Between Earth and Paradise: An Island Life

by Mike Tomkies

After giving up a hectic life as a journalist in Europe and Hollywood in the late 1960s to return to his boyhood love of nature, Mike Tomkies moved to Eilean Shona, a remote island off the west coast of Scotland.

There he rebuilt an abandoned croft house and began a new way of life observing nature. He tracked foxes and stags, made friends with seals and taught an injured sparrow-hawk to hunt for itself. It was the indomitable spirit of this tiny bird that taught Tomkies what it takes for any of us to be truly free. Whether he was fishing, growing his own food or battling through stormy seas in a tiny boat, he learned that he could survive in the harsh environment.

This is the astonishing story of daring to take the first step away from urban routines and embracing a harsh yet immensely rewarding way of life which, in turn, led Tomkies to an even more remote location and inspired an acclaimed series of books on various animals and the challenges and joys of living in remote places.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Memoir, Biography, Travel

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published July 6, 2021

Reviews

[Riccardo]

A brilliant read. Tomkies shares with us many inspiring, unique, moving experiences of his "wilderness living" on Eilean Shona, a small island off the west coast of Scotland. Through his honest, personal and educational storytelling, we meet his many "wild" companions and experience gales, storms, hails and blazing sunshine. Often all in one day. Loved every page.

[Kim Harris]

This is an inspirational book. As a resident of Western Scotland myself, it provides an insight into island living in a remote part of the western highlands. Written in a matter of fact style, the reader gets a real sense of the commitment of the writer to wildlife and the desire to live in such a beautiful place with minimal impact.

[Rebecca Otis]

A wonderful and pensive memoir of living in a small cabin on an island in Scotland. Lots of wildlife observations in addition to his own personal challenges

[Karen Soole]

Evocative writing. Mike Tomkies love of nature is profoundly moving and yet he was not sentimental. This was a book to pick up occasionally and let yourself be taken on a journey to the Scottish Highlands. A place that is both serenely beautiful and dangerously harsh. He was resilient and very patient, especially when persevering in rescuing injured animals. He died in his 80s in 2016; his work as a naturalist was highly respected. He seemed to thrive on isolation, but his writing engaged him with others. He took 'a room of one's own' to new levels. There are a few others who wrote of similar existences in the second half of the twentieth century, but I suspect they represented an unusual generation of men, and they were a dying breed then.