Running with Pirates: On freedom, adventure, and fathers and sons

by Kári Gíslason

At the age of eighteen, Ká ri Gí slason arrives on the island of Corfu after a life-altering encounter with his father in Iceland. Looking for adventure, he decides to stay after meeting ' the Pirate' , a mysterious Greek stranger who offers him work – only to find himself eventually fleeing the island, leaving behind a debt he promises to repay. Three decades later, as a father of two teenage sons, he returns to Corfu with his family. As he revisits his memories of the island, he begins to understand that this place has shaped the adult he has become, and that the inevitable letting go of his own children lies ahead. Full of the colour and vitality of the Greek islands, Running with Pirates traverses the joys and challenges of parenthood, the fearlessness of youth, the debts of our past, and the stories we tell ourselves and our children.

Genres: Greece, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 30, 2024

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and thoughtful look at the father/son relationship. It's about having a father (or not), being a father, and also about father figures. The author has written on this topic multiple times so for some readers it might be the framing of this memoir that draws them in, as it did me. As a broke 18yo Gislason spent some time on Corfu, under the wing of The Pirate. When the situation started to get difficult, he did a runner owing the older man $80. Many years later he returned to the island to attempt to pay his debt. It's a great story that transported me to Corfu for a couple of days.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy going read and found it interesting

[Katische Haberfield]

This book felt different to Kari's previous books. I think, that with this book, he has finally come to peace with his journey to find his father, have a father-like figure in his life, and be a father. It feels very peaceful and I think I would like to listen to it as an audiobook when it comes out because, when I hear an Author read their own book, you get a deeper insight into the significance of the words, the moments and the importance people and places have in their life.

So I will refrain from rating until the audiobook comes out.

[Paulibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A summer in Corfu when 18 is the backdrop of Gíslason’s memoir about the kindness of strangers, father figures….and a pirate who exhibits both un-pirate-y traits. Told in three time zones completely simple to follow, we inhale his thoughts looking back to 1990, 2014 and 2022. Now with two strapping sons himself, Gíslason ruminates on what fatherhood means, how it affects how your life turns out, and how you need to loosen some reins, and tighten others. Evocatively described - particularly the Corfiot scenes - you are either riding or walking down dusty rural lanes, through olive groves and past tavernas, miles from anywhere under azure skies. Stunning.

[Joanne Sweeney · Rating 2 out of 5]

After hearing the author interviewed on radio about this book, I was looking forward to reading it. When I finally did I realised it's really two books - one about his time spent on Corfu as a teenage traveller & his encounters with the Pirate & another about a return to the island with his wife & two sons set in a contemporary landscape. And how I wish I could have just read the first book & not the latter. I found myself wanting to skip over the chapters that told the modern day story that was full of tedious hand wringing about parenting, letting go of children as they grow up etc etc. So I guess I can say I enjoyed one half of the book but not the other.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm by the fire yarn that takes the journey of youth and links to the author’s son’s similar life stage. The colour provided by the Pirate gives the back drop, and life’s closure that the yarn provides is kind and absorbing. The novel has a presumption of prior knowledge of his live child status that gives further depth for his 18 year old’s predicament, and this omission may provide the missing context for what is a wonderful read.

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read biography; Kari talks about a particular time as a young man when he worked on the island of Corfu, and then taking his older sons back years later. A great biography for any men who aren't keen readers!!

Read by Suzie

[Pip Snort · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and reflective. A reminder to consider who we were, who we are and who we will be.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nostalgic travel tale. The sort of backpacker story you would have told in a hostel, but reminiscing years later in a mid life crisis.

[Diane Hewson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good writer. Lovely book about growing up, reflection and family