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In the Footsteps of Anne Lister (Volume 1): Travels of a remarkable English gentlewoman in France, Germany and Denmark in 1833
Anne Lister: 19th-century mistress of Shibden Hall, Halifax. Prolific diarist, traveller, adventuress, lesbian. In 1833, she fulfils a long-anticipated trip to Germany and Denmark. She visits landmarks and sights that stand even today and meets celebrated and prominent people who have become immortalised in the annals of history.
Adeline Lim: Traveller, history enthusiast. In 2019, seeking a diversion after her dog’s death, she finds a worthy distraction in Anne’s travels.
Their journeys transect the centuries, transcending the passage of time. Through Anne, Adeline discovers a different facet of Europe, one steeped in historical significance brought to life by Anne’s words. Adeline travels more than 2,000 kilometres, from the celestial plafond of Saint Paulinus in Trier to the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, and across the Fehmarn Belt into Denmark to stand in the shadows of the Rundetårn of Copenhagen.
Adeline then chases the scent of Anne Lister’s trail through Denmark’s islands of Sjælland and Fyn back into Germany where she crosses the Elbe to find herself contemplating the distant North Sea, standing on the old pier of Alte Liebe in Cuxhaven, the very one which has withstood centuries of storms, even that of 1833 which stranded Anne in the harbour. Her journey brings her consolation, ignites in her a passion for Anne’s travels, and engenders a deep respect for the intrepid Anne.
This book contains never before published excerpts of Anne Lister’s diary and letters, spanning June to December 1833, maps of Anne’s journey and an appendix listing all the villages and cities Anne travelled through or visited in France, Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark, including landmarks that the 21st-century traveller can visit today.
Adeline Lim: Traveller, history enthusiast. In 2019, seeking a diversion after her dog’s death, she finds a worthy distraction in Anne’s travels.
Their journeys transect the centuries, transcending the passage of time. Through Anne, Adeline discovers a different facet of Europe, one steeped in historical significance brought to life by Anne’s words. Adeline travels more than 2,000 kilometres, from the celestial plafond of Saint Paulinus in Trier to the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, and across the Fehmarn Belt into Denmark to stand in the shadows of the Rundetårn of Copenhagen.
Adeline then chases the scent of Anne Lister’s trail through Denmark’s islands of Sjælland and Fyn back into Germany where she crosses the Elbe to find herself contemplating the distant North Sea, standing on the old pier of Alte Liebe in Cuxhaven, the very one which has withstood centuries of storms, even that of 1833 which stranded Anne in the harbour. Her journey brings her consolation, ignites in her a passion for Anne’s travels, and engenders a deep respect for the intrepid Anne.
This book contains never before published excerpts of Anne Lister’s diary and letters, spanning June to December 1833, maps of Anne’s journey and an appendix listing all the villages and cities Anne travelled through or visited in France, Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark, including landmarks that the 21st-century traveller can visit today.
- GenresHistory
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2021
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23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 5, 2021
Lovely little book detailing the author’s travels with Anne Lister’s diary as guide. The historical detail is fascinating, and is beautifully written. I take my hat off to Anne Lister - I suspect the challenges of getting from A to B at that time would have been too much for me!
June 29, 2021
First - this book is articulate and well written.
Second - Anne Lister was such a strong and confident woman. I greatly admire how unapologetic she was about her life choices and I am not just referring to her gender or sexual orientation during a highly conservative period of history. It's more that she had a huge passion for life and was determined to live it to the fullest. Absolutely courageous.
Third - Adeline, the author, has much of the same character. I enjoy her voice and admire her self-awareness. I empathize with her grief and am inspired by her courage and determination to do the work to get past it. There were moments in the book that brought me to tears, and also made me laugh out loud - and they were all Adeline moments.
Finally - This book brought Anne Lister's life into focus for me. I read it while also watching the TV series "Gentleman Jack" and I highly recommend doing both. The show helps set the tone for Anne and gives her a voice while the book, narrated through Adeline's voice, makes Anne incredibly relatable in a contemporary setting.
Give it a try, I thought it was a very worthy read.
Second - Anne Lister was such a strong and confident woman. I greatly admire how unapologetic she was about her life choices and I am not just referring to her gender or sexual orientation during a highly conservative period of history. It's more that she had a huge passion for life and was determined to live it to the fullest. Absolutely courageous.
Third - Adeline, the author, has much of the same character. I enjoy her voice and admire her self-awareness. I empathize with her grief and am inspired by her courage and determination to do the work to get past it. There were moments in the book that brought me to tears, and also made me laugh out loud - and they were all Adeline moments.
Finally - This book brought Anne Lister's life into focus for me. I read it while also watching the TV series "Gentleman Jack" and I highly recommend doing both. The show helps set the tone for Anne and gives her a voice while the book, narrated through Adeline's voice, makes Anne incredibly relatable in a contemporary setting.
Give it a try, I thought it was a very worthy read.
February 24, 2021
After Adeline suffers an upsetting personal loss, she decides to distract herself by setting out on a journey along the route that an illustrious English lady who lived in the early nineteenth century travelled on her way from Paris to Copenhagen, and returning home to England in 1833. Adeline knows exactly how to take her readers along, entertaining them with quotes from Anne’s journal, as well as her own observations. I thoroughly recommend!
December 10, 2022
Anne Lister. Adeline Lim. Born two centuries apart, on different sides of the world. But both share the same initials, approximately the same height and weight and both at the same age (42) when they sought a diversion after heartbreak.
The writer weaves a compelling story about Anne Lister's travels with, at times, laugh-out-loud moments. The book is rich with extracts from Anne Lister's diary between June and December 1833. Anne's diaries were recognised in 2011 by UNESCO to be of historical significance and provide an amazing insight into 19th-century life.
I was transported to 19th-century Europe while reading this book, almost as though I could feel every bump on the road, hear every creaky spring, taste the food and drink, feel the strain of muscles while ascending towers and the wind coming through carriage (or car - the author bombs down Germany's autobahns in her supercharged Audi at 220 km/h and collected about 5 speeding tickets in 3 weeks I believe!) windows.
Two things are for sure: I can't wait to travel in Europe in Anne Lister's footsteps and very much looking forward to Volume 2.
The writer weaves a compelling story about Anne Lister's travels with, at times, laugh-out-loud moments. The book is rich with extracts from Anne Lister's diary between June and December 1833. Anne's diaries were recognised in 2011 by UNESCO to be of historical significance and provide an amazing insight into 19th-century life.
I was transported to 19th-century Europe while reading this book, almost as though I could feel every bump on the road, hear every creaky spring, taste the food and drink, feel the strain of muscles while ascending towers and the wind coming through carriage (or car - the author bombs down Germany's autobahns in her supercharged Audi at 220 km/h and collected about 5 speeding tickets in 3 weeks I believe!) windows.
Two things are for sure: I can't wait to travel in Europe in Anne Lister's footsteps and very much looking forward to Volume 2.
February 9, 2023
I cannot recommend this book enough! Anne Lister's travels in 1833 were underrepresented in BBC's TV series, Gentleman Jack, and this book fills that gap perfectly.
To our benefit, the author turned what would have been a dark episode in her life into something positive and noteworthy. Following the death of her dog, Ziggy, Adeline is determined to distract herself from her grief and set herself a punishing schedule of following in Anne Lister's footsteps. She covers what would have been several months of travel in just several weeks.
I first bought this book to learn more about Anne Lister - the book does not disappoint and contains plenty of Anne Lister's diary extracts - but Adeline herself is an eccentric character. She obviously loves her beer and imbues this element throughout her own adventure. She drives fast - very fast. She seems to enjoy collecting speeding tickets. She's competitive - if Anne climbed something or walked somewhere in x minutes, Adeline has to not only beat that but documents it in complete and intricate detail. And once she starts travelling, her sense of humour shines through and there are plenty of chuckles peppered within the pages. Her tenacity in investigating the places Anne mentioned, even to the point of finding out how much a sex worker in Hanover charges is hilarious yet admirable. Then there's that bit about anchovies... Anyone who thinks the history of salted anchovies is worth researching is a researcher worth their salt.
To our benefit, the author turned what would have been a dark episode in her life into something positive and noteworthy. Following the death of her dog, Ziggy, Adeline is determined to distract herself from her grief and set herself a punishing schedule of following in Anne Lister's footsteps. She covers what would have been several months of travel in just several weeks.
I first bought this book to learn more about Anne Lister - the book does not disappoint and contains plenty of Anne Lister's diary extracts - but Adeline herself is an eccentric character. She obviously loves her beer and imbues this element throughout her own adventure. She drives fast - very fast. She seems to enjoy collecting speeding tickets. She's competitive - if Anne climbed something or walked somewhere in x minutes, Adeline has to not only beat that but documents it in complete and intricate detail. And once she starts travelling, her sense of humour shines through and there are plenty of chuckles peppered within the pages. Her tenacity in investigating the places Anne mentioned, even to the point of finding out how much a sex worker in Hanover charges is hilarious yet admirable. Then there's that bit about anchovies... Anyone who thinks the history of salted anchovies is worth researching is a researcher worth their salt.
September 18, 2021
This was an exciting read. I loved the experience of imagining standing in Anne Lister’s footsteps as the author did, and it only made me more excited for our future trip to the UK! I can’t wait to walk in her footsteps as well 🥰
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews