Dull and predictable

This book was utter rubbish. The author is self indulgent and self-involved, and the book has a very sadly predictable ending. Before buying, I had read many great reviews about this book (not just on amazon) so was very disappointed. The 'eat' part was OK, although the first half was mostly moaning about her divorce and love life. The 'pray' part was very very religious or 'spiritual' as some may prefer to say, and I found it a bit heavy going for someone who is not into religion, like myself. When she finally gets it together in the 'love' part, I could not believe it was for another romance. I felt a bit annoyed that she had come 'all that way' just to have her destiny be a man. I should have believed the bad reviews on here.

Join this journey!

A magical tour of Britain, like no other.Places you thought you knew and others where you would not dare to venture,Beautifully written(no pretentious ramblings,unlike some others!)you are drawn onto this eccentric journey with a very human companion.Informative,funny,often poetic,a Great Read.<br />Does Roger Deakin cross the Wash or brave the raging whirlpool?You must travel with him to find out!I look forward to reading all his other books.

Inspired

It's not just the info, it's the idea! A great one, wish I had the time and resources to try them all....this book has inspired me to attempt as many as possible.

Je T'aime a la Folie

I found this book after seeing a piece in the Daily Mail, I bought it and its predecessor(C'est la Folie). Its excellent in every way, well written, interesting and has a great deal of humour and some sadness (if you like animals) in it. I particularly liked his observations of living in France.( I was in France yesterday, and its amazing the difference you get if you use French, however poor it may be. (mine is OKish!!) , The authors observations about Brits who live in France who never bother to learn a word of the language is just so true) I won't spoil the book, but I recommend both, you need to read the other book first, but once you have opened it, you won't want to put it down,<br /><br />*Don't forget to buy C'est la Folie and read it FIRST!

perfect

A lovely book to give as a present to find your local hidden spots for swimming. Bought for my husband as a present and he has put it to good use.

Great for tourists

This is a great map for tourists. Not up to OS standards but enough detail for most.

Atlas

Very good even though I always seem to stay on the edge of a page

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE AVERAGE

Icons of England has over ninety contributors all with their own Icon of England so therefore with this eclectic book you are going to get a mix of good,bad and average short bite-sized essays.<br /> Its a shame this paperback was not accompanied with good colourful pictures to introduce each story as this would have brightened the book up somewhat. The stories inside range from childhood memories to the weather. A nostalgic book with social commentators putting their spin on what is special to them about our countryside. This is a three star for me as out of the ninety-odd essays only about ten stood out to me to be very good ,as I said earlier the rest are ok or not very good. Worth a read as its easy to dip in and out of for a light read.<br /> Here are my ten favourites in no particular order; Time to stand and stare(Lands end) ;Through the lychgate (graveyards); Older than England(Green Man); The road taken(On holloways); Fair play (On sports fields); Whatever the weather(On clouds); The light of day(On light and shade); Poetry in motion(On mist); The dawn chorus(On birdsong); Beautiful evenings(On village cricket)

Brilliant Read

This book is a brilliant and fascinating read into the goings on in a Bolivian prison. I was reccommended this by my brother who had managed to visit the prison, and as i was travelling to La Paz i wanted to learn more about the way in which this incredible prison ran. <br /><br />The content is incredible, stories captivating and i could really imagine what it was like. I passed it onto a friend and she too couldnt put it down. <br /><br />Whether or not u plan on standing outside the gates and wondering what is going on inside the prison (as cant get in now thanks to some idiot on utube) its a gripping and incredible read. Go for it!

Great but lacking in places

I have used Lonely Planet guides for years and have always found them a sound base on which to build a trip. However they are not always as well researched or as accurate as you think they are. On a recent rip to India the guide said a local temple was off limits to non-Hindu's, so we didn't plan to visit it, as much as we wanted too. We later spoke to a local man who said that we could go in with no problem, which we did, and had a fantastic experience. This change was not a recent development, so it just confirmed what is common sense really: any guide is just that, a guide. Always check things out yourself. <br />Some of the hotel and restaurant descriptions are limited or inaccurate, but again, these are guides. They can't research every hotel or eatery, and the wealth of information contained in these books makes them an absolute must for all but the most experienced traveller. A great guide to build the foundation of your trip, and really does give a sense of security when in strange places, but don't be afraid to go beyond it's recommendations regularly : )<br /><br />Overall, highly recommended, and still the only guide I'd use, or that I ever see in the hands of other travellers.

Delivered too late

Really good and easy to use. Problem is it arrived to late for us to take to France!<br />A note was put through my door by Home delivery service, I was actually in the house when he did this, he must have been quiet as even my dogs didn't bark! Then they couldn't re-deliver for 2 days, then they had a problem with their scanner and the book arrived 20 mins after my husband set off for France. Won't buy books any more from a seller who uses Home Delivery Company!

Implausible

I am shocked to see so many five star ratings for this book. I thought it is an average book at best, some of the 5 star reviews seem to suggest that the Country has found another Shakespeare/Pinter/Plater/Bennett.<br /><br />The problems I have the book is the implausibility of it all. I can accept a couple of `disasters' happening to the family over the years but on every holiday? If the book had been marketed as comedy fiction I could have accepted the events as funny, but after a while I just started to question whether they actually happened as described - if they did the author and her family must have broken many mirrors over the years.<br /><br />I have two other issues. The first is how the conversations are remembered word perfect - 30 plus years later. No one has that great a memory. You can argue that it is the writer's method of telling the story but it doesn't sit right - and neither does the way she calls her parents by their first names, rather than Mum and Dad. Again, it just doesn't gel for me.

Fantastic book who knew these things existed?

Great book - great for Londoners who have lived here and want to explore more. A great present too!

A fantastic guide from a fantastic guide

This is the fifth Wainwright guide I have bought and look forward to using it to do the Coast to Coast walk next year. I have full confidence in these guides as I have used them before.

excellent guide

This is a really interesting and comprehensive guide to Morocco. It covers all the major towns and sights, with mostly up to date details. I spent 7 weeks in Casablanca and found it indispensible for discovering what sights, shops and cafes/restaurants were around. I also used it for accommodation and info. on Marrakesh, Rabat, Fez and El-Jadida. The only problems were that the maps are OK but not 100% accurate, though they are better than google maps, and maps are generally quite hard to get hold of, even in Morocco. Also, the codes need updating before the telephone numbers. I would definitely use this book if travelling to Morocco again.

fantastic book

no stone is unturned throughout this book. History, area's of interest, maps for places. Recommendations of places to stay this is truly a brilliant book. The ability to include a bit of everything to allow the reader to pick what they visit and where they go. Fantastic.

Disappointing ...

Generally, I like Dara's humour on TV and I hoped to see this style reflected in his book. Instead, I got a rambling journey around the UK and a lot of fairly dodgy history. I didn't think the book had a real identity and, for me, it exemplifies the difference between comic and author.

Very informative

Found the book excellent. Very easy reading, informative and really easy to use - a credit to the authors

informative and chucklesome

Those that know Dixe Wills travel writing from the Guardian will know that he writes with flair and subtle humour while ensuring you get the facts. This book is no exception and is a must for every discerning camper who hates large, faceless, municipal sites.

lonely planet italy

got this to travel from ireland to naples, down to sorrento, over to toarmina in sicily and fly home to ireland from trapani in sicily. in general it was very helpful, however, italy is quite a large country, so i found the detail on each place we visited was pretty limited. the mini maps and information on transport (what type there is and where it's located) was the best thing from this book, that alone was worth the price of the book i felt. the food and entertainment information could have been better. especially what to do on a night out.