Enchanted Islands: A Mediterranean Odyssey - A Memoir of Travels through Love, G

Description: FREE SHIPPING UK WIDE Enchanted Islands by Laura Coffey Enchanted Islands tells the true story of Laura Coffeys epic journey around the mystical archipelagos of the Mediterranean. Blending memoir, travel and nature writing with tales from The Odyssey, and infused with sharply comic wit, this is a celebration of the redemptive powers of cold-water swimming and luminous star-lit skies. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description "A magical and hugely captivating journey - filled with such beauty, wonder and surprise. A simply marvellous read, hugely recommended" - Stephen Fry A real-life journey through the fantastical world of The OdysseyIt started with a boy, of course. Seeking solace from the pain of heartbreak and her fathers illness, Laura Coffey embarks on what was meant to be a simple holiday. But her newfound fascination with ancient Greek myths transforms her trip into a six-month odyssey, around tiny archipelagos and mystical Mediterranean islands thought to be the setting of Odysseuss epic journey. As she chases one of the most conflicted, flawed and yet beloved heroes through his fantastical sea-kingdoms, looking for the places where geography and mythology collide, she discovers the wild beauty of the islands, and the redemptive powers of travel and nature, cold-water swimming, long hikes up mountains, and luminous star-lit skies.But her quest to find happiness, safety and the true meaning of home is overshadowed by the deepening illness of her father. Returning as hes dying, forced to confront the very things she was running from, Laura reflects on what she has lost, how to live between story and reality, and the way we craft our own mythologies. Slipping between the mythical realm and the real world, she finds enchantment and healing in the magic of both."If you love memoir and Greek mythology, this is a delight. A spellbinding book about growing up, grieving and the gods." - Clare Pollard, author of Delphi Author Biography Laura Coffey is a travel writer, happiest in motion. Shes newly addicted to cold water swimming, has an old addiction to adventure, and loves to write about the wild beauty of the places she visits and the people she meets as she roams through the world. Her work has been published in places like Conde Nast Traveller, The Guardian and BBC Travel. She is a certified yoga teacher, solo travel enthusiast and excitable bird-nerd. When she is not writing, Laura can be found cycling across London, stretching out on her yoga mat, or best of all, planning an escape to a remote island. Instagram: l_j_coffey Review Laura Coffeys personal Odyssey is a magical and hugely captivating journey into journeys. Like the original Odyssey and all that follow it, Enchanted Islands is about finding ones way home. But the adventures on the way are filled with such beauty, wonder and surprise. The journey changes the meaning of the destination. A simply marvellous read, hugely recommended. * Stephen Fry *If you love memoir and Greek mythology (as I do) this is a delight. Coffey escapes a grim and lonely pandemic for volcanos and orange-blossom brioche, kingfishers and tales of Circe. But life lies ready to sting, like the Medusa jellyfish she encounters on her evening swims. A spellbinding book about growing up, grieving and the Gods. * Clare Pollard, author of Delphi *The Odyssey is the perfect guide for this bold and personal, honest and witty journey of reflection and discovery, grief and recovery. * Michael Scott, Professor of Classics & Ancient History at the University of Warwick *Numinous - like Cezannes oranges, this is full of the magic of daily realities. A journey that proposes a way to navigate between the sadness and joy of our complex lives. * Maria Balshaw, CEO Tate Galleries *Enchanted Islands beautifully captures the places where the distant past pushes up against the immediate present. Coffey takes us with her on a sensory tour of the islands of the Mediterranean, enhanced by charming inclusions of mythology and history. You can feel the cool of the October sea and taste the bittersweet burn of well-sugared espresso. Coffeys skill as a travel guide does not end there, however. The inclusion of her fathers end-of-life experience elevates and centers the story, taking the reader on an exploration of that most mysterious of countries - grief. * Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros *I read Lauras journey in a single day. An intimately shared voyage of grief and hope - stunning! * Freya Bromley, author of The Tidal Year *Blimey. This is one of the most gorgeously written books Ive had the pleasure of reading for a long time - hats off to Laura Coffey. Enchanted Islands is filled with honesty, humility, vulnerability and wit. Its a portrait of tragedy, that though steeped in sadness, doesnt feel heart-stopping in its pain - rather it feels human and humane. Its a portrait of travel, past and present, and of loneliness and connection at a time when those two themes dominated the world, yet were so hard to name or explain. * Claire North, author of Ithaca and House of Odysseus *I raced through this book, heart hammering, in a single sitting. Its about a death, and about the pandemic, love and loss and yearning. But as much, if not more, its a book about the joyful, agonising, complicated business of being alive. The words sing of sun on the skin, of cold water and ripe fruit. The ideas are profound, the language exquisite. * Marianne Levy, author of Dont Forget to Scream *Inspired by Emily Wilsons new translation of The Odyssey (the first into English by a woman), Laura Coffey interweaves mythology, feminism, memoir and travel writing - with a gleeful bias towards swimming and the island settings of Homers original. This thrilling read embraces freedom and escapism - and you dont have to know anything about Greek myths to enjoy it. Its a true modern female odyssey: daring, funny, self-aware and magical. * Viv Groskop, author of The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature *What a wonderful book. I loved it all the way through. Lauras writing makes me feel present: I can hear the sea, smell the herbs, savour the sunsets. I dont want our journey to be over... * Dr Kathryn Mannix, palliative care consultant, psychologist & author of With The End In Mind *A stunning book about how art and storytelling enable us to make sense of our place in the world - exploring the complexity of grief, and how we can find value and create meaning. * Hermione Norris, actor *Lovelorn and escaping lockdown, Laura finds solace in her bridge between myths and science, the melding of maps and poetry, and the healing power of the natural world. Weaving joy and heartbreak, this bittersweet, lyrical memoir is a truly moving odyssey - it will make you yearn to jump on a ship and let the winds pull you away... * Beth Morrey, Sunday Times bestselling author *Like Odysseus, it took Laura Coffey much longer than she expected to find her way home, but her adventures were poignantly halted when her father became very unwell. This book will make you wander islands of myth, herbs and tiny birds, and cherish those you love. * Tom Mustill, award-winning film maker and author of How To Speak Whale *Enchanted Islands is beautifully written, moving and heartfelt, but also funny: sharply observed travel-writing cleverly interwoven with memoir and myth. Laura Coffey writes with sensuous vividness about Mediterranean islands, Homers Odyssey and her fathers illness and death. If you loved H is For Hawk or Grief is the Thing with Feathers, this book is for you. * Nick Higham, author and former presenter, Meet the Author, BBC News *This book forces you to look at life - and what it means to be human - in a brand new way. Add in a dash of mythology and you have a dazzling tale of how stories have the capacity to heal our lives. An utterly glorious achievement! * Jasmine Elmer, author of Goddess with A Thousand Faces *Sparkling and changing like the sea in all its shades of darkness and light, Lauras beautifully written odyssey is about embracing your freedom, becoming the goddess and enchanting yourself, weaving and unweaving your story. It gently reminds us that in life, we dont get to choose the route, but we can find islands of enchantment. * Jennifer Barclay, author of An Octopus in My Ouzo *This is travel writing at its finest. Local colour, history, memoir, and an emotional journey through grief and joy weave together beautifully. It is literary without pretension, informative while entertaining, moving and heartfelt while also being sharply funny. The best travel writing inspires us to journey ourselves, and this book made me long for warm Mediterranean islands. A triumph of a first book from an enchanting author. * Noah Charney, bestselling author and BBC presenter *Enchanted Islands deftly combines memoir, escapist travelogue, and meditations on the Greek classics. Its also wryly funny and deserves to be widely read by travellers and lovers alike. * James Crabtree, author of The Billionaire Raj and former Financial Times journalist *So engrossing - I was right there with Laura on her travels and in her grief. Enchanted Islands is mesmerising and moving, a feast for the senses and the soul. * Joanne Mallon, career coach and author of Change Your Life in 5 Minutes a Day *I loved this for so many reasons. The writing is eloquent, lyrical, it has the capacity to conjure up sea breezes, the chill of an early morning swim, coffee in a bar on a remote island, the sting of a jellyfish. * @salboreads * Details ISBN1837993130 Publisher Octopus Publishing Group Year 2024 ISBN-13 9781837993130 Format Hardcover Imprint Summersdale Publishers Country of Publication United Kingdom Audience General Language English ISBN-10 1837993130 Author Laura Coffey Pages 288 AU Release Date 2024-07-29 NZ Release Date 2024-07-29 Subtitle A Mediterranean Odyssey – A Memoir of Travels through Love, Grief and Mythology Publication Date 2024-05-02 UK Release Date 2024-05-02 DEWEY 914.04562 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! 30 DAY RETURN POLICY No questions asked, 30 day returns! 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Price: 20.22 GBP

Location: London

End Time: 2025-02-01T02:41:14.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.04 GBP