Book cover of On Gallows Down: Place, Protest and Belonging

Book description

Shortlisted for the Richard Jeffries Award 2021

[A] wonderfully accurate, powerful and funny memoir of rural life Stephen Moss

It's ever so good. Political, passionate & personal. Robert Macfarlane (via Twitter)

I couldn't put it down! A must read! Dara McAnulty (via Twitter), author of The Diary of a Young…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked On Gallows Down as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

An unusually honest, rural memoir by the RSPB’s longest-serving female columnist. Chester’s writing has a lovely elasticity, dancing between wonder, introspection, and anger as she moves from the particular to the universal. I learned a lot about how Britain’s countryside is managed. I also enjoyed her more eccentric impulses, such as lying down in the snow on the edge of a field one night, just to see what might happen. She belongs to the disappearing English rural working class, and is intent on handing this baton to her three children. Chester also explores the familiar tension between wanting to write…

From Tessa's list on women, birds, and nature.

If you love On Gallows Down...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like On Gallows Down?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like On Gallows Down.

Browse books like On Gallows Down

Book cover of Birds Art Life Death: The Art of Noticing the Small and Significant
Book cover of Women Against Cruelty: Protection of Animals in Nineteenth-Century Britain
Book cover of Women on Nature

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like On Gallows Down, you might also like...

Book cover of Miami Beat

Miami Beat by Jorge E. Goyanes,

Jose Castillo is a cynical, wise-cracking Cuban-American who restores classic cars. He’s also a private eye whose sarcastic ways sometimes get him into trouble.

One day, in the process of installing a four-barrel carburetor on a 1965 Mustang, into his shop walks trouble—in the shape of a mysterious, beautiful woman…

Book cover of Bruce Songs: The Music of Bruce Springsteen, Album-by-Album, Song-by-Song

Bruce Songs by Kenneth Womack,

Bruce Songs is an authoritative guide that offers an in-depth exploration of Bruce Springsteen's musical legacy. Covering Springsteen's entire discography, from "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." to "Only the Strong Survive", this unique book combines historical context, literary analysis, and meticulous research.

Unlike any other resource, it provides detailed analyses…

5 book lists we think you will like!