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To The River: A Journey Beneath The Surface (2011)

by Olivia Laing(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1847677924 (ISBN13: 9781847677921)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Canongate

review 1: Olivia Laing writes beautifully about a short 42 mile walk she took over a week from the source of the Ouse River in Sussex, England to the sea. As she walks, she tells of her walk but also ponders the human and natural history of the location. In addition, she brings in a rich literary history, especially that of Virginia Woolf, who lived along its banks for many years. It is a rich and enjoyable book.
review 2: Living as I do divided between the Lake District and Scotland, it's difficult for me to find the landscape Laing describes particularly interesting and the litanies of wild flowers, while I enjoyed hearing their names, were over my head as I have no idea what they look like and couldn't spend hours googling them all. What I did enjoy though is the ser... moreendipity of the journey. One day we learned about the life of Kenneth Grahame, the next about Henry III and, running like a thread all the way through, the lives of Virginia and Leonard Woolf. It's a gentle book which I enjoyed reading but more for the learning than the journey. Her prose is often beautiful and her thoughts gave me pause for thought so I would happily read more of her work if or when she writes more. less

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