Love Letters on the River

Carly Holmes lives and writes in a small village on the banks ofthe river Teifi in west Wales. She is the author of the novels TheScrapbook, which was shortlisted for the International RuberyBook Award, and Crow Face, Doll Face. Her short story collection,Figurehead, was published by Tartarus Press in limited edition hardback and reprinted in paperback by Parthian Books. She has had numerous stories published in journals and anthologies.

CHOSEN AS A CYNGOR LLYFRAU CYMRU/BOOKS COUNCIL OF WALES BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR JULY 2025CHOSEN FOR THE 2025 NON-FICTION BOOKSHELF BY WALES LITERATURE EXCHANGECHOSEN AS BOOK OF THE WEEK FOR CYNGOR LLYFRAU CYMRU'S BOOKTOBER CHALLENGE 2025"Holmes’ love letters, addressed to water, to weather, to the wild world we forget we belong to, are tender but un-whimsical, rooted in the real. And the result is beguiling: an unconventional devotional, full of feeling, wild magic, and awe." ‒ Mab Jones, Buzz Magazine"a deeply evocative meditation on the Teifi river, its wildlife, and the surrounding landscape ... As well as being a book to lose yourself in, it adds to the growing body of ecological writing that could help to reshape and rebalance the Earth." ‒ Jenny White, Western Mail"With so much of what we might call ‘new nature writing’ now which focuses on the plight of the planet – and rightly so – it’s been a pleasure to sit back for once and just enjoy the pure elation of traditionally immersive and beautiful nature writing... Love Letters on the River provides a reminder of why we love nature, how we appreciate it, and when that happens we naturally want to protect it." ‒ Lottie Williams, Nation.Cymru"Holmes' writing belongs with the new wave of nature writers like Kathleen Jamie or Robert Macfarlane. But her voice is different. Quieter, more modest. Less about grandeur, more about intimacy... It is a book of humility, beauty, and attentiveness." ‒ Jessica McQuade, the welsh agenda"the book imparts the sheer love for the wild that the author feels, and she articulates the emotional impact of her encounters beautifully... it's safe to say you'll enjoy this particular tribute to the wild." ‒ Lizzie Wilberforce, Natur CymruIncludes a dozen black and white illustrations commissioned exclusively for this publication by acclaimed local artist Guy Manning.From a young age Carly Holmes has been in thrall to the creatures that live around us. Her childhood companion was a blind gander called Beep Beep who thought she was his wife. She nearly postponed her wedding when a pair of wrens nested in a hole by her back door and cut it very fine to fledge their chicks into an assorted audience of cats and magpies.This collection of essays, beautifully illustrated throughout, are each of them love letters to the Teifi valley and to the river that winds through Carly’s days. The wild animals ‒ the badgers who visit nightly for peanuts; the juvenile osprey who learned to fish on the estuary across the lane; the young jackdaw she nurtured until it was healthy enough to ignore her whenever she went into the garden; the cuckoos she discovered in flagrante one afternoon on a lockdown walk ‒ are the very heart of it.

• ForewordBEYOND THE GARDEN WALL:Mating Cuckoos by Foxhill FarmJuvenile Osprey on the Teifi EstuarySkydancing Ravens at Cwm GwaunNightjar at Cross Inn ForestBittern at the Teifi MarshesIN THE GARDEN:RuntyTapdancing Tawny OwlsSteak Dinner for FourDes ResPumpkin EyesThe Bereft SparrowhawkDawn ChorusBEYOND THE GARDEN WALL:Winter Barn Owl over the Teifi MarshesHobbies at Cors CaronSwifts at the Watch HouseRacing Swans on the TeifiMurmurating Starlings over the Teifi MarshesCrossbills at Pantmaenog ForestAfterword