Footnotes: A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers
A gift that was given to me
Summer reading under the guise of Venture Forth..and as A Gift Given to me.
Footnotes: A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers by Peter Fiennes.
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Oneworld Publications (January 14, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1786076292
Amazon Review
‘The premise of this book is simple, or that is what it seemed when I started.’
Peter Fiennes follows in the footsteps of twelve inspirational writers, bringing modern Britain into focus by peering through the lens of the past.
The journey starts in Dorset, shaped by the childhood visions of Enid Blyton, and ends with Charles Dickens on the train that took him to his final resting place in Westminster Abbey.
From the wilds of Skye and Snowdon, to a big night out in Birmingham with J. B. Priestley and Beryl Bainbridge, Footnotes is a series of evocative biographies, a lyrical foray into the past, and a quest to understand Britain through the books, journals and diaries of some of our greatest writers.
And as Fiennes travels the country, and roams across the centuries, he wonders:
‘Who are we? What do we want? They seemed like good questions to ask, in the company of some of our greatest writers, given these restless times.’
This was and interesting book! Catherine Russell gifted me this book knowing I like Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, both who are talked about in this book.. or I should say "Trip around Britain.
Even though I didn't know many of the writers I enjoyed the "trip"! The author was quite clever in that he'd travel where the writer had gone during their lifetime.. he'd describe the area quite well and then explain how it would have looked when the author was there around 1188 , during the 1600's and 1800's depending on the author he was following at the time. I like the historical times and what things looked like then and now so it was a good read!
I number of interesting tidbit showed up about Wilkie and Dickens that I didn't know .. some were even humorous! All in all I did enjoy the book very much... maybe you would too??
#VentureForth2020 . Enjoy your summer reading!
posted by DesLily | 11:38 AM
4 Comments:
Really pleased you liked the book, Pat. I thought you would enjoy reading about Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens' travels, it was like something out of Drood. When he said about the railway accident I remembered that exact weird scene 'from' Drood! Must read that again, maybe in the autumn.
By the way I'll be reading a book 'you' gave me as the Gift category. lOL
Now that sounds like a really good book, and a brilliant idea on the writer's part. These are the kind of books that I too enjoy, when they are executed well, even if, like you, I'm not familiar with some of the writers.
I saw this review today and it reminded me of this book you reviewed...I want to read them both.
https://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2020/06/the-summer-isles.html
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