Rough Edges: Where Land Meets Water, the Untold Stories of Coastline Communities
Natasha Carthew
Jun 2026 · Sceptre · Narrated by Natasha Carthew
headphones
Audiobook
6 hr 58 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 42 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
'A powerful synthesis of perspective and self-determination'
Irish Times
'Fascinating ... affecting ... illuminating ... [Carthew] has genuinely interesting things to say'
The Sunday Times
''Most Cornish stories are told by outsiders, and are not Cornish stories at all... Natasha Carthew gives us something different in Rough Edges... She is a riveting, self-aware narrator'
Observer
Beyond the picture postcards, Britain's coastal communities are suffering.
Crowds flood the beaches during summer heatwaves but they quickly vanish again, leaving behind drifts of rubbish and unstable seasonal jobs. Seaside property is in high demand but affordable only for landlords and gentrifiers. The cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing pains of austerity trap those at the vulnerable edges of our nation in poverty.
Having grown up in rural Cornwall, Natasha Carthew leaves the county in search of a new home. Travelling the country and exploring the villages, towns and cities of our coast, she meets the people fighting to keep these places alive. With fierce compassion, she shares their voices and their stories.
Rough Edges is a rallying cry for the beauty and importance of our coast and its people.
'This is essential reading for anyone who loves this country's seasides'
Fiona Robertson, author of Stone Lands
'A forceful but compassionate polemic, delivered with Carthew's trademark robustly lyrical prose style'
Tim Hannigan, author of The Granite Kingdom
'Natasha Carthew writes with an insight and an acuity of vision that few can match'
Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean
Irish Times
'Fascinating ... affecting ... illuminating ... [Carthew] has genuinely interesting things to say'
The Sunday Times
''Most Cornish stories are told by outsiders, and are not Cornish stories at all... Natasha Carthew gives us something different in Rough Edges... She is a riveting, self-aware narrator'
Observer
Beyond the picture postcards, Britain's coastal communities are suffering.
Crowds flood the beaches during summer heatwaves but they quickly vanish again, leaving behind drifts of rubbish and unstable seasonal jobs. Seaside property is in high demand but affordable only for landlords and gentrifiers. The cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing pains of austerity trap those at the vulnerable edges of our nation in poverty.
Having grown up in rural Cornwall, Natasha Carthew leaves the county in search of a new home. Travelling the country and exploring the villages, towns and cities of our coast, she meets the people fighting to keep these places alive. With fierce compassion, she shares their voices and their stories.
Rough Edges is a rallying cry for the beauty and importance of our coast and its people.
'This is essential reading for anyone who loves this country's seasides'
Fiona Robertson, author of Stone Lands
'A forceful but compassionate polemic, delivered with Carthew's trademark robustly lyrical prose style'
Tim Hannigan, author of The Granite Kingdom
'Natasha Carthew writes with an insight and an acuity of vision that few can match'
Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean
'A powerful synthesis of perspective and self-determination'
Irish Times
'Fascinating ... affecting ... illuminating ... [Carthew] has genuinely interesting things to say'
The Sunday Times
''Most Cornish stories are told by outsiders, and are not Cornish stories at all... Natasha Carthew gives ...
Discover more
About the author
Natasha Carthew is a Cornish working-class writer and poet. She is the author of ten books, mostly recently Undercurrent: A Cornish memoir of poverty, nature and resilience (2023), which was shortlisted for the non-fiction prize at the inaugural Nero Book Awards. She has also contributed to Hag: Forgotten Folk Tales (2020) and Women on Nature: 100+ Voices on Place, Landscape & the Natural World (2021) and Bog People: A Working-Class Anthology of Folk Horror (2025).
Natasha is the Founder/Director of The Working Class Writers Festival and Common Ground Nature Prize for Working Class Writers.
Natasha is the Founder/Director of The Working Class Writers Festival and Common Ground Nature Prize for Working Class Writers.
Natasha Carthew is a Cornish working-class writer and poet. She is the author of ten books, mostly recently Undercurrent: A Cornish memoir of poverty, nature and resilience (2023), which was shortlisted for the non-fiction prize at the inaugural Nero Book Awards. She has also contributed to Hag: ...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
