Alone in the Wilderness

This has become something of a cult book.It's mythical status not exactly hindered by the difficulty in obtaining a copy of a book strangely long out of print ?
Not willing to pay £45.00..the cheapest I could find it on Amazon...I eventually managed to pick up a copy on eBay and proceeded to throw myself into the book with gusto.
There is no doubt that the author is a natural writer with a stirring tale to tell. However, my delight in finally finding a copy of Alone in the Wilderness was tempered by a growing dislike of the author as I turned the pages.
It is clear given the author's intense hatred of trade unions and strikers that Mike Tomkies is something of a conservative reactionary. In that he would be in good company in the field of nature and travel writers.The author of Tarka the Otter, Henry Williamson and Ranulph Fiennes are in the same political camp. That's not a problem but 'hatred'..to quote the author himself... is a pretty negative emotion.
Here is the living embodiment of the saying...'the more I see of humanity the more I love my dog '.
Tomkies comes over as an intensely anti social individual who finds it easier to communicate and form relationships with animals over people.
Nothwithstanding his affection for old Ed who helps him build his cabin.
Another problem I had. Given the author's affluent background as a successful journalist, why did he settle for a measly two acres of steep wooded bluff where he had to go to extraordinary lengths to build a cabin balanced on an outcrop ? Given the size of British Columbia surely he could have found a more suitable site to re-invent himself ?
I have every respect for people who drop out of the rat race to discover how to 'live' rather than just 'exist'. I just didn't have the respect and affection for Tomkies that he no doubt deserved.
An analyst could no doubt have a field day with the author's complex hang ups and neurosis but he is not an individual I could ever warm to I'm afraid.

A Wonderful Read (3/3 people found this helpful)

This is the story of a man who leaves the high society world he knows behind and instead finds his true self in the wilderness of the British Columbia coastal region.

Beautiful prose makes this a very enjoyable read. Tomkies is so accomplished in describing the flora and fauna of this place that you feel as if you are there with him. Also, the photographs in the book only add to this sensation.

Buy it if you are a nature lover; if you want to feel good, or if you want to appreciate the world you live in better.

This is great stuff, as engaging as any thriller.

Inspiring, up-lifting and life-changing (18/18 people found this helpful)

I read the first edition of this book 22 years ago when I was 20. The book tells how the author, dissatisfied with his privileged life in England, leaves "civilisation" as we know it and exchanges it for the harshness, unpredictability and beauty of the British Columbian coast. Helped by one or two locals, the book tells the story of how the author survives, his inginuity, the abundant wildlife and how some of it comes to live with him! By the end you understand why he embarked on this adventure and gain a tiny insight to another way of living.
I was so affected by this book that I went to Canada in 1981 and lived there for a short time. 20 years later I found the book reprinted and bought it without hesitation. I have already planned to return to Canada within 2 years.
BEWARE - THIS BOOK MAY CHANGE your LIFE!

Alone in the Wilderness

Mike Tomkies

Reader Reviews:

Alone ? (0/0 people found this helpful)

A Wonderful Read (3/3 people found this helpful)

Inspiring, up-lifting and life-changing (18/18 people found this helpful)

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