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Enchanted Islands: A Mediterranean Odyssey – A Memoir of Travels through Love, Grief and Mythology
It started with a boy, of course. Seeking solace from the pain of heartbreak and her father's 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 Odysseus's 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 he's 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.
But her quest to find happiness, safety and the true meaning of home is overshadowed by the deepening illness of her father. Returning as he's 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.
- GenresTravelNonfictionMemoir
261 pages, Hardcover
Published May 2, 2024
10 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
May 5, 2024
Travel writing is tough! It needs to offer a unique journey or perspective, entice the reader with multi-sensory descriptions and provide us with the perfect travelling companion. Few travel writers tick these boxes, but Lj Coffee did all the above and more. This is a beautiful and captivating read, part memoire, part travelogue, utterly human.
Laura is cast adrift by the world in many ways. The pandemic has taken hold and her isolation is compounded by a broken relationship, break in employment and enforced separation from her Father who has cancer. As the world is closing down she seizes the opportunity to escape the rapidly reducing geography of her life and fly to Italy..Inspired by the Odyssey, she tries to follow the path of Odysseus who wandered for 10 years trying to find his way home after the Trojan War. Whilst he seeks home, she avoids hers..
‘Odysseus was emerging as a mirror, my twin, both of us running from horror - Troy for him and heartbreak and unwell father inside a pandemic for me.
I loved this beautiful book 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..I ordered a copy of the author’s recommended translation of The Odyssey within a few pages. I was fascinated by the recreation of a mythological journey and at the unique glimpses of the world during lockdown..It has inspired thoughts of a journey of my own..
I felt a deeply personal connection to the book: some of the places were familar to me. The author’s relationship with her Father reminded me of my own relationship with my Father and I caught little glimpses of him..
‘My father liked maps, the proper, old-fashioned paper ones. He put them in special plastic wallets that he hung around his neck..’
And it reminded me of living with my Mum’s cancer, ‘this sort of endless calibration and recalibration of hope..’ and I thought how powerfully this book has captured that desparate push/pull tension that you experience when someone you love is dying..
Laura is cast adrift by the world in many ways. The pandemic has taken hold and her isolation is compounded by a broken relationship, break in employment and enforced separation from her Father who has cancer. As the world is closing down she seizes the opportunity to escape the rapidly reducing geography of her life and fly to Italy..Inspired by the Odyssey, she tries to follow the path of Odysseus who wandered for 10 years trying to find his way home after the Trojan War. Whilst he seeks home, she avoids hers..
‘Odysseus was emerging as a mirror, my twin, both of us running from horror - Troy for him and heartbreak and unwell father inside a pandemic for me.
I loved this beautiful book 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..I ordered a copy of the author’s recommended translation of The Odyssey within a few pages. I was fascinated by the recreation of a mythological journey and at the unique glimpses of the world during lockdown..It has inspired thoughts of a journey of my own..
I felt a deeply personal connection to the book: some of the places were familar to me. The author’s relationship with her Father reminded me of my own relationship with my Father and I caught little glimpses of him..
‘My father liked maps, the proper, old-fashioned paper ones. He put them in special plastic wallets that he hung around his neck..’
And it reminded me of living with my Mum’s cancer, ‘this sort of endless calibration and recalibration of hope..’ and I thought how powerfully this book has captured that desparate push/pull tension that you experience when someone you love is dying..
October 23, 2024
It felt like her life was unravelling. Coffey had split with her boyfriends, her father had just been diagnosed with cancer and she had decided to quit her job. All this just as the pandemic started. IT was this large amount of free time and the discovery of a translation of the Odyssey by Emily Wilson that opened her eyes to the story and gave her the inkling of an idea.
The urge to travel burned inside her. But this was the time of lockdowns, no international travel and only being allowed out from home to shop and for an hours exercise. It wasn’t going to get to the Mediterranean any time soon…
Later in 202 as the initial wave of infections dropped, the opportunity to travel opened up again. She spoke to her father about her plans and he encouraged her to go. She was finally off to get some sun.
She arrived in Sicily but wasn’t intending to stay there for long. Rather this was to be a six-month journey around the region visiting and staying on the tiny islands that were thought to be the locations mentioned in the Odyssey, the Aeolian Sea, the Adriatic coast and the Balearic islands.
She had managed to secure some freelance work and this as going to give her some security and finance some of the travel costs. It would also give her the means to indulge in the new life she is creating for herself. She swims daily in the cold Mediterranean (it probably isn’t as cold as the North Sea!), enjoying her morning espresso and making the most of her life there.
It gives her time to reflect on what went wrong with her relationship and she speaks regularly to her father as he undergoes treatment. They have always got on well, though it could be strained at times. But the medical care he is getting is not working well and he is not improving. Coffey will have to make a decision on whether she needs to head home to see him and if she will be allowed as international travel is shut down again.
I did like this book a lot, but elements of it made for hard reading. The emotive account of her father’s battle with cancer was particularly tough to read and brought back memories of my experiences. That said the travelogue elements of the book were really good. Coffey has a way of writing that is quite evocative, she captures the moment really well and it made me want to be sitting in the same café enjoying a morning coffee and watching the sea sparkle. The link between the travelling and the Odyssey as she traced the islands was done well too.
So would I recommend this? Yes. It made me want to visit these places and discover them for myself and that I think, is the primary aim of a travel book.
The urge to travel burned inside her. But this was the time of lockdowns, no international travel and only being allowed out from home to shop and for an hours exercise. It wasn’t going to get to the Mediterranean any time soon…
Later in 202 as the initial wave of infections dropped, the opportunity to travel opened up again. She spoke to her father about her plans and he encouraged her to go. She was finally off to get some sun.
She arrived in Sicily but wasn’t intending to stay there for long. Rather this was to be a six-month journey around the region visiting and staying on the tiny islands that were thought to be the locations mentioned in the Odyssey, the Aeolian Sea, the Adriatic coast and the Balearic islands.
She had managed to secure some freelance work and this as going to give her some security and finance some of the travel costs. It would also give her the means to indulge in the new life she is creating for herself. She swims daily in the cold Mediterranean (it probably isn’t as cold as the North Sea!), enjoying her morning espresso and making the most of her life there.
It gives her time to reflect on what went wrong with her relationship and she speaks regularly to her father as he undergoes treatment. They have always got on well, though it could be strained at times. But the medical care he is getting is not working well and he is not improving. Coffey will have to make a decision on whether she needs to head home to see him and if she will be allowed as international travel is shut down again.
I did like this book a lot, but elements of it made for hard reading. The emotive account of her father’s battle with cancer was particularly tough to read and brought back memories of my experiences. That said the travelogue elements of the book were really good. Coffey has a way of writing that is quite evocative, she captures the moment really well and it made me want to be sitting in the same café enjoying a morning coffee and watching the sea sparkle. The link between the travelling and the Odyssey as she traced the islands was done well too.
So would I recommend this? Yes. It made me want to visit these places and discover them for myself and that I think, is the primary aim of a travel book.
July 24, 2024
This was one of those books where I wasn’t sure if it was going to be for me, a journey of self discovery, after splitting up with her boyfriend, Coffey travels to the Mediterranean to try and get her emotions under control, this is not my usual taste in books but the rest of the blurb sounded more like me thing so I gave it a go…turns out the bit of the book I was unsure about became what hooked me big time. Such an emotional book that mercilessly pulls you in, wonderful writing.
There are 3 parts to this book, the first is the real life stuff, dealing with her Dad’s illness and being unable to see him because of COVID restrictions, the second part is a travelogue, exploring the islands, it’s people, culture and history and finally the third part that ties it all together…an exploration of Homer’s Odyssey. The first part was soooo hard to read, chapter 10 was incredibly well done, glimpses of such an emotional time felt almost like poetry itself, and having been through this myself it was almost too much, her words opened up grief I didn’t know I had. The exploration of the islands was quite a unique experience seeing as it happened during COVID times, everywhere she visited was much quieter than normal and it does have an effect on how it is all written up, whilst keeping her distance Coffey was able to get closer to the locals than she probably could have in a normal world. The Odyssey is a book I have actually read in the past, which is a rarity for these sorts of books, I found it interesting hearing somebody else’s interpretations of the story and how Coffey went about trying to locate the islands the book was based on.
This is one hell of an emotional read and a fantastic homage to her father, so glad I gave it a go and it is highly recommend to everybody.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2024...
There are 3 parts to this book, the first is the real life stuff, dealing with her Dad’s illness and being unable to see him because of COVID restrictions, the second part is a travelogue, exploring the islands, it’s people, culture and history and finally the third part that ties it all together…an exploration of Homer’s Odyssey. The first part was soooo hard to read, chapter 10 was incredibly well done, glimpses of such an emotional time felt almost like poetry itself, and having been through this myself it was almost too much, her words opened up grief I didn’t know I had. The exploration of the islands was quite a unique experience seeing as it happened during COVID times, everywhere she visited was much quieter than normal and it does have an effect on how it is all written up, whilst keeping her distance Coffey was able to get closer to the locals than she probably could have in a normal world. The Odyssey is a book I have actually read in the past, which is a rarity for these sorts of books, I found it interesting hearing somebody else’s interpretations of the story and how Coffey went about trying to locate the islands the book was based on.
This is one hell of an emotional read and a fantastic homage to her father, so glad I gave it a go and it is highly recommend to everybody.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2024...
May 5, 2024
Enchanted Islands: Travels Through Myth and Magic, Love and Loss was a captivating read. It is part memoir, part travelogue and part ode to the healing power of nature. It follows Laura Coffey’s travels over a six month period during the pandemic. Escaping London and the heartache of a relationship ending, she leaves on a journey without having a fixed destination or an ending in mind.
Loosely following in the footsteps of Odysseus’s epic travels from The Odyssey, she visits the Mediterranean islands that are thought to be closely linked with the Greek myth. Along the way she meets a collection of wonderful people, some of whom become true friends, as she tries to escape the uncertainty and pain of her father’s illness, as well as trying to find her own place in the world.
I loved Laura’s writing style which really drew me in and led me to share in the emotions that she experiences along the way. It also made me long for the healing cold of the sea, the uplifting sound of birdsong and the feeling of the sun on my skin after a long hike.
This is also a book about grief and the pain and sadness of losing a parent. It brought tears to my eyes as she struggles with the death of her beloved father.
Enchanted Islands is so much more than just a travel book. It’s about love, family, relationships and finding yourself when the path ahead seems hidden. It will make you want to walk barefoot through the grass and embark on your own journey of discovery.
A highly recommended read and as a side note, I also desperately want to read The Odyssey now.
Loosely following in the footsteps of Odysseus’s epic travels from The Odyssey, she visits the Mediterranean islands that are thought to be closely linked with the Greek myth. Along the way she meets a collection of wonderful people, some of whom become true friends, as she tries to escape the uncertainty and pain of her father’s illness, as well as trying to find her own place in the world.
I loved Laura’s writing style which really drew me in and led me to share in the emotions that she experiences along the way. It also made me long for the healing cold of the sea, the uplifting sound of birdsong and the feeling of the sun on my skin after a long hike.
This is also a book about grief and the pain and sadness of losing a parent. It brought tears to my eyes as she struggles with the death of her beloved father.
Enchanted Islands is so much more than just a travel book. It’s about love, family, relationships and finding yourself when the path ahead seems hidden. It will make you want to walk barefoot through the grass and embark on your own journey of discovery.
A highly recommended read and as a side note, I also desperately want to read The Odyssey now.
April 29, 2024
I want to thank Summersdale Books for giving me an eARC of Enchanted Islands - this book was right up my alley and I can't express how grateful I am for this opportunity.
Enchanted Islands was an emotional journey of self discover, a journey through grief, and I was entranced from the first page. Laura picks up Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey, the first edition to be translated by a woman, in an attempt to impress her boyfriend at the time. When lockdown hits, and the truth comes out, Laura is isolated and longing for connection, longing for purpose and something useful to do. We discover that so many of the people she cares deeply for are inaccessible to her without risking their own health, especially her father who is fighting cancer; she describes herself as feeling suffocated.
Laura decides to combat this by following the UK and Italy's travel ordinances and sets off on her own personal Odyssey; to visit all the actual islands that have been researched as potentially the locations that Odysseus visits in The Odyssey.
Each chapter ties somehow back to The Odyssey, to Odysseus, to Emily Wilson's translation of Homer's ancient words. Each chapter starts with a small piece of the translation that ties to what happens in the coming pages, as i read farther into the book, I realized the snippets were giving me a small taste of what I would feel by the end of the chapter, and it was so beautifully done.
Putting her feet down onto these islands that may be tied to mythology somehow and one of the most ancient epics makes this memoir all the more magical. I felt like I was on the islands with Laura, swimming with her in the cold seas of Italy, soaking up every minute she could. Throughout the entire journey, Laura reminds herself and us as the readers of her father in London and his battle with cancer. As I read farther into her journey, I could feel when the climax was coming, and yet I still was not prepared for it and cried as hard as I did when finishing The Song of Achilles.
As someone who does not read nonfiction as frequently as I would like, I cannot give enough praise to Enchanted Islands. Laura's writing style made me feel everything she was feeling, and I never wanted to stop reading. The connections to Emily Wilson's Odyssey unlocked something in my heart that I didn't even know was there and made me consider some things I'd never considered before, like the fact that there may be real islands that The Odyssey involves.
I want to recommend this book to everyone I know. An absolutely incredible read. 5/5 stars, one of the best books I'll read this year.
Enchanted Islands was an emotional journey of self discover, a journey through grief, and I was entranced from the first page. Laura picks up Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey, the first edition to be translated by a woman, in an attempt to impress her boyfriend at the time. When lockdown hits, and the truth comes out, Laura is isolated and longing for connection, longing for purpose and something useful to do. We discover that so many of the people she cares deeply for are inaccessible to her without risking their own health, especially her father who is fighting cancer; she describes herself as feeling suffocated.
Laura decides to combat this by following the UK and Italy's travel ordinances and sets off on her own personal Odyssey; to visit all the actual islands that have been researched as potentially the locations that Odysseus visits in The Odyssey.
Each chapter ties somehow back to The Odyssey, to Odysseus, to Emily Wilson's translation of Homer's ancient words. Each chapter starts with a small piece of the translation that ties to what happens in the coming pages, as i read farther into the book, I realized the snippets were giving me a small taste of what I would feel by the end of the chapter, and it was so beautifully done.
Putting her feet down onto these islands that may be tied to mythology somehow and one of the most ancient epics makes this memoir all the more magical. I felt like I was on the islands with Laura, swimming with her in the cold seas of Italy, soaking up every minute she could. Throughout the entire journey, Laura reminds herself and us as the readers of her father in London and his battle with cancer. As I read farther into her journey, I could feel when the climax was coming, and yet I still was not prepared for it and cried as hard as I did when finishing The Song of Achilles.
As someone who does not read nonfiction as frequently as I would like, I cannot give enough praise to Enchanted Islands. Laura's writing style made me feel everything she was feeling, and I never wanted to stop reading. The connections to Emily Wilson's Odyssey unlocked something in my heart that I didn't even know was there and made me consider some things I'd never considered before, like the fact that there may be real islands that The Odyssey involves.
I want to recommend this book to everyone I know. An absolutely incredible read. 5/5 stars, one of the best books I'll read this year.
June 14, 2025
This made me ugly cry on a flight
June 26, 2024
Slightly more introspective, and a book about self discovery with snippets of travel. Drawing parallelisms to Homer’s Odyssey, Laura Coffey talks of her privilege to travel during the pandemic, but also her conflict and grief from losing someone beloved.
Three things this book made me want to do:
1) explore Sicily and immerse in its culture
2) call my father and my mother everyday for five minutes
3) go back swimming in the sea for as long as I can
Three things this book made me want to do:
1) explore Sicily and immerse in its culture
2) call my father and my mother everyday for five minutes
3) go back swimming in the sea for as long as I can
June 17, 2024
Started this book thinking it wasn’t a bit of me. Finished it wanting to read The Odyssey, travel across islands and spend more time with my father.
August 4, 2024
I kept thinking about The Waves by Virginia Woolf and how the writing in this book felt like it. Like that feeling in your stomach when you're in the ocean and your toes are touching the sand until you're temporarily suspended when a wave comes. Does that make sense? Probably not. But it's how it felt to me. Punctuation is great until it's useless. I loved the wildness of Coffey's writing. It was as if she couldn't contain her thoughts, as if she was bursting and full of words that were punching their way out of her. I particularly loved the Sicily chapters because I too feel an affinity for that island but I could read 20 more chapters about London or Menorca because at some point I was so entranced, utterly enchanted by this book, I couldn't care less where it was set. What a constellation of a book. I kept highlighting sentences because the writing felt so poignant to me and to my life. Incredible doesn't do it justice. Volcanic. To me, it was.
May 21, 2024
I loved this. The author takes you on a wonderful journey, a voyage through the eyes of a disenchanted dreamer as well as an ancient warrior.
I won’t go into the whys and wherefores’ too much, suffice to say the pandemic and all its related angst is at the heart of it. Well, sort of. It also has to do with a broken heart, sadness and helplessness. It has to do with literature and following in the footsteps of a tragic hero (I ordered a copy of this particular translation of The Odyssey within the first few pages, despite having three at home already!).
This book is eloquently written, poignant and simply beautiful. It brings Italian sea breezes to life, evokes the flavour of delectable early morning coffee and makes you feel the wonder and vibrancy of adventure.
It is at once a mythological journey and a voyage charted on an ancient map, one written in the annals of time but brought into the modern world.
I won’t go into the whys and wherefores’ too much, suffice to say the pandemic and all its related angst is at the heart of it. Well, sort of. It also has to do with a broken heart, sadness and helplessness. It has to do with literature and following in the footsteps of a tragic hero (I ordered a copy of this particular translation of The Odyssey within the first few pages, despite having three at home already!).
This book is eloquently written, poignant and simply beautiful. It brings Italian sea breezes to life, evokes the flavour of delectable early morning coffee and makes you feel the wonder and vibrancy of adventure.
It is at once a mythological journey and a voyage charted on an ancient map, one written in the annals of time but brought into the modern world.
April 6, 2025
Gorgeous in every way from cover to narrative.
This is part travel, memoir, Greek studies, Laura's journey before, through and after the pandemic, dealing with love, loss, grief. Her descriptions of the sea made me not only want to travel but mainly just to immerse myself in the sea again. I miss living near the sea SOOOO much, you feel the pull so much more when you move away. Until you've moved away from it you just cannot appreciate the pull in the same way when it's on your doorstep. It's been 10 months since I've been fully in the sea, not that I'm counting or anything 😭😭
The writing about her father's illness and waiting for him to die, the anticipatory grief was extremely moving.
"... I long to swim, to slide into the water, to have something bear my weight..."
I enjoyed the entwining of her journey loosely with Greek myths and I liked the feminist narrative she used.
"For me, it was annoyingly resonant, an insecure goddess worrying about her appearance, getting twisted up by an undeserving man, and doubting herself. "
Overall a lovely read which at times was sad but very very human.
This is part travel, memoir, Greek studies, Laura's journey before, through and after the pandemic, dealing with love, loss, grief. Her descriptions of the sea made me not only want to travel but mainly just to immerse myself in the sea again. I miss living near the sea SOOOO much, you feel the pull so much more when you move away. Until you've moved away from it you just cannot appreciate the pull in the same way when it's on your doorstep. It's been 10 months since I've been fully in the sea, not that I'm counting or anything 😭😭
The writing about her father's illness and waiting for him to die, the anticipatory grief was extremely moving.
"... I long to swim, to slide into the water, to have something bear my weight..."
I enjoyed the entwining of her journey loosely with Greek myths and I liked the feminist narrative she used.
"For me, it was annoyingly resonant, an insecure goddess worrying about her appearance, getting twisted up by an undeserving man, and doubting herself. "
Overall a lovely read which at times was sad but very very human.
May 14, 2024
Enchanted Islands is a Covid-era travelogue and a brief excursion into Greek myths, but ultimately I think it's really about the author's romantic relationship breakdown and her coping with her father's illness and death.
Unfortunately I was much more interested in the travels and the myths, which were a bit lightly covered for my liking. I wasn't really interested in the author's feelings about pandemics, her ex-boyfriend or grief relating to her father and these were the main themes of the book.
Recommended for people interested in relationships, but less so for readers interested in Greek mythology.
Unfortunately I was much more interested in the travels and the myths, which were a bit lightly covered for my liking. I wasn't really interested in the author's feelings about pandemics, her ex-boyfriend or grief relating to her father and these were the main themes of the book.
Recommended for people interested in relationships, but less so for readers interested in Greek mythology.
June 21, 2025
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
I loved this memoir and found it really compelling and well-written. The author has a really deft way with language - she writes very poetically, with the most beautiful and innovative ways of describing the nature around her, the sea, her sensations when swimming. Her descriptions of loneliness, grief and depression are so evocative and powerful - she somehow brings them to life very simply, without being overdone or hyperbolic. Her feelings are tangible, and the characters she describes are three dimensional and full of personality. She is lyrical and poetic without it dragging down the text and becoming bogged down in description and frilliness - it is light and moves along at pace.
I have read a lot of similar memoirs (similar in that they depict someone in the city becoming disillusioned with their life, going on a journey, finding joy in swimming and a more rural life). The fact this author found new and unique ways to bring to life things I have seen described a million times by other authors - sunsets, waves, flora - is testament to her skill.
There are several key strands in the book - 1) the journey and descriptions of places 2) reflections on her relationship with her father 3) her state of mind and 4) the myth of the Odyssey and its interpretations. The latter provides a really unique framework for her journey and I enjoyed her unique and chatty (but well researched and thoughtful) reflections on the myth and others’ analyses of it. Overall she strikes a good balance between all of these strands, never getting too bogged down in any one, and binding them together thoughtfully.
My one reflection is that the ex boyfriend at the start sounded insufferable and wasn’t even really needed for the plot. I’m sure he was a catalyst for her sadness at the start (though I can’t think why - he sounded an absolute bellend, and had zero redeeming features) and covid isolation/her father’s illness would have been enough of a catalyst for the journey. He didn’t really add anything to the story. Narratively he seemed unnecessary and everytime the text harked back to him, it was the one time I found myself losing sympathy with the author and eyerolling.
A great read though, and one I would definitely recommend to others (and I already have!). And she actually made me want to read the Odyssey (at least Emily Wilson’s version of it!).
I loved this memoir and found it really compelling and well-written. The author has a really deft way with language - she writes very poetically, with the most beautiful and innovative ways of describing the nature around her, the sea, her sensations when swimming. Her descriptions of loneliness, grief and depression are so evocative and powerful - she somehow brings them to life very simply, without being overdone or hyperbolic. Her feelings are tangible, and the characters she describes are three dimensional and full of personality. She is lyrical and poetic without it dragging down the text and becoming bogged down in description and frilliness - it is light and moves along at pace.
I have read a lot of similar memoirs (similar in that they depict someone in the city becoming disillusioned with their life, going on a journey, finding joy in swimming and a more rural life). The fact this author found new and unique ways to bring to life things I have seen described a million times by other authors - sunsets, waves, flora - is testament to her skill.
There are several key strands in the book - 1) the journey and descriptions of places 2) reflections on her relationship with her father 3) her state of mind and 4) the myth of the Odyssey and its interpretations. The latter provides a really unique framework for her journey and I enjoyed her unique and chatty (but well researched and thoughtful) reflections on the myth and others’ analyses of it. Overall she strikes a good balance between all of these strands, never getting too bogged down in any one, and binding them together thoughtfully.
My one reflection is that the ex boyfriend at the start sounded insufferable and wasn’t even really needed for the plot. I’m sure he was a catalyst for her sadness at the start (though I can’t think why - he sounded an absolute bellend, and had zero redeeming features) and covid isolation/her father’s illness would have been enough of a catalyst for the journey. He didn’t really add anything to the story. Narratively he seemed unnecessary and everytime the text harked back to him, it was the one time I found myself losing sympathy with the author and eyerolling.
A great read though, and one I would definitely recommend to others (and I already have!). And she actually made me want to read the Odyssey (at least Emily Wilson’s version of it!).
May 27, 2024
I received a copy of this book from the publisher Summersdale Books in exchange for an honest review.
Enchanted Islands was so much more than I expected! It was an insightful, reflective and thought provoking read and one that delivered so much more than the blurb promised. I loved it!
The isolation of the Covid lockdown, a broken relationship and enforced distancing from her ailing father combine to catalyse Laura Coffey's seizing the opportunity of a travel window and heading to Italy. Partially inspired by a recently found fascination with Homer's Odyssey, Laura's travels lead her to reflect on Odysseus' journey as a mirror to her own. Travelling through the Mediterranean, she takes the reader along on a voyage of reflection - assessing personal passions and motivations; family relationships, romances and friendships. While Laura's journey seems to be almost an avoidance of the physical journey home, it is more of an internal journey back to "herself" after a period of heartbreak and in the face of impending grief.
I loved the descriptions of the different islands and how she captured each one's unique atmosphere. The accounts of her swimming, cycling and walking and the characters she met along the way, perfectly punctuated the flow of her travels. I could almost feel myself there in each place alongside her.
The honest depiction of family dynamics and her relationship with her father was so touching. The powerlessness of knowing a loved one is deteriorating and the loss of their spirit, often before their body was so well captured.
To call this book a travelogue is to do it an injustice - it's part memoir, part travel writing, part self-help, part examination of loss and completely enchanting. Highly recommend!
Enchanted Islands was so much more than I expected! It was an insightful, reflective and thought provoking read and one that delivered so much more than the blurb promised. I loved it!
The isolation of the Covid lockdown, a broken relationship and enforced distancing from her ailing father combine to catalyse Laura Coffey's seizing the opportunity of a travel window and heading to Italy. Partially inspired by a recently found fascination with Homer's Odyssey, Laura's travels lead her to reflect on Odysseus' journey as a mirror to her own. Travelling through the Mediterranean, she takes the reader along on a voyage of reflection - assessing personal passions and motivations; family relationships, romances and friendships. While Laura's journey seems to be almost an avoidance of the physical journey home, it is more of an internal journey back to "herself" after a period of heartbreak and in the face of impending grief.
I loved the descriptions of the different islands and how she captured each one's unique atmosphere. The accounts of her swimming, cycling and walking and the characters she met along the way, perfectly punctuated the flow of her travels. I could almost feel myself there in each place alongside her.
The honest depiction of family dynamics and her relationship with her father was so touching. The powerlessness of knowing a loved one is deteriorating and the loss of their spirit, often before their body was so well captured.
To call this book a travelogue is to do it an injustice - it's part memoir, part travel writing, part self-help, part examination of loss and completely enchanting. Highly recommend!
December 2, 2025
This is a fascinating and beautifully written book, but very hard to categorise. It's not really a travel book, and definitely not a study of which islands Odysseus might have visited (she rightly makes the point that it's not possible to come to any conclusions). But still, why should Ithaca be Marettimo, west of Sicily, rather than the actual Ithaca, south of Corfu? Because that's where she happened to be, basically. She wanted to go to Mljet, possibly Calypso's island, but weather didn't allow her to go further than Korčula so she wrote about that instead. Her coverage of Sicily is reduced to Cefalù, because that's where she happened to stop (me too, because of the church, and because it's on the north-coast railway).
More than anything it's a chronicle of Covid and heartbreak (I thought I'd had enough of books by women coming to terms with losing their fathers, but this one absolutely passes the test.) There's quite a lot of ritualistic feminism, fine except when she tells us how Orion was killed by Artemis and Iasion by Zeus, and then claims it's a man's world - eh?
Whatever you call it, the book shows high intelligence and is always very readable.
More than anything it's a chronicle of Covid and heartbreak (I thought I'd had enough of books by women coming to terms with losing their fathers, but this one absolutely passes the test.) There's quite a lot of ritualistic feminism, fine except when she tells us how Orion was killed by Artemis and Iasion by Zeus, and then claims it's a man's world - eh?
Whatever you call it, the book shows high intelligence and is always very readable.
May 12, 2024
‘Enchanting’ is definitely the word.
Coffey‘s work is a triumph. A devastating, witty, captivating memoir/travelogue set in the wake of personal grief and the 2020 pandemic.
After setting off on what was initially meant to be a short restorative break in Sicily, Coffey instead found herself on her own six-month odyssey, traversing the diverse islands of the Mediterranean that have been thought to be the setting of Odysseus’ wanderings before he reached Ithaca.
Foregrounded against the backdrop of Emily Wilson’s glorious Odyssey translation, Coffey explores the mythology of the islands she discovers, and shows us the magic these places still hold. Her narrative skill is simply glorious - I raced through this book in a single day, and I’m still convinced I can taste the salty sea air and the sugary, sharp espressos.
The work is bittersweet. Coffey has offered us an intimate and poignant portrayal of her relationship with her father and his end of life experience, which is a heartbreaking privilege to read. There are no words that do justice to this story, other than to offer thanks to Coffey for sharing her grief, and for making something so beautiful out of it.
Coffey‘s work is a triumph. A devastating, witty, captivating memoir/travelogue set in the wake of personal grief and the 2020 pandemic.
After setting off on what was initially meant to be a short restorative break in Sicily, Coffey instead found herself on her own six-month odyssey, traversing the diverse islands of the Mediterranean that have been thought to be the setting of Odysseus’ wanderings before he reached Ithaca.
Foregrounded against the backdrop of Emily Wilson’s glorious Odyssey translation, Coffey explores the mythology of the islands she discovers, and shows us the magic these places still hold. Her narrative skill is simply glorious - I raced through this book in a single day, and I’m still convinced I can taste the salty sea air and the sugary, sharp espressos.
The work is bittersweet. Coffey has offered us an intimate and poignant portrayal of her relationship with her father and his end of life experience, which is a heartbreaking privilege to read. There are no words that do justice to this story, other than to offer thanks to Coffey for sharing her grief, and for making something so beautiful out of it.
May 4, 2024
I was drawn to this book as a result of Stephen Fry's very positive recommendation and based on my love of his Mythos book. As with most things from Steven Fry he was completely correct. This is a fantastically engaging, open and honest book that explores the Greek islands, the ancient mythology and the authors impending grief weaved together with some delightfully precise but beautiful writing.
I only got the book a few days ago but finished it way quicker that I normally get through books.
I have read a couple of the author's newspaper articles, which were good but this is a serious step up in quality and ability to engage the reader.
I highly recommend this and I can't wait to see what next from the author.
I only got the book a few days ago but finished it way quicker that I normally get through books.
I have read a couple of the author's newspaper articles, which were good but this is a serious step up in quality and ability to engage the reader.
I highly recommend this and I can't wait to see what next from the author.
June 8, 2024
𝔼𝕟𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕤
By Laura Coffey @l_j_coffey
Laura has come to the end of a relationship, and the 2020 lock down looms, Laura is a mover and adventurer, so she decides to Island hop to help her emotional, physical, and mental state! Her quest is to map the real-life islands that inspired the wanderings of Homers epic hero. Odysseus.
This is a journey of love, loss, and Greek myth.
Lock down affected us all in very different ways, so much loss and trauma and times of not knowing what the future held! We all dealt with that time in ways we could individually cope with, and Laura followed the restrictions of each country/island she travelled to at the time!
I particularly enjoyed the chapter about the birds! 🐦
An interesting journey of heartache and self-discovery!
By Laura Coffey @l_j_coffey
Laura has come to the end of a relationship, and the 2020 lock down looms, Laura is a mover and adventurer, so she decides to Island hop to help her emotional, physical, and mental state! Her quest is to map the real-life islands that inspired the wanderings of Homers epic hero. Odysseus.
This is a journey of love, loss, and Greek myth.
Lock down affected us all in very different ways, so much loss and trauma and times of not knowing what the future held! We all dealt with that time in ways we could individually cope with, and Laura followed the restrictions of each country/island she travelled to at the time!
I particularly enjoyed the chapter about the birds! 🐦
An interesting journey of heartache and self-discovery!
December 13, 2025
I loved the Greek mythology woven throughout, I read Odysseus many years ago and this bought back the story, with themes of longing and returning 'home'.
I loved the reoccurring motif of 'wind', not only signalling which direction the jellyfish (Medusa) will be swimming, but bringing to life the presence of Aeolus (The Greek god of the winds).
I was curious if she felt any attraction to the people she met on the Islands. I know this trip came after a break up, but there was no mention of any sexual interest towards anyone. Loneliness was examined, disappointment and grief... and maybe the mention of romance was a cliche I expected from a story about a woman travelling solo, maybe not mentioning it was deliberate?
I loved the reoccurring motif of 'wind', not only signalling which direction the jellyfish (Medusa) will be swimming, but bringing to life the presence of Aeolus (The Greek god of the winds).
I was curious if she felt any attraction to the people she met on the Islands. I know this trip came after a break up, but there was no mention of any sexual interest towards anyone. Loneliness was examined, disappointment and grief... and maybe the mention of romance was a cliche I expected from a story about a woman travelling solo, maybe not mentioning it was deliberate?
May 6, 2024
Enchanted Islands is, indeed, an enchanting memoir — as charming as it is profoundly moving.
Laura Coffey’s laywoman approach to the Odyssey is wonderful — often there’s this idea that classic texts are inaccessible or that you need to have studied loads to appreciate them, and although you can certainly sense Laura’s fascination and deep engagement with the text (via Emily Wilson’s translation), there is a wonderful lack of gatekeeping around it.
I��ve always wanted to see the Mediterranean and though I haven’t yet, Enchanted Islands has only made me want to visit it more! Each chapter totally immersed me in what made each island special and unique, sketching out the people and cultural nuances that set each place apart. And I can’t mention the chapters without shouting out the beautiful illustrations that accompanied each chapter.
Enchanted Islands, of course, is as much a memoir on a specific type of grief as it is on travel. I can’t put into words how meaningful it is to see the drawn-out devastation of witnessing a loved one’s illness and death from afar — I lost my grandfather during lockdown to metastatic cancer, and Laura’s recollection of losing her father to the same while navigating the Covid-19 pandemic made me feel so accompanied in processing that grief.
Enchanted Islands is out now in all the good bookshops 🩵 I was sent my copy in an amazing gift pack from @summersdalebooks thanks to the amazing Emma @thegirlofinkandpaper 🥰 who I got to meet at Laura’s launch last week!
Laura Coffey’s laywoman approach to the Odyssey is wonderful — often there’s this idea that classic texts are inaccessible or that you need to have studied loads to appreciate them, and although you can certainly sense Laura’s fascination and deep engagement with the text (via Emily Wilson’s translation), there is a wonderful lack of gatekeeping around it.
I��ve always wanted to see the Mediterranean and though I haven’t yet, Enchanted Islands has only made me want to visit it more! Each chapter totally immersed me in what made each island special and unique, sketching out the people and cultural nuances that set each place apart. And I can’t mention the chapters without shouting out the beautiful illustrations that accompanied each chapter.
Enchanted Islands, of course, is as much a memoir on a specific type of grief as it is on travel. I can’t put into words how meaningful it is to see the drawn-out devastation of witnessing a loved one’s illness and death from afar — I lost my grandfather during lockdown to metastatic cancer, and Laura’s recollection of losing her father to the same while navigating the Covid-19 pandemic made me feel so accompanied in processing that grief.
Enchanted Islands is out now in all the good bookshops 🩵 I was sent my copy in an amazing gift pack from @summersdalebooks thanks to the amazing Emma @thegirlofinkandpaper 🥰 who I got to meet at Laura’s launch last week!
May 3, 2024
Enchanted Islands is a moving story bringing in bits of Greek mythology to travel alongside the author on her journey. Exploring these gorgeous islands and trying to make sense of love, life and personal loss we are on this voyage with Laura and it’s magical.
Reading this book makes me want to travel and hear more musings from Laura Coffey about life, Alger epic sense of adventure (cold water swimming! Meeting fascinating people) mythology, history and views on living a fulfilling life.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough, 10/10 and I only wish there were more books by this author to follow.
Reading this book makes me want to travel and hear more musings from Laura Coffey about life, Alger epic sense of adventure (cold water swimming! Meeting fascinating people) mythology, history and views on living a fulfilling life.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough, 10/10 and I only wish there were more books by this author to follow.
May 6, 2024
This is travel writing of the highest order — because it’s so much more than just a travel book. It’s funny, at times deeply moving (reader, I wept), wonderfully-written and delightfully informative, weaving together sensuous descriptions of place with reflections on myth and legend, exile and separation, disconnection and dislocation, grief and joy. As the author travels round Mediterranean islands traditionally associated with Odysseus, her much-loved father is dying back in England and she cannot be with him thanks to Covid. It reminded me of Helen Macdonald’s wonderful H is for Hawk. Buy it.
July 29, 2024
Laura has a lot on her shoulders and to try and cope with everything that is going on she decides to embark on a solo journey to help her find herself again. I assumed this would be a travel journal type of story but it is so much more than that. The descriptions of the places sound wonderful but it really feels as though you are on that journey with Laura. Everything that Laura has been through and going through there are people out there that will be able to relate to what she is going through. It is a story that you can switch off from the outside world and focus your attention to Laura and her life. I would recommend reading this great book.
April 10, 2025
This was agonising. First time ever DNFing a book at 95%. It took me forever to get through what I did.
From her clumsy comparisons and integrations Homers “The Odyssey”, to the selfishness of how everything was a personal affront, including her father’s death. How can someone be that clueless when her father proclaims before she goes anywhere that he’s stage 4 cancer and still trots off because she broke up with her boyfriend during a pandemic….umm self-obsessed anyone?!?!
While this was supposed to be non-fiction, the embellishment of her being in the right place to meet that exact right person no matter what location is just ridiculous and unbelievable.
I do not recommend.
From her clumsy comparisons and integrations Homers “The Odyssey”, to the selfishness of how everything was a personal affront, including her father’s death. How can someone be that clueless when her father proclaims before she goes anywhere that he’s stage 4 cancer and still trots off because she broke up with her boyfriend during a pandemic….umm self-obsessed anyone?!?!
While this was supposed to be non-fiction, the embellishment of her being in the right place to meet that exact right person no matter what location is just ridiculous and unbelievable.
I do not recommend.
June 7, 2025
Not what I was expecting. I thought there would be more about Odysseus and his travels but this was tied in with the author’s travels , covid and her dying father ( and ultimately his death) . As a result I don’t think I was in the right mood for this. Having said that .. there is some beautiful descriptive writing In particular when she spends time with an ornithologist catching and tagging the birds of Menorca and also her father’s dying. The description of his death was more specific and detailed than anything I have read before, it was also very moving. To me this was the essence of the book which rather overshadowed anything about the Odyssey.
August 16, 2025
This is a wonderful book. I was fortunate to hear Laura speaking at UCL this summer. She gave an inspiring lecture at the Summer School on Homer. In person and in words Laura conveys a warmth and honesty which is compelling. At times I felt that I was inside her head and she succeeded in transporting me to the various islands she visited. Its fair to say that this book is as much about relationships and grief as it is about Odysseus - as such it represents a personal Odyssey and a journey home that will remain with me for a long time. It is funny, sad, raw and warm - complicated and honest. A great book and a great talent.
May 3, 2024
This book is a beautifully written delight. Laura Coffey describes her experiences travelling through various Meditteranean islands in the aftermath of a break up, putting distance between her and the Covid lockdowns and family illness at home. She has a fantastic eye for detail and all of the places she visits and the people she meets are brought vividly to life. It's a compelling account of an almost unreal time, as she reflects on the mythological history of the area and the deep sadness caused by her father's illness with unflinching honesty. You won't be able to put it down.
April 26, 2025
If you haven’t read this book yet, please buy it and take it with you to your summer break, immerse yourself in a beautiful universe of mythology, reality and dreams.
I got this book as a gift from my partner during our trip to Greece last year. love the article. Laura is the best writer I had the chance to read last year. Laura filled my heart with love and passion for discovery while making me feel I wasn’t alone on my grieving process (my mom passed away recently). I wish you can find so much joy, love and creativity on this book, as well as compassion and caring about others, as I did.
I got this book as a gift from my partner during our trip to Greece last year. love the article. Laura is the best writer I had the chance to read last year. Laura filled my heart with love and passion for discovery while making me feel I wasn’t alone on my grieving process (my mom passed away recently). I wish you can find so much joy, love and creativity on this book, as well as compassion and caring about others, as I did.
December 19, 2025
Enchanted Islands is a beautifully written, soul-stirring journey that lingers long after the final page.
The author weaves love, grief, and mythology into a luminous Mediterranean tapestry rich with emotion and insight.
I could relate overwhelmingly, having healed myself while living in the Galápagos for two years—an archipelago also known as the Enchanted Islands.
That shared sense of isolation, magic, and transformation made the memoir feel deeply personal.
A haunting, uplifting book that captures how islands can quietly restore the soul.
The author weaves love, grief, and mythology into a luminous Mediterranean tapestry rich with emotion and insight.
I could relate overwhelmingly, having healed myself while living in the Galápagos for two years—an archipelago also known as the Enchanted Islands.
That shared sense of isolation, magic, and transformation made the memoir feel deeply personal.
A haunting, uplifting book that captures how islands can quietly restore the soul.
July 14, 2025
I was surprised to see that this book has almost no reviews, since it is a jam. I’m embarrased to say i bought it because i loved the cover, but it was the best decision ever. At first, i thought it would be a love story, but it was so much more. The story intertwines with myths in a wonderful way and it’s a so much more than a traveller’s journal. It’s an Xray of the author’s soul, such a sincere story. I absolutely loved it, I cried my eyes out, but I would recommend this book to anyone!
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