Thread 2. To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[AWanderingFool]

Thread Two for The Salt Path and Raynor Winn/Sally Walker/Sally Winn discussions.

Thread One is here: www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5368194-to-feel-disappointed-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

Or maybe not. There’s another narrative doing the rounds now—based on a single Tortoise article that’s surely been lawyered to within an inch of its life (Hitler Diaries and The Sunday Times, anyone?). And suddenly we’ve got pages of hot takes, speculation built on speculation, and a sort of trial-by-forum where guilt is assumed from the off. Given we’re dealing with just one source and not exactly an unimpeachable mountain of evidence you’d think a bit of doubt might be in order. I’m rowing back until something more concrete appears. Right now, it’s all smoke, noise, and not much fire.

I’ve never watched the One show and tend to get my news from a few trusted sources. I read the book when it first came out in paperback. I had no idea what they looked like until this week.

WMD is Walker Maritime Design Ltd. The directors are James and Nikki Walker. WMD is owned by Walker Maritime Holdings Ltd. The owners and directors of that company are James and Nikki Walker. They are their own employers.

The Observer piece is based on months if painstaking research. The other media are basing their stories on that because they’ve seen n there’s a lot of interest - and none of the key stakeholders are commenting, eg the actors, Penguin etc

Cringe, I just watched the episode of the One Show where Jason Isaacs waxes lyrical about how Moth is the nicest person he’s ever met.
Not if he’s stood by while his wife steals from her employer he’s not. If this exposé is true they are both the worst type of scrounger and thief.

They still could be impacted by all of this though.

The Guardian and Observer parted company a few months ago. However the Guardian ran very positive articles promoting the books and the film.

Bizarre take on it @redcord

I'm absolutely convinced they didn't walk all of it. In some parts, you really need your wits about you.

I mean, they'll (R&M) probably pedal something like that in their defence of their narrative

The Observer story is frustrating because it too is opaque. Now all these people coming out and saying oh yeah, we knew - it's been an open secret in the narrative non-fiction world for years. Everybody knew....their nephew "oh yeah, just wait there's more to come out...."

Really? If everyone knew, then the real story is the cover-up and coercion by those who knew them and their agents and publishing company. And the many people now happy to say, Ooh, I knew all along... I've been waiting for your call etc... I mean, it's not as if they would have been given a negative reception. There's lots of well-documented criticism of the obtuse origins of the Winn's story, so no one was going to say, whaddya mean? They sound totes legit. You're talking nonsense.

So why the long wait?!

People do use different names when writing autobiographically, so that wouldn't have struck any warning bells for me. (eg Noel Streatfield called herself "Vicky" and her older sister who was Ruth was "Isabel")
And if I hadn't liked them (as sounds quite likely from the way they used people), I'd not have wanted to read their book. By the sound of it, most people that had had close deals with it might well have dismissed it as "going to be a lot of lies, like they always told" and those who had really been shafted by them probably didn't want to reopen traumatic times.

So I can certainly believe that people might not have got as far as thinking that they'd read the book and blow it apart.

It takes ages to do proper investigative journalism, research and then have it all scrutinised by lawyers. The legal part alone would be painstaking.
I’d warrant it takes a lot more effort than writing a fictional book about a walk you might or might not have done.

Never have the words of Cerys Matthews been more true

"This could be a case for Mulder and Scully".

Well, we've got one of them involved, anyway.

There seems to be a resounding silence from anyone involved with the film although I can understand that and no blame implied.

@sualipa the Hitler Diaries were a long time ago and as far as I remember the ST got the opinion of one historian to authenticate them and he changed his mind pretty quickly. I am very, very certain that the Observer have done as much due diligence as is possible and given the fact that there was much speculation about the odd nature of how they became homeless for a long time, way before the last weekend, I believe there is indeed another story.

There doesn’t need to be any more to it than that they were dishonest about key parts of the story; and that having made particular public claims about Moth’s illness, they owe transparency to people with that diagnosis.

I don’t think libel claims are likely. The main (self inflicted) damage is to their reputation.

Well I understand the ire of those who paid for the books and the cinema. It all adds up.

I did neither but only because of a review I'd read which raised doubts for me.

Great book cover and I like both actors in the film and love the Cornish coast.

It was the film that did it for them, jumped the shark. It's much more starry and high-profile now for the investigators. No glam dissing an earnest book and a hippy author who rocks up at the occasional folk festival.

This is a good video summary by the Observer journalist

"Feeling trapped, she is drawn north, like a migratory bird..."

In this hemisphere, in Winter birds migrate south. That's quite basic nature-info.

Just watching the BBC news report on this shambles. It's telling that she states she's taking legal advice rather than legal action.

I'm a contrarian by nature I feel the lynch mob is getting out of hand and it's a time for calm and quiet reflection. Nobodies died and we are not flying planes as my dear old boss liked to say when something fucked up. Witch hunts are always ugly when the mob is unleashed on hearsay - we know nothing of the due diligence yet I want to see receipts !

I saw some of that last night. I feel so sad for JI and GA. It sounds like they signed up for the roles in good faith and I thought their performances were good.

Oh dear! Even I know that, and my nature knowledge is pretty poor.

@Uricon2 Never have the words of Cerys Matthews been more true
"This could be a case for Mulder and Scully".
Well, we've got one of them involved, anyway.

🤣🤣🤣🤣.
I don't think Mulder and Scully should ever be spoken in anything other than a broad Welsh accent.

Well spotted!😂

Agree. And if they had a case they would have taken preemptive action

I agree that a local trader in small town Wales who is owed a few hundred quid from years ago is unlikely to ring up the Times newsdesk or the BBC or the Winns/Walkers' publishers. But he/she might put something on their local Facebook. We all know how stuff goes viral on SM. I just find it extraordinary if nobody who has met them in their 'previous life' has not raised questions somewhere about this very public couple and who they really are.

None of us are carrying torches to their door @sualipa , just intrigued by something that smells like week old prawns, and it really does.

They were asked for comment before publication. They could have got an injunction, these people with possibly millions in the bank now who clearly have a lawyer. They didn't.