Turning Tide

Jon Gower grew up in Llanelli, Wales and studied English at Cambridge University. A former BBC Wales Arts and Media correspondent, he has been making documentary programmes for television and radio for several decades. He has over thirty books to his name, in both Welsh and English. His last trade book in English, The Story of Wales, was published to accompany a landmark BBC series broadcast. He lives in Cardiff, Wales, with his wife Sarah and two daughters, Elena and Onwy.

‘Fascinating, spellbinding, erudite and great fun.’ Roddy Doyle‘Remarkable. Lively … Gower writes beautifully [and] the book is profoundly popular.’ Times Literary Supplement‘An enjoyable trawl through the miscellaneous histories of the communities that have passed through the Irish Sea from deep time until now. … Enjoyably idiosyncratic. … A welcome and wandering reminder of the sea beyond our door.’ Irish Times‘The book equivalent of being hosted by a travelling storyteller around a fire.’ Gwenno‘As full of life and vitality as the sea itself.’ Nicholas Crane‘The Irish Sea has found her bard. This is a dazzle of storytelling, an enthralling trove of history and a joyful work of travel and reportage, singing with the love of the sea.' Horatio Clare‘A beautifully absorbing read encompassing aeons of human and natural histories. What a remarkable, generous, compendious achievement.' Neil Hegarty‘Contagious with delight and fascination. The seeming informality, the twinkle-in-the-eye in the telling, the gentle provocation make it a joy to read. Jon's perhaps brought into a being a new class of book, for it's nothing if not a “Racontography.”’ Cynan Jones‘In prose as glittering as the ocean itself, Gower unearths the saints and smugglers, the birds and bards that have inhabited this salty kingdom. In The Turning Tide, the Irish Sea roars with a unique passion and character.’ Mike Parker‘An elegant, engrossing portrait of the turbulent Irish Sea. Bursting with detailed natural history and stories of conquest, love, tragedy, and poetry alike, and so teeming with life, you can’t stop reading.’ Bathsheba Demuth'A master storyteller, Gower takes us to his hinterland with the excitement of a rockpool explorer … A stunning object.' Nation.Cymru'A book full of sounds and sensations … Entertaining.' New Welsh Review ‘Riveting.’ Independent.ie