Disclosure : This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

No Way but Gentlenesse: A Memoir of How Kes, My Kestrel, Changed My Life

Born and raised in the South Yorkshire mining village of Hoyland Common, Richard Hines remembers heaps of coal dust, listening out for the colliery siren at the end of shifts and praying for his father`s safe return. When he failed his eleven-plus it seemed all too likely that he would follow in his father`s footsteps and end up working in the pits – unlike his older brother Barry, who had passed the exam to grammar school and seemed to be heading for great things. Crushed by this, Richard spent his time in the fields and meadows beyond the slag heap. One morning, walking in the grounds of a ruined medieval manor, he came across a nest of kestrels. Instantly captivated, he sought out ancient falconry texts from the local library and pored over the strange and beautiful language there. With just these books, some ingenuity and his profound respect for the hawk`s indomitable wildness, Richard learned to `man`, or train, his kestrel, Kes, and in the process found the passion that would shape his future. Richard`s experiences with kestrels inspired Barry`s classic novel A Kestrel for a Knave.When production began on what would become Ken Loach`s iconic film Kes, Richard himself trained the kestrels that would soar on screen and into cinematic history. No Way But Gentlenesse is a superb, moving memoir of one remarkable boy`s love for a forgotten culture, and his attempt to find salvation in the natural world.

Related Products:

A Kestrel for a Knave The Last Kestrel Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir Killing It: A Memoir of Love, Life, Death and Dinner Future Ratboy and the Attack of the Killer Robot Grannies A House in the Sky: A Memoir of a Kidnapping That Changed Everything The Life & Times Of Mr Pussy: A memoir of a favourite cat The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year of Living Gratefully Changed My Life The Course of History: Ten Meals That Changed the World Bird Cloud: A Memoir Of Place Lion Heart Eat Pray Love Made Me Do it: Life Journeys Inspired by the Bestselling Memoir The Boy in the Green Suit: a memoir Wintering: How I Learned to Flourish When Life Became Frozen Common Ground: A Political Life Our Story: A Memoir of Love and Life in China Maybe I Don`t Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery Out Of Place: A Memoir 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir The Adventurer`s Son: A Memoir Barry Loser and the Birthday Billions A Portrait of an Idiot as a Young Man: Part Memoir, Part Explanation as to Why Men are So Rubbish. When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father`s War and What Remains The Arab of the Future: Volume 1: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984 – A Graphic Memoir The Face Pressed Against a Window: A Memoir Parisian Lives: Samuel Beckett, Simone de Beauvoir and Me – a Memoir Barry Loser Hates Half Term She Said: How Two Reporters Broke the Story that Changed the Rules about Sex and Power The Telling Room: Passion, Revenge and Life in a Spanish Village The Last Landlady: An English Memoir The Body Papers: A Memoir The Wild Places Barry Loser: worst school trip ever! Black Boy: A Record of Youth and Childhood London Made Us: A Memoir of a Shape-Shifting City Yes, Chef: A Memoir Life Lessons From the Amazon: A Guide to Life From One Epic Jungle Adventure Recipe for Life: The Autobiography Wounds: A Memoir of War and Love The Long Field: A Memoir