fondness for oxbow lakes and wandering streams.
*Literary Review*
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