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Shiver: The Lessons of the Lochs
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After Brigid Lowe's world is upended, Scotland becomes her home. Its icy, wild waters a place of a visceral relief. Baptising herself into this new life, she determines to swim the country's thirty thousand lochs. To plunge into this landscape in the hopes of gaining a fluid sense of herself and who she might become.
And so Brigid's loch adventures stepping into ice and caves and sacred springs, she swims with birds, conger eels and seals, across forest and mountain and moor, alone and with her children in tow. And as she comes to know these secretive pools, with their vaulting depths and softer shallows, she walks the line between recklessness and safety, discovering new edges of pain and pleasure, of strength and endurance.
Shiver is a love-letter to Caledonia – its flowers and rocks, its bogs and legends and hills – and to its chill waters, which swept Brigid off her feet only to carry her back home again.
After Brigid Lowe's world is upended, Scotland becomes her home. Its icy, wild waters a place of a visceral relief. Baptising herself into this new life, she determines to swim the country's thirty thousand lochs. To plunge into this landscape in the hopes of gaining a fluid sense of herself and who she might become.
And so Brigid's loch adventures stepping into ice and caves and sacred springs, she swims with birds, conger eels and seals, across forest and mountain and moor, alone and with her children in tow. And as she comes to know these secretive pools, with their vaulting depths and softer shallows, she walks the line between recklessness and safety, discovering new edges of pain and pleasure, of strength and endurance.
Shiver is a love-letter to Caledonia – its flowers and rocks, its bogs and legends and hills – and to its chill waters, which swept Brigid off her feet only to carry her back home again.
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 2, 2026
3.5
That was a lovely memoir - a bit more woo woo and emotional than I normally go for, but I liked Brigid Lowe's tone, it felt quite raw and honest and transparent. I always enjoy a story about someone undergoing stress and deciding that the solution is to do something a bit mad - swim in as many freezing lochs as possible, leaving her husband working in England and going around Scotland, experiencing nature and the water. I liked the wild swimming element, the writing felt quite poetic - a bit too much at times - and I liked the focus on her Welsh identity and her Scottish adventures, contrasting it with England, especially at a time when you can't go wild swimming in England and access to the land is more restricted.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
That was a lovely memoir - a bit more woo woo and emotional than I normally go for, but I liked Brigid Lowe's tone, it felt quite raw and honest and transparent. I always enjoy a story about someone undergoing stress and deciding that the solution is to do something a bit mad - swim in as many freezing lochs as possible, leaving her husband working in England and going around Scotland, experiencing nature and the water. I liked the wild swimming element, the writing felt quite poetic - a bit too much at times - and I liked the focus on her Welsh identity and her Scottish adventures, contrasting it with England, especially at a time when you can't go wild swimming in England and access to the land is more restricted.
Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
September 25, 2026
I don't like getting cold, which tends to generate hypothermia, chilblains and immunity problems, and so can only see the lady author as bonkers. But if she wanted to go swim in as many of Scotland's 30,000 and counting lochs as she could, that's her privilege. I like that the contrast between England and Scotland is made clear. In England, lakes and rivers are fenced off, polluted, owned, she tells us. In Scotland, you may go anywhere for legal purposes and the water is clean. You'll generally be welcomed.
Quite sadly, we get the story beginning with the author's marriage undergoing stresses and she decides to go north and leave her working husband to work. She was stressed out, depressed and had an obsessive compulsive disorder, hence, you know, counting up the lochs. For some reason she sees it as okay to bring three small kids along while she skinnydipped in public places. Some of the time she did wear a costume.
There are moving descriptions such as the night they saw the aurora, and how she and her daughter explored a sea cave to discover the hidden flowstone and cavern pool for swimming. The wildlife they saw and kelp that wrapped their legs. The local legends and castles.
The tale is sometimes quite wordy and digresses into what the Welsh think of people who nearly speak their language well. We could have done without those as we're not in Wales and it seems to be padding. But then later we're told the old Welsh uses one word for blue and green, making me wonder if eyesight has altered.
Focused travel memoirs tend to be either sharp and cheerful, or wordy and serious. I'm sure the author, who says she's done online lecturing and ghostwriting, spent a lot of time writing this, and it's nice to see a female point of view as we learn about a hobby that seems eccentric and reckless. All in favour of a clean environment, raise your hand.
I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
Quite sadly, we get the story beginning with the author's marriage undergoing stresses and she decides to go north and leave her working husband to work. She was stressed out, depressed and had an obsessive compulsive disorder, hence, you know, counting up the lochs. For some reason she sees it as okay to bring three small kids along while she skinnydipped in public places. Some of the time she did wear a costume.
There are moving descriptions such as the night they saw the aurora, and how she and her daughter explored a sea cave to discover the hidden flowstone and cavern pool for swimming. The wildlife they saw and kelp that wrapped their legs. The local legends and castles.
The tale is sometimes quite wordy and digresses into what the Welsh think of people who nearly speak their language well. We could have done without those as we're not in Wales and it seems to be padding. But then later we're told the old Welsh uses one word for blue and green, making me wonder if eyesight has altered.
Focused travel memoirs tend to be either sharp and cheerful, or wordy and serious. I'm sure the author, who says she's done online lecturing and ghostwriting, spent a lot of time writing this, and it's nice to see a female point of view as we learn about a hobby that seems eccentric and reckless. All in favour of a clean environment, raise your hand.
I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Shiver completely surprised me and took a path I wasn’t initially expecting. It is an intimate, poetic and raw memoir in which Brigid Lowe confides her deepest struggles. As a mother of four, she spent years losing her sense of identity in motherhood and decided it was time to claim herself back, a journey she pursued through the world of wild, cold-water swimming.
While I am not personally a fan of wild or cold swimming (it is far too scary for me!), I really appreciated following the author on her path to self-discovery. At times, I found the book a little difficult to follow and read, as it feels deeply stream-of-consciousness, as though she wrote down her rawest thoughts directly onto the page. Yet despite those challenging moments, her story felt incredibly authentic, deep and inspiring. It actually encouraged me to reflect on my own journey to find myself again and pursue my own dreams.
The descriptions of the Scottish landscapes are gorgeous. I constantly found myself looking up the locations she visited out of sheer curiosity and I only wished the book had been accompanied by photographs of those amazing spots. I was quite taken aback at times by her willingness to take unconsidered risks, as well as some of the darker passages, but her honesty is undeniable.
One quote that truly resonated with me was: "I would write a book about swimming, [...] with a message of hope for all who might get that far. A journey out to the limits of the land to find myself again."
I was also fascinated by her description of 'flow' that state which "happens when we are not distracted, and we can create at the limits of our competence" where "the ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement and thought follows inevitably from the previous one..." I recognised that exact feeling immediately; it is what I experience during long walks, where you completely disconnect and feel like you are on autopilot.
Overall, this is a poetic, reflective read that made me want to travel to Scotland even more.
While I am not personally a fan of wild or cold swimming (it is far too scary for me!), I really appreciated following the author on her path to self-discovery. At times, I found the book a little difficult to follow and read, as it feels deeply stream-of-consciousness, as though she wrote down her rawest thoughts directly onto the page. Yet despite those challenging moments, her story felt incredibly authentic, deep and inspiring. It actually encouraged me to reflect on my own journey to find myself again and pursue my own dreams.
The descriptions of the Scottish landscapes are gorgeous. I constantly found myself looking up the locations she visited out of sheer curiosity and I only wished the book had been accompanied by photographs of those amazing spots. I was quite taken aback at times by her willingness to take unconsidered risks, as well as some of the darker passages, but her honesty is undeniable.
One quote that truly resonated with me was: "I would write a book about swimming, [...] with a message of hope for all who might get that far. A journey out to the limits of the land to find myself again."
I was also fascinated by her description of 'flow' that state which "happens when we are not distracted, and we can create at the limits of our competence" where "the ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement and thought follows inevitably from the previous one..." I recognised that exact feeling immediately; it is what I experience during long walks, where you completely disconnect and feel like you are on autopilot.
Overall, this is a poetic, reflective read that made me want to travel to Scotland even more.
October 11, 2026
Shiver is a moving account of trauma, motherhood, and healing through cold-water swimming in the Scotland lochs. I love Lowe's writing style; it is lyrical and rich with sensory details. I felt the cold and tasted the salt. We need more stories about how women move forward and what sustains them. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
#Shiver
#Shiver
September 16, 2026
This has been my bedtime book, and I finished it last night. It is non-fiction, but soft, tender and sensitive. You get all the qualities fiction readers want to see in a book. I highly recommend it to everyone. One to savour though. Not for a binge-read.
It is memoir-ish, and the author does interweave what she has experienced in life with what she feels when she is in the water, but without telling us enough for us to know exactly what happened in her life. So the book never becomes about her (though a little bit more info would have been great. I get too curious 😂) This book is about water and Scotland, an ode to the nature she loves and is in awe of.
What astonishes me is the author’s ability to describe being in nature, in the water, in so many different ways. So many exquisite ways. I felt like I was right there with her, feeling what she feels and seeing what she sees. The pleasant feeling I get from reading her words is difficult to describe. It made me feel fresher, cleaner and purer. It’s like, instead of going deeper with my thoughts, I’m pulled up and up to a surface, towards sunlight, feeling lighter and weightless, with less baggage and worry. I don’t know if that makes sense to you! Something I rarely experience with a book.
I’m so glad I read this book. I feel like we are seeing more and more nature-writing books coming onto the market these days (rightly so, with the climate crisis), but I think this book will always stay with me.
4.5-5/5 🌟
It is memoir-ish, and the author does interweave what she has experienced in life with what she feels when she is in the water, but without telling us enough for us to know exactly what happened in her life. So the book never becomes about her (though a little bit more info would have been great. I get too curious 😂) This book is about water and Scotland, an ode to the nature she loves and is in awe of.
What astonishes me is the author’s ability to describe being in nature, in the water, in so many different ways. So many exquisite ways. I felt like I was right there with her, feeling what she feels and seeing what she sees. The pleasant feeling I get from reading her words is difficult to describe. It made me feel fresher, cleaner and purer. It’s like, instead of going deeper with my thoughts, I’m pulled up and up to a surface, towards sunlight, feeling lighter and weightless, with less baggage and worry. I don’t know if that makes sense to you! Something I rarely experience with a book.
I’m so glad I read this book. I feel like we are seeing more and more nature-writing books coming onto the market these days (rightly so, with the climate crisis), but I think this book will always stay with me.
4.5-5/5 🌟
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank youto Elliot & Thompson publishers amd Netgalley for an early copy to enjoy. What an amazing beautiful book, at one with nature just so pure! I love wild swimming and this memoir took my breathaway! A grounded 4 star read!
October 1, 2026
This novel is an intimate account of how the author has suffered trauma and found that cold water swimming in the many Scottish lochs both tested her mental state, challenged her self esteem and eventually helped her on the slow road to recovery.
She describes her physical, emotional and psychological battles, which included the stress of separating from her husband and being responsible not only for her fragile state, but the day to day care of her three children.
The novel is full of strong statements, the majesty of high cliffs, the power and danger of water, and the need to show respect to Mother Nature and her healing ability. To experience the raw beauty of nature makes one appreciate both life and the living of it.
The history of Scotland and the formation of its land and waters, is a place where myths and legends come up against the modernity of life in the shape of hydroelectric installations.
You must recognise the danger signs of when a body is shutting down in extreme cold, this book gives a brilliant insight and description of the clinical signs to be aware of. These paragraphs might just help save a life in any future heatwave scenarios in the country.
Full of poetic and lyrical musings, this about life lessons learnt the hard way.
A thought provoking and hopeful read.
She describes her physical, emotional and psychological battles, which included the stress of separating from her husband and being responsible not only for her fragile state, but the day to day care of her three children.
The novel is full of strong statements, the majesty of high cliffs, the power and danger of water, and the need to show respect to Mother Nature and her healing ability. To experience the raw beauty of nature makes one appreciate both life and the living of it.
The history of Scotland and the formation of its land and waters, is a place where myths and legends come up against the modernity of life in the shape of hydroelectric installations.
You must recognise the danger signs of when a body is shutting down in extreme cold, this book gives a brilliant insight and description of the clinical signs to be aware of. These paragraphs might just help save a life in any future heatwave scenarios in the country.
Full of poetic and lyrical musings, this about life lessons learnt the hard way.
A thought provoking and hopeful read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this book. Ms Lowe is a beautiful writer and masterfully evokes the emotions of wild swimming. I have never been swimming in a Scottish loch and indeed haven’t been swimming for about 50 years, so I’m living vicariously through the descriptive prowess of Ms Lowe. She describes the places, the feelings, the effects, and the aftermath of swimming in a variety of places. Some are straightforward and some are not! I was slightly freaked by her determination to reach the cave and I’ll say no more on that.
Describing haar, she says:-
‘…ebb and flow over the land as the tides do up and down the shore, like a gigantic spectre of the sea. It mists the line between the tangible and intangible. You can’t quite touch it, though you can almost see its wavering ghostly limbs, and almost feel them…’
Another quote which resonated with me was :- ‘The point is not to get anything done that no one has done before, but to be still, and still be.’
This is a book you ease into and read slowly and I found myself wishing at the end that I could talk to the author about the choices she makes and how she got to be so brave.
Recommended for the adventurers in your life and the folk who never leave their armchairs like me.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley
Describing haar, she says:-
‘…ebb and flow over the land as the tides do up and down the shore, like a gigantic spectre of the sea. It mists the line between the tangible and intangible. You can’t quite touch it, though you can almost see its wavering ghostly limbs, and almost feel them…’
Another quote which resonated with me was :- ‘The point is not to get anything done that no one has done before, but to be still, and still be.’
This is a book you ease into and read slowly and I found myself wishing at the end that I could talk to the author about the choices she makes and how she got to be so brave.
Recommended for the adventurers in your life and the folk who never leave their armchairs like me.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley
September 26, 2026
What a beautiful book. I was drawn to the description of Shiver after recently enjoying some books about nature and women and their relationship with it, like Raising Hare and Wayfarer. I also love the work of Katherine May and parts of this reminded me of reading Enchantment.
Shiver at its most simple follows a woman, a single mother of 3, as she attempts to swim in as many of Scotland’s Loch’s as possible. In. Every. Season.
I am not outdoorsy but I do enjoy experiencing it vicariously, and some of the descriptions of the extreme temperatures, swimming surrounded by ice, camping in gales and scaling sea cave walls left me biting my nails.
The other side to this book is the journey of a woman attempting to recover from trauma in the only way she finds she can, whilst juggling the demands both physical, emotional and financial, of raising her children.
I started to google each loch and location part way through the book and I scoured maps of Scotland. It led me to some astonishingly beautiful places.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book, I will be recommending it.
Shiver at its most simple follows a woman, a single mother of 3, as she attempts to swim in as many of Scotland’s Loch’s as possible. In. Every. Season.
I am not outdoorsy but I do enjoy experiencing it vicariously, and some of the descriptions of the extreme temperatures, swimming surrounded by ice, camping in gales and scaling sea cave walls left me biting my nails.
The other side to this book is the journey of a woman attempting to recover from trauma in the only way she finds she can, whilst juggling the demands both physical, emotional and financial, of raising her children.
I started to google each loch and location part way through the book and I scoured maps of Scotland. It led me to some astonishingly beautiful places.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book, I will be recommending it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved this book. Poetic, grounded in nature and the human interaction with nature. Evocative Scotland scenery. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews