The Stream [Hardcover]

Brian Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2004

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...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The creatures of a pristine valley stream struggle against the changes wrought by the construction of an industrial park in Clarke's debut novel, which documents the deterioration of a rural ecosystem in poignant detail. After a ponderous opening that describes the forces of nature in wooden prose, Clarke hits his stride as he interweaves the story of the stream's denizens with the story of the machinations behind, and protests against, the park's development. The human characters are forgettable stereotypes, ranging from a corporate activist trying to save the stream to the various executives of Cogent Electronics, the British firm underwriting the industrial project. But the dilemma of the various animals and insects is described in loving, painstaking detail, as Clarke chronicles the demise of the local trout and salmon, then works his way down to the plight faced by mayflies as their environment is overrun with chokeweed and silt. As a work of fiction, Clarke's book is deeply flawed: the animal passages are repetitious, and the human characters severely underdeveloped. But as a naturalistic treatise, this narrative works because it brings home the interdependence of the various animals and their helplessness as their world is altered and they are destroyed. The novelistic blemishes may put off mainstream readers, but the book should find admirers among fans of environmental fiction.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In concise, vivid chapters that alternate between the perspectives of animals and humans, first-time novelist Clarke dramatizes the life and death of a stream flowing through the English countryside over a five-year period during which environmentalists fail to stop the building of an industrial park and a drought exacerbates the deleterious changes development brings. He offers a fish's-eye view by focusing on a trout's attempt to live the life "the law that governed all things" decreed that he should live even as the once clean and cool stream turns warm and sluggish, thickened by silt and choke-weed and poisoned with chemical runoff. An astute, knowledgeable naturalist, Clarke also imagines the experiences of a swan, an otter, a heron, and even a mayfly. Equally sensitive to human nature, he portrays a father and son at odds over industrial agricultural methods, environmentalists and businessmen, a politician, and a journalist. The winner of Britain's BP Natural World Book Prize, Clarke's powerfully evocative tale traces the intricate choreography of life and reveals how easily it can be disrupted. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (July 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585675288
• ISBN-13: 978-1585675289
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #611,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, July 17, 2010

By 

JD (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stream (Hardcover)

I read this book years ago. Sorry I don't remember details, but I do remember being amazed that the writing could convey such beautiful - and ominous - messages. The memory is vivid enough that I've put it on my To Be Read Again list.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Law of Continuing, March 26, 2005

By 

G. W. Fowler (Odessa, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stream (Hardcover)

Brian Clarke has written a fine novel that others have compared to Rachael Carson's "Silent Spring." While I can agree that his novel is an excellant "enviromental" treatise and can understand why it won Britian's top enviromental book award, there are two other reasons why I was completely absorbed by his book.

First, Mr. Clarke has a gift for describing the natural world of trout and stream life. His knowledge of the life cycles and habits of trout, heron, swans, otters and aquatic insects are presented poetically which helped me realize how integrated and dependent everything is on the other. His development and use of the phrase "the law of continuing" adds significant meaning to the description of the natural world.

Secondly, since I am a fly fisherman, Mr. Clarke's book is one of the best fishing books I have ever read. It was only later that I realized that there is nothing in it about fishing. No one catches a fish or even goes fishing. His descriptions of trout behavior have given me a better understanding of the prey, much more than other books on the subject.

I recommend the book because of its educational attributes as well as its conservation position. While it should be read by every fisherman, conservationist, environmentalist and naturalist, it especially should be read by every citizen, businessman and governmental official because we have problems that need to be addressed. Brian Clarke's "The Stream" lays it out and in the end even tells who the real villians are.

5.0 out of 5 stars What your grandchildren should know, July 22, 2004

By 

F. H Skidmore "Fontinalis stalker" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Stream (Hardcover)

I'm not as articulate as Michael Pakenham in his review of the book on July 11 in the Baltimore Sun (Google: "Baltimore Sun" + Michael Pakenham + "The Stream") but I certainly agree with his conclusions.
Although some have said that the beginning of the book was slow to start, I saw an analog to the writings of James Michener as he began his books such as Hawaii, Centennial, etc where he ensured we understood the natural history of his subject and even gave us a peek of what would show up later. Mr. Clarke does it as well and in a concise and quick manner.
I too (like Mr. Pakenham) am a flyfisher (and have spent a day among friends with Mr. Clarke at the opening of the MayFly in England) but got no fishing tips from Mr. Clarke on that day or in the book - and I'm glad. Any technical observations and/or tips would have taken away from the story of what is happening to our earth, not as a result of malicious behavior - just human behavior.
The rhythm of the short chapters would make excellent reading to anyones grandchild when they say "read me a story".
I was comfortable with the development of the real characters in this first novel by Mr. Clarke - that is the wildlife. The humans, even the old farmer with whom I have some empathy, are simply the thorough going bass. To develop them more would detract from the melody in my opinion.
Good easy reading - difficult concepts and implications.