Peaks and Troughs by Nick Perry will feature on the Radio 2 Fact not Fiction Book Club on 10 November 2016.
The book was selected with the help of a panel made up of Reading Agency and library staff from across the UK. Find out more about the non-fiction strand of the Radio 2 Book Club.
You can win 10 copies of Peaks and Troughs for your reading group – just visit our Noticeboard.
We have an exclusive extract available for you to read as well as some discussion questions for your reading group.
Peaks and Troughs
Peaks and Troughs is the story of a naïve young man who is initiated into adulthood through the harsh reality of having to survive in the material world. Despite the hardships, he never loses his belief that there is an alternative way to farm that is sympathetic to the earth and the animals in his care. His neighbours never take him seriously and try to undermine his efforts as he struggles against the elements and nagging self-doubt, but he carries on, no matter how close to the edge he and his family get.
This is a warm-hearted, humorous and ultimately inspirational tale of a young man’s attempt to run an organic farm in the unforgiving Welsh hills.
Selection panel review
Our library reading panel loved Peaks and Troughs – here are some of their comments:
“I found this read enchanting, evocative, warm and honest. With a steady infusion of personality I was immersed into the life of pig and sheep farming in North Wales. The narrative was full of brilliant, strong characters that you loved, sided with, held suspicions of, or positively disliked. The ominous leaving note of Dyffryn’s previous owner hung like a black cloud through the narrative, the arrival of the first gilts to the farm and the arrival of Dave the Boar were beautifully described. I laughed out loudly at Dave’s first sexual encounter which turned into ‘a threesome’ and wept at Ros’ loss. This adventure into farming in Wales was never going to be easy for the author but what a ride, with its highs and lows or as the title suggests its ‘Peaks and Troughs’ this is a must read.”
“This is a very pleasant book that charts the progress of two brothers who throw away their old city life and move to the Welsh hills to start an organic farm in the 1970’s. It is a little stereotypical at times but is still very real. It is very funny in places, the goose that bit car tyres and the adventures of the ever escaping pigs. It is also brutal and real, the sheep that are frantically dug out of the snow before they suffocate is a potent image. The realities of farming life made me wince in places, the piglets that had to be castrated to produce saleable meat. Hindsight is a wonderful thing – reading this book in 2016 when organic is becoming the norm you are willing the Perry’s to continue their then experimental farming methods.”
“Despite being all about the story of two brothers and their quest to start a farm in Wales, even for non-rural folk, this book will appeal. The story of how Jack and Nick go from London life to fully fledged farmers is engaging and witty, endearing and humorous, and reads easily, and not at all like a text book on farming. This book taught me that the dream and reality of farming is very different, this is a no holds barred account of how farming is not a money spinner, and that farms and farmers make sacrifices way beyond the income they earn. It does however give a fun and light hearted account of village life in a rural setting, and there are many occasions where you will laugh. As well as rooting for these brothers to succeed.”
About the author
Nick Perry spent his childhood in Dorset, out in the countryside daydreaming most of the time. He was educated at Parkstone Sea Training School before leaving for London where he worked for ATV Television. He travelled around Europe moving from job to job until he came into money. On impulse he bought a hill farm in North Wales, some experiences of which form the backdrop to Peaks and Troughs. He lives with his wife Arabella in the Wiltshire countryside where he spends his time writing, walking and listening to classical music.
A word from Nick
“I am delighted that Peaks and Troughs has been chosen for the Book Club. It came as a complete surprise and presents an exciting opportunity for the book to reach a much wider audience. And i would have to say that I’m particularly pleased that it might reach into reading groups in our much cherished libraries and bookshops across the county as a result. For years after leaving the farm, I literally ‘dined out’ on the ludicrous stories of our life at Dyffryn and people kept telling me to write it all down. Finally, about six years ago I decided to do it, even though I knew I was taking on as big a challenge as buying Dyffryn in the first place. Those years in the 1970s were really an end of an era, when sons drifted away from the land no longer wanting to follow their fathers trying to scrape a living in the harsh landscape of North Wales. We met and worked with the last generation of Welsh hill farmers and that way of life is now lived by only a few. And of course, just as funny, infuriating and heart-breaking as our neighbours were the animals we lived with and the situations they got us into – including our much-loved pig, Dave, who offered the perfect daily ride to the school bus for our young children. I hope this story of our struggle to survive and the ‘alternative lifestyle’ that evolved into its own self-sufficiency will lift your spirits!”
Get involved
Tune in to the Radio 2 Arts Show on Thursday 10 November to hear an interview with Nick Perry talking about his book.
Do you want to read Peaks and Troughs? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #FactNotFiction. You can also see what other readers thought, or add the book to your group’s reading list.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Twitter feed or find out more on the Radio 2 Book Club website.
