This is another of those slightly eccentric English natural history books - beautifully written, just a little obsessive, just a little strange. Perfect if you share the obsession. I've always had a bit of a thing about otters, and so was very keen to read this - to learn more about their habits and habitat, to read lovely descriptions of the English countryside, to be entertained by a warmly odd narrator, but in the end I think I wanted to like the book more than I actually did. Perhaps it's just a little too long. Don't get me wrong, it has all the ingredients it should have, it's a lovely book to hold, the writing is good, the illustrations charming..but it did go on just a bit too long, I think. Still, if you are mad for otters, you'll love it, and you will learn a lot about their life in England, their apparent recovery, and meet quite a number of committed otter lovers.