Ring of Bright Water

Ring of Bright Water #1

by Gavin Maxwell

Hailed a masterpiece when it was first published, the story of Gavin Maxwell's life with otters on the remote west coast of Scotland remains one of the most lyrical, moving descriptions of a man's relationship with the natural world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Memoir, Scotland, Biography, Travel

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Gavin Maxwell was a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. He was born in Scotland in 1914 to Lieutenant-Colonel Aymer Maxwell and Lady Mary Percy, whose father was the seventh Duke of Northumberland. He was raised in the small village of Elrig, near Port William, which he later described in his autobiography The House of Elrig (1965).

After serving in the Second World War as an instructor with the Special Operations Executive, he purchased the Isle of Soay in the Inner Hebrides, where he attempted to establish a shark fishery. In 1956 he travelled to the Tigris Basin in Southern Iraq with the explorer Wilfred Thesiger to explore the area's vast unspoiled marshes; Maxwell's account of their travels was published as A Reed Shaken by the Wind (1959). It was there that he adopted the otter Mijbil. The story of how Maxwell brought Mijbil back to rise in his isolated home in Sandaig (named Camusfeàrna in the book) on the west coast of Scotland, is told in Ring of Bright Water (1960); the book sold more than two million copies and in 1969 was made into a film. It was the first in Maxwell's 'otter trilogy', for which he remains best known: its sequels were The Rocks Remain (1963) and Raven Seek Thy Brother (1968).

The house at Sandaig was destroyed by fire in 1968, and Maxwell moved into a former lighthouse keeper's cottage on the nearby island of Eilean Bàn. He died in 1969. His Eilean Bàn home remains a museum and the island a wildlife sanctuary.

Reviews

[Bionic Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first edition of the popular wildlife book Ring Of Bright Water from 1959, with groups of accomplished black and white photographs by the author, 69 in all. Most are full page, and others half page. They are both of the otter Mijbil, whom he brought back from the Tigris marshes of Iraq, Edal, a female otter who arrived later, and of the beautiful Camusfeàrna (a pseudonym for the remote corner of Scotland where he lived). There are also line drawings, mostly by Peter Scott, the famous wildlife artist.

I remember exactly when I first heard of this book. It was at school preparing for "O" levels, and we were all very excited when the teacher brought in a pile of brand new hardback books. This was unheard of. Usually we would be issued with ancient, rather fusty copies of the classics, which we would have to go through, rubbing out any pencil marks, mending with sellotape, and backing in brown paper. You rarely got a "nice" copy. But these ... Crisp white pages, a smooth solid cover - it even smelled nice! I couldn't wait to read it.

What's more, it was a story about how one man lived in a remote cottage, in the West Highlands of Scotland, with an otter he had tamed:



"Camusfeàrna"

What a dream of a life! I fell in love, and thanked the examination board, who in their wisdom, had been bold enough to select this potential classic, thereby forcing my rather parsimonious and very traditional grammar school to spend some money, and as a result kickstarting my enthusiasm. I bought my own paperback as soon as I was able. This was ten years after the book had first been published, and I have read it several times since.

I now have an excuse to read it again, and will write my review on my Large Print edition of this famous book.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this after having a go at Miriam Darlington’s Otter Country, which in many ways revolved around this book and the landscape described by Gavin Maxwell. He got much closer to the animals than Darlington, so perhaps it’s not surprising that his account is more interesting and vital. Otters were, not quite pets, but definitely companions for him, in a way that Darlington had no opportunity to understand.

Maxwell takes such a delight in the landscape and the antics of the creatures within it, both the wild ones and those he tamed or half-tamed, that it’s impossible not to enjoy this, for me. He wasn’t ashamed of his love for the animals, and sometimes that just shines through so clearly.

It’s not some adventure story, not such a battle of wills as, for instance, H is for Hawk chronicles. Mostly, it’s worth reading for that delight in nature, described with love and attention to detail. If you’re not interested in autobiography and nature writing, it’s probably not for you.

Originally posted here, on my blog.

[Daren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to pick up a box set of Maxwell's Ring of Brightwater trilogy, along with his House of Elrig, book a few years ago in good condition, on the basis of having enjoyed his A Reed Shaken by the Wind a lot.
Finally I got to this first book, not really knowing what to expect, other than the short crossover in A Reed... where he obtains his first otter cub. There are a few spoilers below, so if you are put off by these, then perhaps curtail your reading now...

The first half of this book explains Maxwell's remote property (called Camusfearna in the book, but not its real name) in Scotlands Western Highlands, and explaining in great detail its surroundings, and his peaceful existence there with Jonnie the spaniel. And then somewhat suddenly he introduces his short story about his first otter in Iraq, and then the obtaining of his second otter Mijbil, also from Iraq and the one year and one day spent with him. It explains the steep learning curve both parties went through, with an otter in semi-captivity.
Along the way Mijbil's sub species is clarified as not previously named, and so it became Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli.

And after Mijbil passed away, Maxwell explains the circumstances in which the only couple in the UK with an otter they need to re-home, bumps into the only man in the UK who is desperately seeking an otter. And then Maxwell explains the transition of his second otter Edal into his care.

Amongst the otter stories, Maxwell shares more of his own thoughts, and his other numerous animal adoptions, including a lemur, a bushbaby, 4 geese, and a wildcat!

Overall, Maxwell comes across as charming, eccentric and his appreciation of animals and birds is obvious. There can be various criticisms levelled at him for his attempts at domesticating wild animals, but I believe Maxwell was leading change in animal welfare and treatment, and it is unreasonable to judge him in recent terms. He writes incredibly well in describing the landscapes, flora and fauna and he delights in sharing it in his writing. To describe this book in one word I would use charming.

5 stars from me.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gavin Maxwell was a naturalist and well-known author in the 1950's, who lived in Northern Scotland, a sparsely populated part of the country with a harsh climate. This was his best selling book about that life and about the 2 otters that he adopted as pets. He wasn't a hermit, as he had a lot of visitors and also traveled widely. His writing about the natural world and the animals was descriptive and lovely.

However, I will stick with civilization and having dogs as pets. Reading about wild animals as pets is made more enjoyable by not having to clean up after them.

[Lizzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first nearly hundred or so pages are lovely descriptions of his life and local nature interspersed with dated uncomfortable remarks.

Then he has an otter kidnapped in Iraq after his dog dies of cancer and he decides he can’t ever own a dog again. It’s not even a heartwarming wildlife baby rescue (not great, but more forgivable from this era). His first attempt at a pet otter ends up with it accidentally poisoned, and instead of reconsidering then, he is so enraptured with cute baby otters that he sends for another. He imports this animal and puts it through hell with his poorly thought out travel schemes. He admits he didn’t really think through how to care for it when he travels for work, and boards it at a zoo (it’s miserable) and later at some place he finds after putting an ad out. And the otter has its head bashed in while allowed to wander unsupervised through the countryside (why???). Then he goes through a menagerie of wild animals, acting every part the spoiled selfish “naturalist” who cares poorly for animals so he can have a quirky pet. He has a poor lemur that nearly kills him after severing his tibial artery, and is then musing about how he should breed her and keep her babies! The bushbaby is too boring and its activities too “embarrassing.” Honestly, multiple animals die sad painful deaths under his care or when being procured for him, and this selfish asshole can’t just settle with a dog or cat even after all the misery he inflicts. How did this book get so many rave reviews??


Also, he writes in a very dated “naturalist” style, putting human moral judgments on animals constantly. Orcas are vicious killer brutes. He’s a hunter with little sympathy for his prey...he kills an entire fox family for sport (the mom, dad, and litter) without emotion. Animals are good if they like him and entertain him, and bad if they do not directly serve his needs. He even rambles on about wild mushrooms for not being tasty enough.

[Krenner1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this was written in the 60s, I just found it after reading a Wall Street Journal list of the best nature writing. This is a lovely read about a writer who lives in an isolated Scottish home in summer. This is not a book of fast plot or twists, but it is equisite description of the home and life there, and of how life changes when the writer acquires a pet otter. With sophisticated writing and vocabulary, even the fawning over this beloved otter avoids sentimentality or cuteness, and sustains a literary tone that is beautiful and rewarding.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those tricky books to love in this world of political correctness gone mad, an Otter is a wild creature and should be left that way, ok if you rescue it but still it should be released. Gavin Maxwell was living in a different era, a time when you could buy a ring tailed lemur from Harrods for 75 quid. For him buying a baby otter and transporting it home, causing it a huge amount of stress was an obvious thing to do. What this book shows is just how much love he had for the otter and that it still had a full life in the wild...it just had somewhere cozy to come home to.

Gavin was not a people person, he was living in a remote, inaccessible, cottage where the nearest neighbours are far away. The beginning of the book describes in detail where he lives, the work to be done, the local wildlife and his wonderful dog. Once his dog has passed away Gavin struggles with the loneliness and while abroad gets his first otter. Eventually when he successfully gets an otter to the cottage, the book comes alive, Mij is a fantastic little character and his little "almost human" mannerisms make this book a joy to read. You can easily picture Mij splashing about in the bath, hunting for eels and using Gavin as a towel to dry himself. The bond between the two is incredible, the fact that they almost have a dialogue blows your mind, Mij getting Gavin to lift rocks that are too heavy was fantastic.

The book has it moments of great joy and also of great sorrow and you can't help but get swept along with Mij's life. It is a brilliant read that I recommend....would I want a pet otter? Nope, way too much maintenance....Would I wanna spend a day playing with one? Hell yeah!

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2019...

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gavin Maxwell is a dark and complex figure. That he loved the natural world is obvious in his writing, that his relationship with it was appropriative and at times abusive is also true. Holding wild animals as pets, for his own emotional succour was simply dismaying to read. My stomach turned throughout this book. That the otters all died terrible deaths says much to me about the dangers of the wildlife trade, the arrogance of humankind and the casual disregard for a creature's right to their natural habitat and to a life free from human interference. I hated this book.

[Timothy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forever after you read A Ring of Bright Water, the beauty, wonder, and humor of this book will gently surface with a ring of bright ripples in the waters of you mind. I am never able to remember this book without simultaneously wanting to laugh and to cry-and always with a sense of awed wonder. This is the true story of Gavin's befriending of otters (or perhaps we should say of the otters' decision to befriend Gavin.) In one scene, on the first night Gavin has one of the otters in his home, the otter carefully watches Gavin get into bed and pull the covers to his chin. The otter then crawls in beside Gavin, lies on its back, and pulls the covers to its own chin. Other scenes describe Gavin's losing efforts to make certain parts of his cottage off limits to otters. Gavin never for the rest of his life produced prose that so translucently coveys the beauty of the waters around his cottage, or the sense of his own evolving life and emotions. Reading this book is giving a gift to yourself. It is one a dozen that I always look for used to give to friends.

[_och_man_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Całą przyjemność z lektury odbierały mi jedynie nieliczne wstawki poświęcone dawnej profesji autora (si, chodzi o myślistwo) i kilkakrotne powtórzenia tych samych informacji - nierzadko w identycznym brzmieniu.
Poza tym, jest to chyba pierwsza książka z tego gatunku, przy której na dłużej zagościła w mojej głowie refleksja z pogranicza etyczności oswajania dzikich milusińskich. Tygrysa nikt w domu trzymać nie będzie, ale słodka wyderka to co innego. Prawda?

[Joy D · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Published in 1960, Ring of Bright Water is Gavin Maxwell’s memoir of his years at Sandaig, a remote cottage on the northwest coast of Scotland that he calls Camusfeàrna in the book. He went there to write, and after his dog died and he couldn’t face replacing him, he brought home an otter instead.

The book is full of the joy and grief that come with loving an animal closely. It is also a book of its time. Few people today think it is a good idea to keep a wild otter as a pet. Still, Maxwell’s connection with nature is obvious: “For I am convinced that man has suffered in his separation from the soil and from the other living creatures of the world; the evolution of his intellect has outrun his needs as an animal, and as yet he must still, for security, look long at some portion of the earth as it was before he tampered with it.”

Time outdoors matters a great deal to me, and I’m lucky to live a short drive from Lake Tahoe, which I find both beautiful and restorative. That shared love of wild places helped me understand Maxwell’s perspective, and it’s a big part of why I enjoyed this book so much despite my reservations about keeping an otter as a pet.

My favorite humorous anecdote was his trip from Iraq to England with his newly acquired otter Mijbil, a trip of several flights that the otter did not take quietly. (Lesson learned: never travel with an otter!)

[Metaphorosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
Gavin Maxwell, ensconced in a house on the beautiful coast of Scotland, decides to keep an otter as a pet - at any cost. And costs there are - financial, emotional, and (for the otters) existential.

Review
Ring of Bright Water and its sequel, The Rocks Remain, were two of the books, along with Gerald Durrell’s and James Herriot’s, that made the adolescent me think seriously about animals. I owe them for that. Unfortunately, the books look quite different to a wiser, older me.

Ring of Bright Water is more lyrical in its descriptions than I recall. In fact, there’s quite a lot of the book that’s simply describing the setting – the isolated house of Camusfearna and the nature around it. The otter I remember, Mijbil, doesn’t even enter the book until fairly late. And his successor, Edal enters in, though I’d thought she was only in the sequel.

What does stand out, though, much as it did in Maxwell’s memoir of childhood, The House of Elrig, is his attitude toward animals. What is clear now, but I don’t think was to the child me, is that Maxwell is focused on individuals. He loves Mijbil and Edal deeply and fully. But he’s not really concerned with animals more broadly – or, if he is, only in a somewhat selfish way. The very way he acquires the otters is fraught with risk – for them. Even he admits, in the end, that his very pursuit of exotic pets supports and instigates a cruel, brutal trade that causes many of them to die. It’s a fact that stands out to my adult view from the beginning. As a child, I was no wiser than he, and was simply mesmerized by the otters. Now, some of it is horrible.

I’d planned to go on to the sequel, but now I’m not so sure I can stomach Maxwell’s casual disregard of animal pain or his apparent view of them as an instrument for human enjoyment. Perhaps it’s not surprising in a man who grew up both collecting and killing with equal interest, and who initially set up a shark-hunting venture. Those elements come out with far more weight for me now than they did back in the ’70s.

If you’re an animal lover, I can no longer recommend this. There’s just too much that’s wrong in Maxwell’s approach. If what you’re primarily interested in is lush description, Maxwell’s prose hasn’t changed, and there’s a lot to like in his long descriptions of Camusfearna and the otters.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

This book was a bit slow for me until the first otter shows up, but the writing is strong for all of it. This is an account of much of the time Maxwell spent in a cottage in Scotland, although he didn't live there year round every year. Now the question I have been asked IRL while reading this book is, can you even have a pet otter? Well, you could back at the time this book is set, but not so now. There is one kind that is legal in the States, but even with that kind you have to be careful since it is not naturally a domesticated animal and even if raised from a cub it will depend on the otter itself. I certainly wouldn't have wanted anything to do with an otter like the first one, but Edan was much less aggressive. That said, I am not a fan of taking non-domesticated types of animals for pets; there are six key traits that successfully domesticated animals share, and without all six you can be asking for trouble.

Nevertheless, it is a classic that I hope stays in print. My library copy is the original hardcover edition from the first American printing.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a middle-grader - thereafter when my parents asked what I wanted for my birthday, it was always the same: an otter. (Nope. That never happened.)

Having completed the full read, of an actual in my hands book, I read this slowly. And - I was surprised to realize how much of the book is actually about the flora and fauna of the places the author was in - Iraq (which is where Mij came from) and Scotland (where his no-roads-lead-to-it house was).

Maxwell had two otters, Mij and Edal, in succession. Edal was adopted by a family while they were in Kenya, and Edal became too much and so landed in Maxwell's world. In the narrative there are many more animals of all sorts that he takes in to study and safeguard. He's a man in love with nature and creatures.

What surprised me the most was my changed response to this book. I was not happy by the read as I had been when younger. It reminded me of my desire to acquire my own otter, and then thought of all the crazy kids in the 60's and 70's like me that wanted exotic pets (I'm thinking of Tiger King, here!). It seems to me these kind of stories may have helped that unfortunate trend along. Wouldn't the poor creatures been better left in their natural environments?

Left a little morose, and I suspect it is because I am mindful of the current recognition of man's devastating effect on animal populations throughout the world. When I read as child I thought only of a human being a help (and improvement of circumstances) to any animal adopted - "saving" them from the wilderness. There are surely times when humans do help save distressed animals from certain death, but when happy healthy animals are taken from their native environments - isn't it just akin to kidnapping? Hmm.

His writing is lyrical, on the nature-ish side. Here is his reason for writing Ring of Bright Water, taken from his foreward, written in October of 1959:

"For I am convinced that man has suffered in his separation from the soil and from the other living creatures of the world; the evolution of his intellect has outrun his needs as an animal, and as yet he must still, for security, look long at some portion of the earth as it was before he tampered with it.

This book, then, is about my life in a lonely cottage on the northwest coast of Scotland, about animals that have shared it with me, and about others who are my only immediate neighbours in a landscape of rock and sea." -- Gavin Maxwell

Interestingly, the name of the book came from a poem written about/for him by Kathleen Raine, called The Marriage of Psyche:

The Marriage of Psyche
Kathleen Raine


1. The House

In my love's house
There are hills and pastures carpeted with flowers,
His roof is the blue sky, his lamp the evening star,
The doors of his house are the winds, and the rain his curtains.
In his house are many mountains, each alone,
And islands where the sea-birds home.

In my love's house
There is a waterfall that flows all night
Down from the mountain summit where the snow lies
White in the shimmering blue of everlasting summer,
Down from the high crag where the eagle flies.
At his threshold the tides of ocean rise,
And the porpoise follows the shoals into still bays
Where starfish gleam on brown weed under still water.

In sleep I was born here
And waking found rivers and waves my servants,
Sun and cloud and winds, bird-messengers,
And all the flocks of his hills and shoals of his seas.
I rest, in the heat of day, in the light shadow of leaves
And voices of air and water speak to me.
All this he has given me, whose face I have never seen,
But into whose all-enfolding arms I sink in sleep.


2. The Ring

He has married me with a ring, a ring of bright water
Whose ripples travel from the heart of the sea,
He has married me with a ring of light, the glitter
Broadcast on the swift river.
He has married me with the sun's circle
Too dazzling to see, traced in summer sky.

He has crowned me with the wreath of white cloud
That gathers on the snowy summit of the mountain,
Ringed me round with the world-circling wind,
Bound me to the whirlwind's centre.
He has married me with the orbit of the moon
And with the boundless circle of the stars,
With the orbits that measure years, months, days and nights,
Set the tides flowing,
Command the winds to travel or be at rest.

At the ring's centre,
Spirit or angel troubling the still pool,
Causality not in nature,
Finger's touch that summons at a point, a moment
Stars and planets, life and light
Or gathers cloud about an apex of cold,
Transcendent touch of love summons world to being.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I osmosed the movie based on Ring of Bright Water as an animal-obsessed kid, and read the book not long after. While I imagine that some British neomarxist critics might furrow their brows at Maxwell's use of a pastoral escape device that drives the plot, I'm not coldhearted (or disentangled from ideology) enough to dismiss Maxwell's love of both the rustic Scottish seascape, and of otterkind.

Devastatingly sad at times, but sleek and beautiful, this is an animal story classic that has mostly gone unappreciated by American readers in recent decades.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this ... children's literature - maybe, maybe not. But who cares? Set in remote Scotland, an abandoned house, and filled with otters. Just great!

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the movie Ring of Bright Water several years ago and was absolutely taken by the story. I am what one may call an extreme animal lover and am drawn to such accounts. Due to my upbringing, I'm also fascinated by individuals who choose to live outside of the hub of society. In Ring of Bright Water, Maxwell recounts the early years at "Camusfearna", an isolated house in a remote part of Scotland and his subsequent adventures and misadventures raising three otters.

The way in which Maxwell goes about describing his otters is absolutely captivating. The love and affection he felt for these creatures radiates from the page. Yet, it is often clear that Maxwell is very much from his time. He is quite quick to recognize that many readers will find this affection for an animal to be absurd, a kind of apology that one would be hard-pressed to find in the writings of fervent animals lovers today. Some of his actions regarding wild animals, such as the trapping of the wild cat kitten, also seem terribly misguided and would likely not be acceptable today. Yet, because Maxwell straddles both sides of the animal/human relationship, being a former whaler on one hand and a doting pet owner on the other, I think that he is able to give some interesting critiques of this relationship that one may not get from those who reside firmly on one side or the other. I found his description of taking Mijbil home from the Middle East to be quite surprising. Imagine having an otter on your lap during an international (or domestic) flight today! It would most certainly not "fly."

Maxwell also provides some beautiful and thought-provoking commentary on nature in general. This truly is a beautiful book and such a quick read that anyone even slightly interested should give it a go.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ring of Bright Water is the true story of Gavin Maxwell’s obsession with otters. His first encounter is in 1956, with a previously unknown subspecies, a tiny cub he calls Chahalla whom he adopts while on a trip to Iraq. He is devastated when it dies just a few days later. He then acquires another otter, whom he names Mijbil, and decides to return home with him, transporting him by aeroplane from Iraq, first to Maxwell’s home in London and then by train to his home, Camusfeàrna on a remote Scottish island. Maxwell’s aim is to domestic this wild animal and together they go on walks, play ball, bath and sleep together. Their relationship is close and intense until Mijbil escapes one day and is cruelly killed. By the end of the book Gavin Maxwell has acquired another otter, Edal, and it is Edal’s story which is related briefly in this book but features more in his sequel, The Rocks Remain.

Maxwell is described as a naturalist and is generally well respected, and whilst I found Ring of Bright Water sometimes fascinating and engaging, it is not the book I set out to read. I thought I was going to learn about Maxwell’s life on a remote Scottish island, observing the wildlife around him and tales of his observations of native wild otters. When I discovered that instead he buys wild otters while abroad, transports them and keeps them as pets for his own pleasure, I was much less keen. I appreciate that Maxwell was writing in a different era, but I think that our attitude towards encounters with wild animals have changed and for the most part I felt uncomfortable with Maxwell’s intentions and attitudes.

[Amanda Wolpink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ring of Bright Water represents, for me, narrative of one man's journey to re-join the likes of animal kind. As humans, we often separate ourselves out from animal taxonomy and think of ourselves as not truly in the same realm as animals. While I do agree to a point that free will and increased brain power makes us unique, I believe that Maxwell felt the need to find himself closer to the wild by removing himself from a populated area and surrounding himself with otters, birds, and such. He has created, in my mind, a perfect place (Camusfearna) which represents a mysterious land filled with fresh air, frolicking otters, and nature for as far as the eye can see. I can only imagine such things as I have never experienced such a place and such a relationship with wild animals.

I understand modern criticism of Maxwell's work, as wild animals should not be penned up and domesticated, but at the same time, I never felt angry with Maxwell. I felt that his intentions were deeper than what we saw in his melodic writing. I felt that he thought of otters as his equals and that he had no intentions of ruling or mastering any species.

I will also say that this book was difficult for me to read. I find the storyline to be both tragic and beautiful. I've read the book via print and via audiobook. The audiobook allowed me to focus more on the emotion of the book, and possibly was even harder for me to get through. It's a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts. Happiness and sadness in such great detail and eloquent wording made this book my favorite and I recommend it!

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm fairly sure that I enjoyed this book when I read it as a teenager. But it hasn't aged well. For one thing, Maxwell's plotting is all over the place. Eighty pages of rambling before he gets anywhere near an otter. What for? I just started thinking about how he could afford to be titting around on a beach in Scotland when normal people in Britain were trying to rebuild a country on its knees after suffering the ravages of WWII. I resented the fact that he seemed to come from the ranks of the idle rich and never had a proper job, other than as a failed business man... As for his credentials as a naturalist, well, his chief claim to fame was that he 'acquired' wild animals and turned them into pets. This book is full of funny little anecdotes, but a scientific enquiry it is not. Just a bit of a tale about a rich bloke who wanted to have a little zoo of his own. I'm glad we no longer live in a world where wild animals are treated like this by so-called naturalists.

[Jeffrey E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I initially expected (but in a good way). I was anticipating it to be about otters, otters, and more otters. Instead, this book is a beautiful collection of observations about nature, comical stories, and poetic prose.

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming and touching story. Probably the only story I've read that's brought a tear to my eye. Should be on everybody's "To Read" list.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Los que me leéis mi reseñas por Goodreads, sabéis de mi afición a leer historias acerca de los humanos en contacto con el mundo animal, y su adoración por éste, llegando a entablar una profunda y sincera amistad, con lazos irrompibles con los seres que cuidan y protegen. He leído unas cuantas, y algunas de ellas, las mejores, me han resultado sinceras y encomiables en dramatismo real. Pero la presente, " El círculo del agua clara", es de lejos una (sino la mejor) de ellas.
Y es que el pedazo de auto biografía del Naturista Gavin Maxwell, que nos relata su afincación en la Islas Hébridas, en un paraje que él bautiza cómo Camusfeàrna, es una narración tremendamente sentimental, sincera, objetiva (en la visión global de lo que le rodea y los malos rasgos característicos de las nutrias que lo acompañan en su andanza vital por las inóspitas tierras Escocesa, a la vez que sentimental ( y desgarrador por ello), cálido , delicado, y en parte subjetivo ( de las subjetividad que puede tener cualquier persona entregada a la causa de cuidar ) al dar su vida y compartirla con especímenes, en principio, ajenos a él , pero, y sin embargo, más cercanos que los de su misma especie.
Así y todo, en su primera parte: La bahía de los Alisios, no parece que vaya a ser tan centrado en los aspectos comentados con anterioridad. Aquí Maxwell nos introduce en el porqué de su desertaje consentido y temporal ( ya que muchas veces viaja a lo largo del año, y una mitad de éste lo pasa en su piso Londinense), sus inicios y anclaje, tanto físico como amistoso, con los pocos vecinos que tiene y las tiendas " cercanas" que le suministran víveres y otros enseres. El naturista nos describe perfecta, minuciosa pero álgimente sus sensaciones, el paraje salvaje y espectacular que es ésa pequeña isla Hébrida. Pero a raíz de la muerte de su fiel perro de toda la vida, y después de un año de guardar riguroso luto, e incluso, pensar en dejar la pacífica Camusfeàrna, es cuando la narración llega a su punto álgido, precisamente por ser de una calidez y sinceridad aplastante,al describir a corazón abierto toda la toma de contacto y sus vivencias con las nutrias, las cuales son su anclaje sentimental y vital con la su paso por la existencia (aún si él ser plenamente consciente de ello ).
Tres serán las Nutrias que le acompañen en éste primer libro. La primera de ellas: Chahala, es la historia de un amor protector e instantáneo y un adiós temprano; es por ello desgarradora y muy dramática. La segunda: Mij, es la narración más sentidas de todas, precisamente por ser la que da eje a su vinculación más profunda con las nutrias , su arraigo a las costa e idilio con el paraje y el día a día de compartir su vida , ver crecer y criar a ésta. Por lo tanto, su final te abre una brecha tan profunda en el corazón, o te vuelve a abrir la tuya propia, que te duele la pérdida y más de la manera en el sucede. Es así, que las vivencias que comparte íntimamente Maxwell con sus futuros lectores, traspasará su sentimiento de pena y desconsuelo, a los amantes del reino animal, llegando a calar muy, pero que muy hondo, a los que hemos tenido experiencias personales similares, e incluso compartimos ésa entrega con los seres tan maravillosos y especiales que son los mal llamados animales. Sí, el libro te hace abrir cicatrices que creías tapadas, y verte reflejado en tan bonita y dedicada vida a unos seres que importan, y aportan más que muchos humanos.
Pero no solamente las partes de las vivencias con las nutrias, que si bien son fundamentales para la mágia tan especial de la obra, resultan importantes. El peso completario lo aportan los pasajes narrativos de las descripciones del entorno de la isla como fondo, un marco ideal y ensoñador como pocos, narrados con una exquisitez melancólica y bucólica pero a ratos vivaz, alegre en fondo significativo , gracias a la pluma poetica del naturista.
No obstante, la obra no está exenta de lagunas, o más bien, incoherencias personales en lo referente a la vida previa de éste Escocés en las islas salvajes, pero es muy perdonable, pues el ser humano en sí es contradictorio.
Lo ratifico, una obra muy especial y mágica, de las mejores memorias que he leído de primera mano acerca del idilio y conexión entre humanos y animales, que es imposible que no te llegué, y en cierto punto, hasta te duela ( por ti y por el autor y sus preciosas nutrias). Sólo sé que,a éstas alturas, ya quiero leer su siguientes partes.
Una obra para sentir, en el más rotundo y profundo significado del adjetivo. Única y altamente recomendable.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the writer's use of his landscape, the ecology of his surroundings and the suitable habitat for his otters. He establishes his place as well as theirs within an environment that is both sustainable and abundant, yet never lacks for knowledge or description of new wonders. Reminds me of Solomon's Ring, by Konrad Lorenz, in that it addresses animal behavior, also Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat or possibly Gorillas in the Mist, by Jane Goodall. There is a certain lesson to be learned too, from the wild animal in captivity genre, in that these encounters are more often than not associated with rampages, assault, unwarranted violence, injuries to strangers and more often than not, the destruction of the animal due to litigation and necessary testing for rabies. Maxwell's account is only far fetched in that it appeals to a passion for wildlife that anybody who has experienced enough of it will understand; the whole reason a person wants a pet that refuses to be trained is because it is a wild animal, and by training and domesticating it, the owner takes away from that animal the freedom it was given by nature of its birth. There are many Wildlife Sanctuaries specifically dedicated to caring for and housing large mammals, purchased by individuals with the intention of domesticating and keeping them as pets, including wolf hybrids, purchased by people who believed they could domesticate an animal that is inherently wild, only to find out how wrong and ill suited that type of canine or large mammal is for the role of house dog or family pet. I like Maxwell's writing style and the tone of his stories, he is both disarming and cautious in the telling of humbling stories, as if the reader were an expert otter handler he is embarrassed to be admitting his shame to, yet I can't quite accept the decision to keep and train a wild animal. It seems selfish. Not that a pet hyena wouldn't clear up a few problems around the house. Security, check. Bonhomie, check.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Really loved it. So much so that I acquired the sequel even before I'd finished reading it. I was previously familiar with the material from having seen the Bill Travers/Virginia McKenna film of the same name, although I was pleased to find this was a much darker, more realistic, less Disney-fied version of the story.

In essence, Gavin Maxwell became a hermit, moving to the wilds of the western Scottish Highlands and acquiring a couple of otters to keep as pets. It's as simple as that, and yet Maxwell is an excellent and intelligent writer whose style I frequently found unputdownable. The story is by turns dramatic, funny, and tragic, and had me in tears a couple of times (I'm a big softie when it comes to animal stuff). Mij is one of the best animal characters I've ever encountered on or off the page.

RING OF BRIGHT WATER clocks in at over 200 pages but remains a brisk read throughout. Black and white photos accompany the text and add immeasurably to it. Maxwell keeps things interesting by providing endless anecdotes and as a whole the book is a jumble of the travelogue, historical account, factual and scientific information, diary, digression, and nature writing. It's also very funny, and it inspires endless enthusiasm for the subject matter in the reader. I can't wait to check out THE ROCKS REMAIN, the second of the trilogy.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Otters are not pets. The absolute entitlement of white British men over nature, animals, and people of colour made me stop and sit in disgust every chapter in the second half. The repeated stereotyped characterizations of the locals of Scotland and South Africa were bad, and there was that one line on page 118 that compared victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to animals, in that they sometimes just voluntarily die.

Descriptions of the repeated capture of wild-population animals and their subsequent illness and death caused by Maxwell's negligence and unpreparedness ran abundant. And yet he still promoted getting animals because they were cute or pretty. Just get another dog, dude.

The first two chapters were long winded and entirely skippable. However, the rest of the first half with his anecdotes of local wildlife and domestic animals were sometimes enjoyable (I laughed at the description of the male goat). This is why I'm giving it two stars instead of one.

[༺Kiki༻ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:

✱ My Family and Other Animals
✱ Menagerie Manor
✱ The Dog Who Wouldn't Be
✱ Owls in the Family
✱ All Creatures Great and Small

[Jessi Waugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I loved the description of the island and the otters, I felt that the author only cared for the animals in a selfish way - removing them from their homes & ability to reproduce, their instincts & life cycles, thus limiting their ecosystems and their species.

He often, in fact, loves the animals to death - how many otters die so he can have a pet? What effect did he have on the basking shark population? Did he care? Still, my sensibilities are more modern; the book dates from the '50s, I believe.

It's also amazing that the author has such time and funds to accommodate his lifestyle - it's unclear if he ever works a day through the whole book. Perhaps this entitled lifestyle leads to his treatment of wild animals as if they were meant for his personal enjoyment?

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the begining of the book I found it quite hard going. Very descriptive of scenery and for me it dragged. I was desperate to hear about the otter and he didn't appear until after page 40. However once he started getting into Mij and his antics and how he coped with living with an otter it was a fantastic read. For those non animals lovers I don't know how much if at all this book would appeal to you but I enjoyed it and will be reading no.2 soon.

[Cameron Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book to read when you are neither here, nor there. Eye opening. Good to read before bed. Not much substance, except for the substance of place, which is vivid, and the relationship between an otter and a human.