Coasting
A Private Journey

Jonahthan Raban writes at a whole new level, he can blend his current travels with his past in a way nobody else can. His wonderful poetic prose draws you in right from the off. I love hiking, one of the reasons is how remote things are and that there is nobody else around, bliss for me. I recently w......more

This is one man's account of a voyage around the coast of England in a sailing boat, written in the 1980s. Not only do we learn about various places around the UK but Raban also delves into his own background and childhood, explaining how he ends up on the journey to begin with. Because of the era i......more

I read this while sailing around Scotland. A lot has changed since 1982 when Raban's Odyssee took place, crowed marina's, ugly plastic sailing boats and less couleur locale. Anyhow, the major part of the book is about the landlubbers, the Falkland war, parents and a few (actually quite funny) pages......more

Feel like it’s confusing and not chronological. Half the time I had no idea what I was even reading. Author isn’t clear what’s the past, what’s on land , what direction he’s going sometimes When I did understand it it was interesting though......more

There is some really good writing in this book (written in 1986) but I've given up (I'm about a third of the way into the book) because of the author's continual negativity about his own life. In the especially uncertain times that we are living through, I need to read something more uplifting! Perh......more