A novel by Clarke (of Goddard and Clarke fame). This tells the story of a small trout stream. This is really a wonderful little book - and if you have kids - make sure that they read it too. It's modern natural history at its best.

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Product Description

A few protesters aside, the announcement of an industrial park in a depressed rural area is widely welcomed, bringing with it the promise of new jobs, new blood and a return to prosperity. A few miles away, in a small valley with a stream running through it, the management of a farm passes from father to son after years of wrangling between them about the way it should be run. Over time - and unnoticed by anyone - the impact of the new development on the surrounding land and the effects on the valley of the way the farm is now managed begin to compound one another. The pressures are felt most powerfully in the stream. Little by little, the small creatures that live there, and the birds and animals dependent on it, become sucked into a mute and desperate struggle for survival...With this remarkable novel, Brian Clarke brings the lives that real animals lead into focus. THE STREAM follows the dramatic events that result when, little by little, creatures able to act solely by instinct fall victim to the everyday activities of the human beings around them. There are no villains in this story. What happens occurs quite by chance. But as the drama unfolds, THE STREAM raises powerful questions about priorities and choices: about the kind of world we want - and are creating...

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #322113 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

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Customer Reviews

sensitive and informative
Though perhaps not a literary masterpiece, this book is sensitively and beautifully written by someone who obviously cares about the impact of modern life (greed!!) on the environment. Although the author does not judge anything or anybody, he clearly explains all the minute changes that happen to nature as a result of a new development, many undetected until it is too late. Should we cry when a little, seamingly insignificant stream dies? I certainly did!

One of those rare books which could change how we think.
'The Stream' is a tragedy in five acts. It is the story of a stream and the wildlife in and around it and how they are affected by the choices we make. The stream is in Middle England, but it could be anywhere in the world. In the beginning, everything is 'as nature intended' and the stream is a thriving habitat for insects, fish, birds and animals, as it had been for thousands of years. By its banks, prehistoric man lived and died; later, traditional farming practices still allowed and encouraged wildlife to thrive. In the form of a novel, the book describes how, over five years, industrial development and new infrastructure, changes in farming practice and water abstraction take their toll through pollution and reduced water flow, with tragic consequences. There is no sentimentality, no anthropomorphizing of fur or fish, just a beautifully-written story in which the words soar like mayfly over the water, educating and challenging the reader. While the author's passion for, and understanding of, his subject is clear, he is no luddite. 'The Stream' shows how we destroy our environment less now by intent but mainly by indifference and ignorance. We can have trout and otters in our streams and economic development if we are careful how we do it and are prepared to pay for it. No-one who reads 'The Stream' will afterwards hear of a much-needed new road or factory without asking what the hidden cost might be. The more we all ask this question, the greater the chance of survival of the beautiful and complex ecosystems which sustain us all. Rachel Carson's classic, 'Silent Spring' changed for ever how we treat our environment. Forty years on, I think 'The Stream' will do the same.

The great environmental novel.
Ever noticed how having children is central to so many of our lives and yet there are almost no songs about it? So it is with novels about the the environment. There are now thousands of non-fiction books on the subject, it's in the media on a daily basis, but there are no really good works of fiction on the subject.
Except this one. It tells the tale of the life of a stream. Much of the book concerns moss, fish and birds. Nearby, a bypass is to be built. Little by little, the life of the stream, which has remained unchanged for years, is changed by human intervention.
There are no villains here. Unless we're all the villains of the piece these days. The damage caused to the life of the stream is unintentional and almost unobserved by humans. But change it does.
It's a parable, of course. As we are doing to the stream, so we are doing to the whole world.
It's wise writing, but an easy read. Teenagers can certainly read and appreciate this book.
And so I warmly recommend this book to you. And hope there will be other books as good as this in days to come.