The End of the Road

Name: The End of the Road
Brand: Harper UK
Availability: InStock
Author: Jack Cooke
ISBN: 9780008294731

Author: Jack Cooke

Narrator: Paul Hilliar

Unabridged: 8 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 02/18/2021

Categories: Nonfiction, Travel, Essays & Travelogues, History, European History, Social Science, Death & Dying, Biography & Autobiography, Memoirs

Synopsis

A wonderfully quixotic, charming and surprisingly uplifting travelogue which sees Jack Cooke, author of the much-loved , drive around the British Isles in a clapped-out forty-year old hearse in search of famous – and not so famous – tombs, graves and burial sites. Along the way, he launches a daredevil trespass into Highgate Cemetery at night, stumbles across the remains of the Welsh Druid who popularised cremation and has time to sit and ponder the imponderables at the graveside of the Lady of Hoy, an 18th century suicide victim whose body was kept in near condition by the bog in which she was buried. A truly unique, beautifully written and wonderfully imagined book.

About Jack Cooke

Jack Cooke was born in 1985 and lives in London with his wife Jennifer, the book’s illustrator, and his son Bodie. This is his first book.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Joseph

Hot on the heels of Peter Ross’ A Tomb with a View (which I own but am yet to read) comes another book for taphophiles – The End of the Road by Jack Cooke. This volume's subtitle is "A journey around Britain in search of the dead", which pretty much sums up what it is all about. Cooke's book is, in......more

Goodreads review by N.S.

This review first appeared on my blog - [URL not allowed] - on 11th February 2021. If you love wandering around old cemeteries, reading the inscriptions and thinking about the people from the past, then this book is for you. If you love reading quirky travel adventures and learning about eccen......more

Goodreads review by Stephen

interesting journey in search of the dead but felt missed the personal touch though but still worth reading......more

Goodreads review by Irene

Jack decided to down tools and travel around the UK hunting various graves and monuments. Fair enough but his mode of travel was an ancient hearse! A very quirky book indeed which almost feels as if the reader is sharing his various adventures on his obscure journey. There are interesting snippets/d......more

Quotes

‘An entertaining and strangely cheering read… full of fascinating stories’ – ‘A unique insight into Britain’s landscape’ – , '…utterly compelling – ‘If a younger, more upbeat Bill Bryson was happy to travel Britain while using a hearse as a mobile home, this is the kind of book we’d get.’ – Reader review ‘Who’d have thought a trip in a hearse would be so enjoyable?’ – Reader review ‘A fantastic read for anyone who has loved spending a while looking through old graveyards and soaking up all the history within.’ – Reader review