The Key LRC > Recent Status Updates

Can’t believe that I put off reading this book, only to discover that it’s a real classic. By the time you reach the last line on page 1, you already feel at home in the setting, seduced by the writing, intrigued by the characters and lifelong friends with the protagonist’s dog. Put it to the top of your TBR pile ~ it’s a gem!

It’s not often that I decide to give up on a book, especially when it’s by a favourite writer. More like a series of scenes than a compilation on a theme, the writing feels contrived as though the author was responding to a creative writing challenge. The editorial department should have sent it back with an instruction to ‘rework or discard’. Sorry Rachel.

Set aside any preconceptions about the male white gaze abroad and simply savour the writing, enjoy the clarity of these travel accounts (without the writer feeling the need to create incidents as per modern day travel writers - sorry Mr Palin even you are guilty) and reflect on the lost worlds that Waugh experienced.