As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning
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- Create Date：2021-08-19 00:52:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Laurie Lee
- ISBN：0241953286
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Summary
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning is the moving follow-up to Laurie Lee's acclaimed Cider with Rosie
Abandoning the Cotswolds village that raised him， the young Laurie Lee walks to London。 There he makes a living labouring and playing the violin。 But， deciding to travel further a field and knowing only the Spanish phrase for 'Will you please give me a glass of water？'， he heads for Spain。 With just a blanket to sleep under and his trusty violin， he spends a year crossing Spain， from Vigo in the north to the southern coast。 Only the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War puts an end to his extraordinary peregrinations 。 。 。
'He writes like an angel and conveys the pride and vitality of the humblest Spanish life with unfailing sharpness， zest and humour' Sunday Times
'There's a formidable， instant charm in the writing that genuinely makes it difficult to put the book down' New Statesman
'A beautiful piece of writing' Observer
Abandoning the Cotswolds village that raised him， the young Laurie Lee walks to London。 There he makes a living labouring and playing the violin。 But， deciding to travel further a field and knowing only the Spanish phrase for 'Will you please give me a glass of water？'， he heads for Spain。 With just a blanket to sleep under and his trusty violin， he spends a year crossing Spain， from Vigo in the north to the southern coast。 Only the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War puts an end to his extraordinary peregrinations 。 。 。
'He writes like an angel and conveys the pride and vitality of the humblest Spanish life with unfailing sharpness， zest and humour' Sunday Times
'There's a formidable， instant charm in the writing that genuinely makes it difficult to put the book down' New Statesman
'A beautiful piece of writing' Observer
Reviews
Jeremy
，
Not knowing much about Laurie Lee， I saw the synopsis of this book and thought it would be interesting。 Leaving home with a fiddle to see the world at a time when most people didn't travel sounded interesting。 But this book doesn't know if it wants to be a travelogue or a lost generation novel。 The writing is vivid and poetic at times， but the author/narrator/protagonist doesn't have much of a personality or presence。 He talks about himself and people he interacts with sometimes， but then not ot Not knowing much about Laurie Lee， I saw the synopsis of this book and thought it would be interesting。 Leaving home with a fiddle to see the world at a time when most people didn't travel sounded interesting。 But this book doesn't know if it wants to be a travelogue or a lost generation novel。 The writing is vivid and poetic at times， but the author/narrator/protagonist doesn't have much of a personality or presence。 He talks about himself and people he interacts with sometimes， but then not others。 It leans more toward a travel writing book， but every once in a while there are characters （like a larger than life poet with his family） who seem like characters out of a Fitzgerald story。 It's odd how it goes back and forth between that and then periods that are just factual descriptions of what's going on， like the beginning of the Spanish Civil War。 The prose gets very dry very quickly。 。。。more
Redouan Elkham
，
The charm of Spain attracts a lot to people around the world， some prefer to walk along its wonderful roads to discover the magic of Spain， and some and because of that magic they decide to settled down there and be part of the Iberian paradise。Spain and its heritage， culture， history， diversity， people tolerance and hospitality are the best to lure people from various backgrounds to visit it， more than this， some people like the author goes beyond the scope of magic and decide to return to it a The charm of Spain attracts a lot to people around the world， some prefer to walk along its wonderful roads to discover the magic of Spain， and some and because of that magic they decide to settled down there and be part of the Iberian paradise。Spain and its heritage， culture， history， diversity， people tolerance and hospitality are the best to lure people from various backgrounds to visit it， more than this， some people like the author goes beyond the scope of magic and decide to return to it as a militant in order to defend this paradise from capitalistic Francist army that started to scratch and injuries the country。Though all savage massacre and torture， spanish people tend to be a nation of endless love of democracy and freedom， they manage to clean the country from all this facist power making the wheel of socialist swirls around again。 。。。more
Loudon McAndrew
，
I didn’t know that the book would be so similar to one I had read earlier i。e A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermer。 Same time setting out，both of a similar age， a journey across Europe albeit only Spain in Lee’s case and both books written many years after their travels。Nevertheless， it captured prewar Spain superbly well and gave a new slant on the Spanish Civil War。
Sarah
，
Normally I write down quotes that give me cause for pause， resonate with me， or speak volumes in a few words。 If I were to do that for As I Walked Out I would have to copy down most of the book。 For someone who has been missing travel intensely， this was a cool balm on my mind。 As Laurie writes in the start of the book， much of the journey he made in the 30s would be impossible to mimic today， as England and Spain have been blanketed in roads and other infrastructure that has changed the landsca Normally I write down quotes that give me cause for pause， resonate with me， or speak volumes in a few words。 If I were to do that for As I Walked Out I would have to copy down most of the book。 For someone who has been missing travel intensely， this was a cool balm on my mind。 As Laurie writes in the start of the book， much of the journey he made in the 30s would be impossible to mimic today， as England and Spain have been blanketed in roads and other infrastructure that has changed the landscape forever。 In any case， the travelling feelings and observations Laurie makes throughout the book as a young person travelling alone at 20 years old sent me straight back to my own adventures as a 21 year old。 What leaving a country by boat feels like， when a trip suddenly ends and is ripped away from you， when you meet loving strangers， when you encounter danger - natural or otherwise， and when you are forced to rely on the helping hands， shelter， and money of others。。。 if you have been travelling by yourself for any long stretch of time， I think you'll be able to relive these moments through Laurie's own journey again too。 A great travel piece in these pandemic times。 。。。more
Beka
，
Not as glorious a read as his poetry or Cider with Rosie， but still fantastic writing of his years traveling through Spain and his growing love for the county。 His words were still just as unique。 "。。。 rhapsodic eruptions of surrealist fantasy。""The Galatian night came quickly， the hills turned purple and the valleys flooded with heavy shadow。 The jagged coastline below， now dark and glittering， looked like sweeping a of broken glass。。。。 Then as the sun went down it seemed to drag the whole sky Not as glorious a read as his poetry or Cider with Rosie， but still fantastic writing of his years traveling through Spain and his growing love for the county。 His words were still just as unique。 "。。。 rhapsodic eruptions of surrealist fantasy。""The Galatian night came quickly， the hills turned purple and the valleys flooded with heavy shadow。 The jagged coastline below， now dark and glittering， looked like sweeping a of broken glass。。。。 Then as the sun went down it seemed to drag the whole sky with it like the shreds of a burning curtain， leaving rags of bright water that went on smoking and smoldering along the estuaries and around the many islands。 I saw the small white ship， my last link with home， flare like a taper and die away in the darkness; then I was alone at last， sitting in a hilltop， my teeth chattering as the night wind rose。" 。。。more
Julian Munds
，
Laurie Lee tells this story of a saunter through Spain。 That's what this book is: a saunter。 It's well written if a bit indulgent at times but packed with interesting anecdotes and experiences。 It's true when they call this an important perspective on a historical time。 It is。 Laurie Lee tells this story of a saunter through Spain。 That's what this book is: a saunter。 It's well written if a bit indulgent at times but packed with interesting anecdotes and experiences。 It's true when they call this an important perspective on a historical time。 It is。 。。。more
Claire Carpenter
，
I was looking forward to reading a book by a local “hero” - the young Laurie Lee， but found a book written by a grumpy old man who seemed to see mostly the negative in everything he saw in pre-civil war Spain。 A disappointing but short read……
Ed Glendenning
，
A book that; more than any other - in my experience at least， provokes comments when seen reading it in public。It seems be very significant and on more people's top 5's than I had realised。Its no surprise as it is beautifully written and with a real lyricism。 A book that; more than any other - in my experience at least， provokes comments when seen reading it in public。It seems be very significant and on more people's top 5's than I had realised。Its no surprise as it is beautifully written and with a real lyricism。 。。。more
Aaron Lyons
，
Yh， was dope
Abigail Bok
，
I hate being lied to。 If a book is sold as fiction， that’s fine; but this was supposed to be a travel memoir and it turned out to be a fabulist’s yarn （to put it nicely）。Just as Patrick Leigh Fermor did （but with less ambition）， Laurie Lee set out from his home village in the late 1930s on an extended solo walking trip， his goal first the southern coast of England， then London， then Spain。 Lee spent a year earning a pittance as a hod carrier in London， then took ship for the Bay of Biscay with a I hate being lied to。 If a book is sold as fiction， that’s fine; but this was supposed to be a travel memoir and it turned out to be a fabulist’s yarn （to put it nicely）。Just as Patrick Leigh Fermor did （but with less ambition）， Laurie Lee set out from his home village in the late 1930s on an extended solo walking trip， his goal first the southern coast of England， then London， then Spain。 Lee spent a year earning a pittance as a hod carrier in London， then took ship for the Bay of Biscay with a knapsack， a tent， and a violin。 The bulk of the book purportedly describes his year traversing Spain。At first Lee appears to be a congenial narrator。 He has a vivid and original way with simile， which began by pleasing but wore out its welcome after a few chapters。 I enjoyed passages like “The plain ended here in a series of geological convulsions that had thrown up gigantic shelves of rock， raw red in colour and the size of islands， rising abruptly to several hundred feet。 Perched on the sharpest of these， and scattered along its crumbling edge， Toro looked like dried blood on a rusty sword。” But I came to dread the appearance of the word like， introducing as it inevitably did yet another stretch to capture an outré image。And then the pervasive misogyny began to be hard to ignore。 I try to be tolerant of the mores of another age， but it was noticeable that men were consistently described as humans and women and girls as objects。 When we got to the place where Lee comes back to his lodging to find his hostess screaming and crying that her drunken husband has gone after her daughter， and Lee promptly offers succor to 。 。 。 the drunken husband， my disgust was starting to get in the way of my goodwill。 Lee depicts himself as moving penniless through the landscape， earning his keep by playing his violin， but I read afterward in an article about him that a woman （unacknowledged） paid his way—so these cringey moments were no accident。 Over and over he presented himself as graciously accepting the advances of sexy young women， only to move on the next day。 He came off in the end as a slacker trying to be a romantic man’s man in the Hemingway mold。 If you find Hemingway romantic， this book might be for you。Finally， it dawned on me about a third of the way through that he was letting his fondness for the macabre overtake his veracity。 One example: as Lee is busking for his lodging， “One night， I remember， a gentleman in a grey frock-coat came down from his room to listen， and stood close behind me， nodding and smiling to the music and sticking long silver pins through his throat。 Another night as I played， an old clock in the courtyard suddenly shuddered and struck fourteen。” Neither claim is remotely credible， the pins nor the clock， and the first even less so when juxtaposed against the second。 Street people， all of them treated as expendables， fare especially poorly in his lust for shocking moments。 When he meets up with an expat South African poet full of braggadocio who constantly invents heroic scenarios in which he supposedly starred， we see where he got the idea。I wish I could have believed his depiction of Spain on the brink of war with Generalissimo Franco’s fascists。 That would have been a book to read。 I would go on to the next book in his series （in which he takes part in the fighting） if only I could take it as real。 But Lee forfeited that privilege。 。。。more
Julian Worker
，
I suppose this could be referred to as the sequel to Cider with Rosie。 This book is superb as it's equal measures of memoir， travel book， and historical reference。 Laurie Lee leaves the Cotswolds， heads to London， and then determines to head further afield， arriving in Vigo in Galicia before taking a year to walk through pre-Civil War Spain to the southern coast at Almunecar where he becomes trapped at the beginning of the war。 He's taken from the beach by a Royal Navy warship and arrrives back I suppose this could be referred to as the sequel to Cider with Rosie。 This book is superb as it's equal measures of memoir， travel book， and historical reference。 Laurie Lee leaves the Cotswolds， heads to London， and then determines to head further afield， arriving in Vigo in Galicia before taking a year to walk through pre-Civil War Spain to the southern coast at Almunecar where he becomes trapped at the beginning of the war。 He's taken from the beach by a Royal Navy warship and arrrives back in the UK soon afterwards。 It's not long though before he's heading over The Pyrennes to enlist with the forces fighting the Fascist Franco。 。。。more
Sheila
，
A very different book from the rambling， gentle tales of Cider with Rosie。 Also， not in sections in the same way， the sections are places on a long journey， first in London but mainly in Spain。 This is a past Spain， of tiny villages full of poor peasants eking out a living on the land。 Not the modern Spain of tourism。 A Spain of warm acceptance that feeds and clothes the young Laurie readily on his journey， a Spain of tension and impeding civil war between the fascists and the communists。 Laurie A very different book from the rambling， gentle tales of Cider with Rosie。 Also， not in sections in the same way， the sections are places on a long journey， first in London but mainly in Spain。 This is a past Spain， of tiny villages full of poor peasants eking out a living on the land。 Not the modern Spain of tourism。 A Spain of warm acceptance that feeds and clothes the young Laurie readily on his journey， a Spain of tension and impeding civil war between the fascists and the communists。 Laurie seems to settle himself firmly on the left amongst the poor people who have looked after him。 Towards the end of the book， a British ship is sent to rescue him and bring him home。 Crazily， after a few short months， Laurie is itching to be back identifying with the people that he has left。 After a different journey through the Pyrenees in France he is taken back into the war。 An interesting tale of a forgotten time。 。。。more
Ashique
，
Beautiful。 Possibly the first 5 star read in a long time。
Gavin
，
Really enjoyed this story of a young Laurie Lee's journey from England to Spain during a seemingly romantic era despite hardship and threat of violence and war。 Really enjoyed this story of a young Laurie Lee's journey from England to Spain during a seemingly romantic era despite hardship and threat of violence and war。 。。。more
Jack
，
A nostalgia tinged recounting of Lee's life defining journey across mainland Spain。 From Vigo to Almuñécar， his lyrical prose carries the reader through a sunkissed land on the brink of war。 Lee himself has a brilliant ability to distinctly capture character in written form， from landscapes to towns and the people who inhabit them， and as such this autobiographical tale is in part a whimsical adventure of epic proportion yet it also serves an insightful account of life and society during the pre A nostalgia tinged recounting of Lee's life defining journey across mainland Spain。 From Vigo to Almuñécar， his lyrical prose carries the reader through a sunkissed land on the brink of war。 Lee himself has a brilliant ability to distinctly capture character in written form， from landscapes to towns and the people who inhabit them， and as such this autobiographical tale is in part a whimsical adventure of epic proportion yet it also serves an insightful account of life and society during the prelude to war。 An excellent companion to Orwell's Homage to Catalonia。 。。。more
Andy Marr
，
A fascinating and poetic account of the author's travels through Spain in the months before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War。 Lee's descriptions of people and places were frequently brilliant， but it loses a star for his disturbingly blasé attitude towards the violence， cruelty and paedophilia he witnessed throughout his journey。 A fascinating and poetic account of the author's travels through Spain in the months before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War。 Lee's descriptions of people and places were frequently brilliant， but it loses a star for his disturbingly blasé attitude towards the violence， cruelty and paedophilia he witnessed throughout his journey。 。。。more
Tony Drummond
，
I had read a few thrillers before this book and strangely I found this book more compelling。The strength to the book is Lee's writing where a simple phrase can paint a picture that other writers may spend many pages describing。 A relatively short book but very absorbing I had read a few thrillers before this book and strangely I found this book more compelling。The strength to the book is Lee's writing where a simple phrase can paint a picture that other writers may spend many pages describing。 A relatively short book but very absorbing 。。。more
James Wright
，
a relaxing read， evocative 。。。 good for my introverted sensing （！） If you enjoy a bit of descriptive meandering this is definitely the book and author for you。 Particularly enjoyed the Epilogue， giving a taster of #3。
Harriet McGuire Smith
，
Loved the descriptive language in this book， although I have to say it was only the last couple of chapters that truly captured me。
Melanie Wood
，
Superb！ The second volume of Laurie Lee’s autobiography， As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning， vaults to the top of my Best Reads this Year。Lee’s imagery is lush and surprising， bringing his adventures to vivid life。 Highly recommendedhttps://www。pageturnercliffhanger。com。。。 Superb！ The second volume of Laurie Lee’s autobiography， As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning， vaults to the top of my Best Reads this Year。Lee’s imagery is lush and surprising， bringing his adventures to vivid life。 Highly recommendedhttps://www。pageturnercliffhanger。com。。。 。。。more
David Short
，
Carrying on from the excellent Cider With Rosie， this wonderful book tells the story of Laurie's journey to and around Spain。 It is evocative and romantic to the extent of making me seriously want to trace those steps。 Carrying on from the excellent Cider With Rosie， this wonderful book tells the story of Laurie's journey to and around Spain。 It is evocative and romantic to the extent of making me seriously want to trace those steps。 。。。more
ℳatthieu
，
Le voyage occupe la majeure partie du récit， seules les cinquante dernières pages évoquent la guerre de manière assez laconique。 Communisme， nationalisme， la situation politique devait être confuse et surtout déformée ou fantasmée par beaucoup。 L'auteur n'avait que vingt ans et il est évident qu'il n'a pas la maturité pour comprendre ces événements。 Mais à aucun moment il n'évoque son ressenti， ses sentiments （sauf peut-être un tout petit peu à la fin）。 A-t-il eu peur parfois ？ A-t-il eu des cou Le voyage occupe la majeure partie du récit， seules les cinquante dernières pages évoquent la guerre de manière assez laconique。 Communisme， nationalisme， la situation politique devait être confuse et surtout déformée ou fantasmée par beaucoup。 L'auteur n'avait que vingt ans et il est évident qu'il n'a pas la maturité pour comprendre ces événements。 Mais à aucun moment il n'évoque son ressenti， ses sentiments （sauf peut-être un tout petit peu à la fin）。 A-t-il eu peur parfois ？ A-t-il eu des coups de blues， des coups de cœur ？ Le texte， bien que très bien écrit （avec force courage。。。）， reste uniquement descriptif et cela m'a un peu ennuyé。 Cependant la fin m'incite vivement à lire la suite ！ 。。。more
Farah
，
what an adventure！ Laurie's writing is often evokes very vivid scenery and the second half of the novel was very unexpected （as someone who isn't well versed in Spanish history）。 And it ends on basically a cliffhanger！ Haha did not see that coming。 （I also listened to the audiobook which was very well done。 highly recommend） Now hope I can find a map of his journey that so I can dream about replicating it someday （like Alistair） what an adventure！ Laurie's writing is often evokes very vivid scenery and the second half of the novel was very unexpected （as someone who isn't well versed in Spanish history）。 And it ends on basically a cliffhanger！ Haha did not see that coming。 （I also listened to the audiobook which was very well done。 highly recommend） Now hope I can find a map of his journey that so I can dream about replicating it someday （like Alistair） 。。。more
Chris Morton
，
The book took a dive when he got to Spain。 Vivid descriptions of thirties England were more relatable to me as an English person。 But the in depth descriptions of what Spain was like at that time were interesting， if nothing else， and the book did pick up towards the end with the onset of war。 I can't believe Laurie Lee went back there again - that story， however is saved for the next in the series which I plan to read at some point。 The book took a dive when he got to Spain。 Vivid descriptions of thirties England were more relatable to me as an English person。 But the in depth descriptions of what Spain was like at that time were interesting， if nothing else， and the book did pick up towards the end with the onset of war。 I can't believe Laurie Lee went back there again - that story， however is saved for the next in the series which I plan to read at some point。 。。。more
Matthew Ted
，
[28th book of 2021。 Artist for this review is Spanish painter Eliseo Meifrén Roig。]4。5。 Everyone has heard the title Cider with Rosie， and even when I read it several years ago， I wasn't aware it was the first book in Laurie Lee's "Autobiographical Trilogy"。 This is the second novel。 Where the first book recorded Lee's childhood in the Cotswolds， As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning follows Lee as a twenty-year-old man leaving home to go to， eventually， Spain， stopping by London and Portsmouth [28th book of 2021。 Artist for this review is Spanish painter Eliseo Meifrén Roig。]4。5。 Everyone has heard the title Cider with Rosie， and even when I read it several years ago， I wasn't aware it was the first book in Laurie Lee's "Autobiographical Trilogy"。 This is the second novel。 Where the first book recorded Lee's childhood in the Cotswolds， As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning follows Lee as a twenty-year-old man leaving home to go to， eventually， Spain， stopping by London and Portsmouth and along the south coast en route。 As with Cider with Rosie， this is extraordinarily well-written。 It felt as if every other line needed reading again for the pure beauty and rhythm of it。 I'm slightly gutted I am borrowing this from the library， knowing I couldn't underline all the best lines and paragraphs in it。 It's almost impossible to choose sections to quote as there are so many。 Lee meets a whole host of interesting and strange characters on his journey and certainly sees a lot of the world， travelling almost entirely with just his violin， playing around England （and then Spain）， to make his money。 Despite this seemingly precarious situation， Lee never seems dangerously lacking in food and though several times he says， in his matter-of-fact way， that he almost died from this or that， mostly due to weather， his unprepared journeying never strays too close to doom。 I saw an article a little while ago titled， rather pathetically， "What If Laurie Lee's Books Aren't True？"—it discussed the age-old debate of validity when concerning "true stories"。 I saw a similar thing surrounding British writer Bruce Chatwin; there seemed to be a similar stirring about his work， and several things came out about the "lies" in his novels。 One anecdote recalled a young girl in one of Chatwin's books sitting about all the time and reading Tolstoy， someone who had been on the journey with Chatwin came out and said it wasn't true at all， and the girl actually read "trashy" novels all day。 I'm with Chatwin though， Tolstoy is considerably more romantic。 He said his name was Alf， but one couldn't be sure， as he called me Alf， and everyone else。 'Couple of Alfs just got jugged in this town last year，' he'd say。 'Hookin' the shops—you know， with fish-hooks。' Or: 'An Alf I knew used to do twenty-mile a day。 One of the looniest Alfs on the road。 Said he got round it quicker。 And so he did。 But folks got sick of his face。'The chapters are mostly broken into singular elements of Lee's journey: "London Road"， "London"， "Into Spain"， "Zamora-Toro"， "Valladolid"， Segovia-Madrid"， "Toledo"， "To the Sea"， "East to Málaga"， "Almuñécar"， "War" and the "Epilogue"。 The driving force of the novel is simply the language itself and the slow， but the promise （by the blurb）， of the ending at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War。 That continues in the last book of the trilogy， A Moment of War。 Spain is the biggest feature of the novel and Lee describes it incredibly: the heat， the setting， the people， it is all drawn beautifully。 I've only been to Spain once， sadly， many years ago。 I went to Barcelona and only remember standing under the Gaudí buildings， drawing the cityscapes， wandering the hot streets， and for some reason， the small fountain that sat below my hotel bedroom window。 [。。。] the cool depths of the Cathedral， clean and bare， full of wide and curving spaces， and the huge stained-glass windows hanging like hazed chrysanthemums in the amber distances of its height。 Also the small black pigs running in and out of shop doorways—often apparently the only customers; and the storks roosting gravely on the chimney-pots， gazing across the valley like bony Arabs。For the first time I was learning how much easier it was to leave than stay behind and love。The "War" chapter brings some more physical happenings aside from Lee's （mostly） aimless wanderings。 Once again the village crowded on to the beach to watch。 The evening was hazy and peacock-coloured; delicate hues ran slowly over the sea and sky and melted together like oil。 The destroyers lay low on the horizon， slender as floating leaves， insubstantial as the air around them。I'm interested to shortly read the final novel in the trilogy and see what Lee's description of the Civil War is; right now， when I think of it， I think of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and Orwell's Homage to Catalonia。 This only just falls short of five-stars because I wanted it to be slightly more introspective; typical of English writers of the period， there is a certain reserve to the whole novel。 Even when bodies appear in the streets and destroyers begin firing from the coastlines， Lee never appears particularly afraid or cautious， the narrative moves on with its gentle， matter-of-fact manner。 However， on the whole， this is a brilliant read and superior to Cider with Rosie。 。。。more
Robert
，
Essential reading for anyone who likes to travel。 Lee is simultaneously sympathetic to and cynical about the world around him。 He sees the world from below， from a position of weakness and lack of knowledge， which is so refreshing for a travel account， by virtue of being both peniless and other when he travels to London and then to Spain。 His writing and description is noting short of poetic。 Perhaps those less used to a more meandering， European style of writing （a la Bruce Chatwin） might get t Essential reading for anyone who likes to travel。 Lee is simultaneously sympathetic to and cynical about the world around him。 He sees the world from below， from a position of weakness and lack of knowledge， which is so refreshing for a travel account， by virtue of being both peniless and other when he travels to London and then to Spain。 His writing and description is noting short of poetic。 Perhaps those less used to a more meandering， European style of writing （a la Bruce Chatwin） might get to the end and say "so， what's the point？" But， the point， for Lee， is， I think， the journey。 Enjoy it while it lasts。 。。。more
Denis O'Connor
，
A unique snapshot of Spain in the 1930s leading up to the Civil War。 Evocative and lyrical – pulls you in to a country unrecognisable from the vantage point of today。
Anthony E
，
pretty writing innit
Sammie Anne Cunningham
，
In honour of International Women's Day， I'm finally shelving this trash book by a trash man。 Can only give 2* on account of the fact that he called an eight-year old girl "sexy" and insinuated encroaching on another one without consent。 Seriously， climbing into her window to "cuddle"？ Wasn't aware that Romeo and Jimmy Savile had a love child。 In honour of International Women's Day， I'm finally shelving this trash book by a trash man。 Can only give 2* on account of the fact that he called an eight-year old girl "sexy" and insinuated encroaching on another one without consent。 Seriously， climbing into her window to "cuddle"？ Wasn't aware that Romeo and Jimmy Savile had a love child。 。。。more
Sneezewort
，