The Ring of Bright Water Trilogy

by Gavin Maxwell, Austin Chinn (Editor)

Fifty years ago Gavin Maxwell went to live in an abandoned house on a shingle beach on the west coast of Scotland. A haven for wildlife - he named his home Camusfearna and settled there with the otters Mij, Edal and Teko.

Ring of Bright Water chronicles Gavin Maxwell's first ten years with the otters and touched the hearts of readers the world over, brilliantly evoking life with these playful animals in this natural paradise. Two further volumes followed bringing the story full circle telling of the difficult last years and the final abandonment of the settlement.

For the first time the entire trilogy is available in a single narrative in this beautifully presented book.

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

464 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2001

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

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah, this is difficult. I had never heard of Ring of Bright Water, nor seen the film and it wasn't until I read Miriam Darlington's excellent Otter Country last year that it came onto my radar.

I was a little disappointed to discover that this collection heavily edited all 3 books. However, after reading it makes sense, condensing the story and provides some focus. It makes it hard for me to objectively rate Ring of Bright Water though, not knowing what has been cut.

I can understand why it was so famous and well received in the 60s, presenting an idyllic Eden. Man at one with nature, isolated and free. Except it's all myth. He later makes it clear that he embellished or at least presented a somewhat rosy version of the reality and the subsequent two books highlight the reality of a remote life surrounded by wild animals.

Gavin Maxwell is an odd naturalist. Railing against the way we treat our animals yet keeping a succession of wild animals that are not pets. He's a hunter, a shark fisherman and freely states he would happily kill all killer whales (something that wouldn't go down well in modern times). His arrogance and naivety is astounding at times and in direct contrast to the persona he tries to put across. I appreciate things were a little different back then but still. His apparent bipolar disease makes some sense of this.

The subsequent two books break down the façade a little and I think it's a shame that most people just read the first and accept it at face value. It does get a little depressing and self pitying though. It's also only really in the final book that he starts accepting some personal responsibility for events. Up until that point almost everything that goes wrong is due to someone else.

I'm not sure whether it's due to the editing but I got the sense there's an awful lot left out. We get peaks and suggestions. His relationship (and subsequent fall out) with Kathleen Raine, his homosexuality, his mental health issues, his relationship with almost anyone else. Barely mentioned. Aside from Jimmy Watt (and later Terry Nutkins) we get a few names bandied around but it's really a one man show.

So yeah, Ring is an interesting book, dated now but nicely written. The subsequent two books provide an interesting coda and it's ultimately a heartbreaking story of arrogance, good intentions and (probably) the impact of mental health. And otters. Don't forget the otters. Though if you want to read an excellent book about Otters, read the aforementioned book by Darlington.

[Wm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the movie as a child and was traumatized. I came across the book last year, and could not put it down. It is odd. It is idiosyncratic. It is very Scottish. Everyone should read this book.

[Stacey D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I sit in a pitch-pine panelled kitchen-living room, with an otter asleep upon its back among the cushions on the sofa, forepaws in the air, and with the expression of tightly shut concentration that very small babies wear in sleep."

So begins Mr. Maxwell's account of his time spent on a remote slice of paradise called Camusfeàrna in the southwest of Scotland. It's a place where greylag geese and many other bird species fly close to their few fellow human inhabitants; where stags, foxes and wildcats run free and all life forms depend on the season and the weather. Leaving gritty London in the early 1950s, Maxwell becomes the king of this unspoiled and largely aquatic domain, where he lives in near isolation, except for a few neighbors and the constant wildlife around him, on and off until his death in 1969.

The book begins with a beautiful depiction of the flora and fauna that reign supreme, of the nearby waterfall, lighthouse and burn that form part of this picturesque seascape along the rugged Atlantic coast of the West Highlands. After the death of his beloved spaniel Jonnie, the author, an international photographer, yearns for a new companion, which he finds in the unlikely domesticated otter. He encounters his first otter during a photo shoot in Iraq of all places, and this is where the story really begins. I found his account of his transatlantic journey back to Scotland - by plane! with Mijbil, his newly adopted otter cub, in a small box at his feet! in 1954! - simply fascinating. Flying with this tiny but restless creature from Iraq to Cairo, then to Paris, and then by perilously bumpy car to London and later, settling back down in Scotland in Mijbil's final home. Maxwell's writing is superb, as he recounts for the reader this maddeningly funny, yet harrowing tale, recalled in flawless detail.

There's a lot more to this captivatingly charming story of Maxwell's love for and life with Mijbil, plus Edal, his second otter companion at Camusfeàrna. The book became an instant classic when first published in 1960, with a movie that followed. I think a book like this, in all its beautiful simplicity, gets swallowed up by today's more contemporary works and it's our job to keep it alive. This one is so worthy of our time and attention.

Maxwell also published two subsequent works, with further details about the author's obsession with otters and his rather brief life spent on this idyllic landscape one can only dream about.

'...a ring of bright water whose ripples travel from the heart of the sea'.

[PagePilgrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many emotions.
I was nervous to read this book because I'm very sensitive to animal welfare and completely against animals in captivity. I won't even keep a fish. When I started reading I wondered if I'd actually finish it because it's written in old English which is sometimes hard to follow. But once the otters were introduced I was hooked. What fabulous, intelligent and wonderful creatures. What pleasure our Creator must have taken in creating them. I am officially obsessed. Maxwell wrote so descriptively that it feels like you're there playing with them. I laughed (a lot!), cried and read with nervous anticipation as well as glee.
This book, as delightful as it is, reinforced my perception of humans that we are nothing but utter shit and that deep inside some people is such an abyss of darkness, a darkness I will never understand how it drives a person to hurt an innocent animal.
The last third of the book is incredibly bleak and heartsore unfortunately. I was disappointed at how he neglected and betrayed them at times; which is why I will always maintain that wild animals are not to be kept captive. They bring an immense amount of joy but humans tend to be selfish while indulging in their company. That there lies the problem. However there's no denying Maxwell adored his animals. This book is a classic and my heart has been blessed learning about these incredible animals. May God bless them always.

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Gavin Maxwell was to otters what Joy Adamson was to lions, Dian Fossey to gorillas, Jane Goodall to chimpanzees and Grey Owl to beavers. Ring of Bright Water was one of the twentieth-century's most popular wildlife books (top of the U.S. bestseller lists for a year, over two million sold worldwide) and was habitually bracketed with Thoreau's Walden, Gilbert White's Natural History of Selborne and Henry Williamson's Tarka the Otter."
— Douglas Botting, Gavin Maxwell: A Life

"One of the outstanding wildlife books of all time."
— The New York Herald Tribune

[Robert Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the prose to be some of the most descriptive I have ever read despite the book being an account of one disaster after another. It was certainly not an uplifting or optimistic work. Nevertheless, it fully deserved the acclaim it achieved shortly after publication.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ring of Bright Water - 4 stars
The Rocks Remain - 3 stars
Raven Seek Thy Brother - 2 stars

[Jim Puskas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was uncomfortable with the very opening paragraph of Chapter 1 — the image of an otter, a wild creature asleep in Maxwell’s cottage. But I decided to let the matter pass and read on, hoping to arrive at a fair judgment of the book. And to some degree I was not disappointed. The work is literate, well structured and richly illustrated; it offers a highly appealing picture of a truly spectacular place.
But time and time again I was faced with disturbing views and events. Maxwell has been lauded by many as a naturalist, i.e. a man in tune with nature, but for my money, he was nothing of the sort. He was the product of a distorted, euro-centric misunderstanding of the realities of the natural world — and more to the point, the proper role of mankind WITHIN that world, as opposed to having dominion over it.
Most of us are fortunate today in having become more aware of the traditional beliefs of aboriginal peoples who, having lived for centuries in close harmony with the earth and its creatures, have understood man’s true role. Maxwell, having been influenced by the society in which he grew up, perceived each wild creature from the perspective of its impact upon his economic interests. Hence, the fox was to be shot on sight where it might be expected to prey upon his lambs — but the same fox might be his ally when it hunted the mice that attack his crops.
So, in the end, Maxwell’s treatment of otters and other creatures was simply one aspect of the arrogant behavior of men who have been taught to see themselves as masters of our world and everything in it. Too bad, because Maxwell was a competent and insightful writer.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read Ring of Bright Water in high school, as a Reader's Digest Condensed Book. Then I came upon the trilogy (I had not known until recently that there were two other books).

It is British naturalist Gavin Maxwell's memoir of life at his beloved home Camusfearna, shared with the otters that made it famous. His style of writing is from an earlier generation, full of long rhapsodic sentences describing his environment. When he writes about his otters it is with charm, and later, with the keen observation of a wildlife enthusiast. It's what captured my imagination when I was younger.

Maxwell's joys are tempered by daily trials and tragedy, but he recounts events without apology, particularly in the latter two books.

Ring of Bright Water was made into a 1969 film based on the first book.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read this book (and the two sequels) many years ago, and enjoyed them, although the ending of the trilogy became a little bleak. Not too long ago I happened upon an account of Maxwell's later life and death, which prompted further research. As a result I now consider these books, well-written and seemingly charming, as, by their omissions, little more than a pack of lies, produced by a monstrous ego. Feet of clay, eh.

[Freya Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartwarming story, I watched the film when I was little and if I thought the film was sad then the books are so much worse, trying not to cry on a bus while surrounded mostly by teenagers was quite a feat. That said I didn't feel as drawn into the book mainly due to the writing style, it's quite slow and I felt it was always quite a slog to get through some chapters. Despite it lacking that unputdownable factor it is still a magical story.

[Mairead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the first and third books - middle one a little weak. Love the amusement of the otters in the first one and the honesty of the writing throughout. Maxwell's mental instability comes through more and more as the books progress. Would read more of his again.

[Stephen Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing really how much changes over fifty-odd years... Attitudes to wildlife were clearly on the cusp of change when this was written.I'm sure that there was sincerity in what now might seem misguided attempts at domestication of animals. I enjoyed the writing and have gone for 4 stars.

[Bryan Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want heartwarming, stop after the first book. If you want haunting and devastating, read the entire trilogy.

[Susanna Hl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, mostly because I came to love the place as a child.

[Klara Gonciarz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wild animals are meant to be w i l d. not supportive of author's adventures with wildlife.

[Book-Social · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this as I probably live closer to Eilean Ban than pretty much anyone in the world. The lighthouse Gavin Maxwell bought in the book is located on Eilean Ban and still stands today. I can head out my door, walk to Skye bridge, stick my head over and see it in less than 5 minutes. So I was excited to read about the man behind the Brightwater Centre, the statue of Teko in my village’s harbour and of course the museum that is situated on Eilean Ban.

The book isn’t particularly about the lighthouse (although it is mentioned) instead (more logically) it’s about the otters he befriended that made him famous. I read with interest at Maxwell’s relocation to the remote Camusfearna, his neighbours and struggles to get even the simplest of supplies to his door. The wheels however started to fall off for me when he was describing his attempts at bringing his first otter, Mij, home. All the way from Iraq. Reading the stress Mij went though was horrific and I questioned why a man who supposedly loved animals would do such a thing.

The questions didn’t stop there however. Taking an otter around Harrods? Transporting it up to Scotland? Then back to London? For all of Maxwell’s claims about remodelling parts of his house to otter proof them and buying numerous toys for otter entertainment, the animal’s fundamental health and well being never seemed to really be fulfilled. And that’s just the otters

Calamities seemed to magnetise towards Maxwell. Obtaining a menagerie of beautiful birds and keeping them in his living room for them to all die in a house fire being another example of his wants being to the animals(birds) detriment. The young boys that he also had stopping with him were not immune to peril and injury. Fingers bitten off by otters and dangerous escapades at night on boats were all as a result of his bad decisions.

It’s not very often I am negative about a book about an author’s life. We are all different and live our lives differently and I like to read about such differences. But this is the closest I have come to not finishing such a book due to growing anger about his treatment of the animals Maxwell supposedly loved. I couldn’t understand his reasoning and couldn’t help feeling the otters would have lived much better lives if he had stayed well alone.

[Cacey Cottrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book, it is definitely a product of its time and the views of animals and ethics in conservation. For a sensitive reader, there are definitely some passages that would have a great impact. Others bring many questions of perspective and ‘need’ for certain things to be so. But even under all these questions and questionable choices, it is clear that there is a love for otters and creation here and the book is worth reading to show how our views on nature and conservation have changed. As other reviewers have commented, I won’t review the writing of this book, because as you read it, it is quite clear where certain things have been taken out to reduce redundancy or length and so, to review an incomplete work would be unfair. However, based on what I have read, I definitely wish to get a copy of each of the individual books and see where there are differences etc., and give a more full review later. But all and all, a great story of place-based living and what truly goes into caring for wild creatures.

[Keith Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book about a complex man just trying to live as simply as possible....with otters!
Loved every word.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifty eight years ago, I wrote a book report about Ring of Bright Water. I read the book because I was interested in nature and animals. Gavin Maxwell writes about his life with the otters and dogs that he brought to a remote cottage in Scotland. He describes, with exquisite prose, living in the cottage, the landscape, sea, and wildlife, and domesticated animals of the area. He also describes the people and the places where he traveled around Scotland. As an 8th grader, I remembered the otters and their different personalities, of course, and descriptions of the migrations of the elvers (eel larvae) from the sea. I also remembered that the book began with a poem of which the first line went – “He has married me with a ring of bright water . . “ I believe that the book was the first significant nonfiction book I had read that demonstrated to me what nature writing was. Now, as an adult, who has spent a career in natural science, Maxwell’s book reads to me a little like a combination of Walden and A Sand County Almanac. It documents a time in the study of the natural world, where ethics of ecological study was beginning to change and evolve. I was not aware, when I was young, that there were sequels to the book. I probably would not have enjoyed reading about some of the deaths and hard times that are covered in the last two books. As an adult, I appreciate the Scottish philosophy and the honesty in telling about the hard times and well as the beauty and healing of a natural and wild place. The description of the sight hound competition (salukis and Maxwell’s deer hounds) chasing after the hares was a throw-back to how the breeds originated. I was also absolutely shocked to find out that Mr. Maxwell had been studying the marshes of Iraq and had written A Reed Shaken By The Wind – Travels among the Marsh Arabs of Iraq. Because I had also studied marshes, I am asking myself how could I miss reading that book? The book will be one of the next-to-read on my list. As an aside, I also read another significant book in my 8th grade year: Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls and he came to visit our school. Ah yes, that was a great year for reading (as has all of my years have been).
Ring of Bright Water: A Trilogy by Gavin Maxwell
Ring of Bright Water [Scotland: Camusfearna fiction for Sandaig (Isle of Skye), Druimficlach
fiction for Glenlg Village, Monreith Village; London; Iraq
The Rocks Remain [Scotland (same as above), Morrocco]
Raven Seek Thy Brother [Scotland (same as above): Ornsay and Kyleakin light houses London;
Majorca, Greece]

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch enthält die Erzählungen: The ring of bright water, The rocks remain & Raven seek thy brother

In den 50er Jahren beschließt Gavin Maxwell sich in ein verlassenes Haus an der schottischen Westküste zurückzuziehen. Es hat zwar weder fließendes Wasser, noch Elektrizität, aber es ist ein Paradies für alle Arten von wildlebenden Tieren. Maxwell verbringt einen großen Teil des Jahres dort. In der übrigen Zeit geht er auf Reisen oder lebt in London, wo er Bücher über seine Reisen schreibt. Nach dem Tod seines Hundes Jonnie wird ihm schnell klar, dass er zwar keinen anderen Hund als Gefährten will, dass er aber auch nicht alleine leben kann. Nach einigen Experimenten mit Haustieren (zu denen unter anderem auch eine Wildkatze gehört), bringt er von einer Reise in den Irak den Otter Mijbil nach Camusfearna. Als dieser nach einem Jahr stirbt folgt Edal und später Tekko, die bis zu seinem Auszug aus Camusfearna bei ihm bleiben.

Wer bei dem Buch eine romantische Geschichte über einen Tierliebhaber erwartet, der sich in die Einsamkeit zurückzieht um nur für seine Tiere dazusein, wird enttäuscht werden. Gerade die Art, wie Gavin Maxwell an das Projekt Otter als Haustier herangeht, ist sehr egoistisch. Er läßt sich die Tiere aus dem Irak liefern, wobei er in Kauf nimmt, dass einige der Tiere bei der Reise oder beim Eingewöhnen an die neue Umgebung sterben. Trotzdem liebt er die Tiere aus tiefstem Herzen und nimmt alle Unannehmlichkeiten in Kauf, um ihnen ein Leben zu bieten, dass so artgerecht wie möglich ist.

The ring of bright water erzählt nicht nur die Geschichte der Otter, sondern auch des Menschen Gavin Maxwell und den Problemen, die das Leben in der Einsamkeit mit sich bringt. Die nächsten Nachbarn wohnen einige Kilometer entfernt und können nur über einen kaum zu befahrenden Weg erreicht werden, Einkäufe werden per Bestellung auf der Nachbarinsel erledigt und das nächste Krankenhaus ist über 100 Kilometer und somit mehrere Stunden entfernt. Das Leben ist also alles andere als einfach, aber trotzdem sehr idyllisch.

Ich konnte mich nicht immer mit "The ring of bright water" anfreunden. Zu oft für meinen Geschmack stellte Gavin Maxwell die Otter hintenan wenn es wieder darum ging, auf Reisen zu gehen. Außerdem hat die Erzählung im Verlauf abgenommen. Bei den späteren Teilen war deutlich zu sehen, dass die hauptsächlich geschrieben waren, um den Verlag zufrieden zu stellen. Deshalb ist meine Bewertung

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the movie “Ring of Bright Water” when I was a kid. (No, I am NOT saying how long ago that was.) I enjoyed it – after all, what kid wouldn't like a story about a playful otter! But, I didn't love it – probably because of the ending.

Now, X years later, I finally read the book that was the basis for the movie – and the two follow-ups that contributed to it, as well. And, X years later, I once again say “I enjoyed it. BUT, I didn't love it.” The book – books, as it is an abridgement of all 3 books in the “otter trilogy” – is focused on Mr. Maxwell's life and how the otters changed it, rather than on the otters themselves, although there certainly are enough anecdotes and stories of the otters themselves – yes, multiple, as Mij was only the first to come to live with Maxwell. Anyone who expects otherwise should be prepared. “Abridgement” is a dirty word to me – in this case, the editor states that they cut out everything in the 3 books that involved Maxwell but not the otters. While I certainly read the book for the otters more than an autobiography of Maxwell, I expect that some of the items trimmed would have lent additional clarity to some of the points that Maxwell was attempting to make about life while describing his interaction with the otters.

Good book – I'll never know if the originals were “great” or not (I'm not going to reread this material to pick up the additional content).

RATING: 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars for those sites that cannot handle fractions of a star.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ah man, how to rate this book? I'd give the writing 5 stars easily, it's brilliant. But the protagonist? Yeesh, what a creep. This is basically Lolita but with Otters.

What's so disturbing about the ROBW trilogy is that it's not fiction. Like, how would you feel about Lolita if it were an autobiography?

What's so sad is that ROBW remains a celebrated cultural heritage, whereas it is also a story about an obsessed megalomaniac manipulating those whom they can trap within their sphere of influence in order to twist the world around them to line up with their egocentric fantasies, and in so doing obliterating their victim's self-determination.

The arc of this trilogy is a steadily growing clusterf**k that began with the completely inappropriate request by Maxwell that someone catch him an otter cub. You know, as you do, just for personal enjoyment. The rest of the story describes how Maxwell makes sequentially greater decisions that are shortsighted, selfish and harmful to himself and others, but then blames the inevitable catastrophes he creates as the result of a 'curse' his ex-girlfriend put on him - or some such bullsh*t. The saddest part is the gross neglect of the Otters, essentially each kept in solitary confinement without human or animal contact, and how he casually resumes his 'relationship' with these Otters FOUR YEARS later! I will never be able to un-read this book. How I wish it was fiction, like Lolita.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hated this book. As a child I was forced to read it and hated it.

'Hated' is a strong word. At that time I was and had been reading a wide range of subjects and authors including Shakespeare, Homer, biographies, fiction, philosophy, nonfiction, the list is endless. I had enjoyed most of them and at least appreciated their intention. That said, I did not like ROBW.

Decades later, I bought this trilogy thinking that my wife might enjoy it. She did. She also suggested that I gave it another go.

The first page was a struggle. The first couple of sentences sent me back to a chair in my youth trying to read it.

From that point on it was superb. It must have had a deep seated resonance from the initial reading, as I recall our annual holidays to the wilds of Scotland and how it must have (inadvertently) affected me.

The book is almost like an old friend chatting to you. There is no dialogue and mostly description. GM rambles on at tangents, but always manages to keep the 'story' on track. He was obviously a very sensitive person and his experiences of pleasure, grief and the mundane are told with simplicity and wonder.

It is a gentle rollercoaster which draws you into another world.

ROBW is a masterpiece and deserves all the accolades it receives.

[mag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ring of Bright Water - 5 stars
The Rocks Remain - 3.5/4 stars
Raven Seek Thy Brother - 4.5 stars

From the afterword by Virginia McKenna: “There is no doubt that it touched our hearts, awoke in us a longing for that seemingly idyllic existence at Camusfeàrna, gave birth to a deep and lasting fascination for otters, gave us, as a casket of jewels, passages of descriptive writing about nature unequalled until now. […] And yet - and this is the wonder of it - what do we, his readers, his audience, remember? It is the beauty of the writing, the relationship with the otters, the joy of their life and grief at their death; the warmth and clutter of the ‘pitch-pine panelled kitchen-living room’; the sunshine and storms that beat up on the shelves and shingle of the sandy beach; the glistening sea; distant islands and mountains of Skye which met his gaze each day; the journeys (often disastrous) in his boat Polar Star; the greylag geese – his wild friends who returned each summer, their poignant cry signalling their approach.” and really there’s nothing I could add.

[Melv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gavin Maxwell's book is like Gerald Durrell's "My Family and other animals" but without the Corfu background and the comedic effect of his family. Like Gerald, Gavin was passionate about wildlife. However, there were flaws in his ideas - the basking shark business being one of many featured in this book.

Funny moments of having to deal with living in a challenging terrain in the wilds of Scotland (finding a cow on the stairs of his cottage) whilst rearing otters are tinged with sadness as Gavin faces his own demons both personally and financially. However his unsentimental outlook in dealing with these situations endears you to him.

It does all come to an end but his descriptiveness makes you feel you were there along for the ride.

[Andy Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amusing, bizarre, tragic, heart-warming...
I could go on and on with the adjectives to describe this trilogy of books.
The whole saga is simply an extraordinary tale of what many would view as an obsession undertaken in the most beautiful yet basic of environments.
Maxwell himself, and the characters that come into and out of the pages (human and non-human) are brought vividly to life through their triumphs and through their failings.
Quite brilliant.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to take a trip to the area of the Herbredes Islands of western Scotland and experience vicariously what it is like to live with an otter, realizing quickly that you'd never do it for real, then this is the book for you. Beautiful nature writing in this autobiographical look at an eccentric but interesting man.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Ring of Bright Water" is by far the best book that I have ever read, and the trilogy is the best series that I have ever read! I would recommend this book to everyone, six stars! I recommend that you don't watch the film first though, because it's not great and may put you off the book. Or, it might make the book seem better. Anyway, read this book!

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its been decades since I read Ring of Bright Water, sometime in my early teens I think I went through many of these, Elsa, Tarka, etc. Interesting to revisit it, and to read the full set of three, even if they are slightly abridged. Really felt for Maxwell and the tension between telling the story, and suffering the publicity and invasion of his privacy as a result