Travels With My Chicken: A Man And His Companion Take To The Road

by Martin Gurdon

When Martin Gurdon''s previous book, Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance , was published, he and his chicken, Tikka, decided to embark on a one-man, one-bird, whistle-stop tour from the Southeast of England to Edinburgh in Scotland, via a children''s nursery, a home for old soldiers, and numerous women''s institute meetings. This trip was the inspiration behind his latest book, Travels with My Chicken , a delightful story about just how far some authors will go to get their books noticed, and the highs and lows of being out on the road with only a chicken for company.

Gurdon travels from Tunbridge Wells, England, to Aberystwyth, Scotland, promoting his first book by any means possible, including a huge wooden cartoon chicken stuck to the roof of his car. The weeks he spends zinging from one part of the country to another with a chicken in an old cat box soon make him realize that he has another book in the making. Wasn''t it interesting, for example, that all his interviewers asked him virtually the same questions. Would he eat his traveling companion, or any other member of his flock? (No.) Did he eat his chickens after they were dead? (Heck no.) Not only does having a chicken on hand land Gurdon into the world of morning television and radio, but it also introduces him to people he wouldn''t ordinarily talk with, such as a gaggle of bored teenagers in a bookshop, or prison inmates contemplating the literary life. The end result is a hilarious and heartwarming book about people and places as much as it is about chickens.

Genres: Travel

163 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was at the library today and could not pass up this title.

Here is what it says on the back of the book: When Martin Gurdon's previous book, "Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance," was published he and his chicken, Tikka, decided to embark on a one-man, one-bird, whistle-sto tour from the southeast of England to Edinburgh, Scotland...

This started out amusing, by the end it was tedious.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot! Gurdon manages to convey a sympathy and appreciation for his chickens without romanticizing or anthropomorphizing them, and he (and we) learn much more about human nature than poultry as he tells the story of his book tour (promoting his previous book Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance")/

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Gurdon wrote a book called Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance, which I have not read. To publicize that book, he travelled about with one of his chickens, and he wrote this book about those travels. This book won't change your life, but it's quirky and amusing. If you like travel, England, travel in England, and chickens, you'll enjoy Travels with My Chicken.

[Caryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book about an author traveling with a chicken plugging his book about chickens. Humorous read. I wouldn't of picked this book out for myself but it was selected for a short read with my bookclub. It was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

[Seasweetie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gently humorous and made me want to go out and get a chicken of my own.

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read

[Laura Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. I enjoyed this little book.

[Tyler Hartford]

Great fun. No other book like it.

[Keith Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining book about a guy who travels around Great Britain with a chicken promoting his other book about chickens. I'm now reading that one called "Hen and the art of chicken maintenance".

[Kathy Cuthbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Mickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just didn't grab me.