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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
The predominant appeal of this book by far are the illustrations. They are gorgeous and unique. Sarah Baxter brings twenty-five well known literary settings to life. Each offering the reader both a visually pleasing and informative experience. I would love to own this one as a coffee-table book!
Paris, Les Misérables
Dublin, Ulysses
Florence, A Room with a View
Naples, My Brilliant Friend
Berlin, Berlin Alexanderplatz
Nordland, Growth of the Soil
St Petersburg, Crime and Punishment
Sierra de Guadarrama, For Whom the Bell Tolls
La Mancha, Don Quixote
Davos, The Magic Mountain
Bath, Northanger Abbey & Persuasion
London, Oliver Twist
Soweto, Burger’s Daughter
Kerala, The God of Small Things
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), The Quiet American
Kabul, The Kite Runner
Hanging Rock, Picnic at Hanging Rock
New York, The Catcher in the Rye
Monterey, Cannery Row
Mississippi River, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Monroeville, To Kill a Mockingbird
Cartagena, Love in the Time of Cholera
Chile, The House of the Spirits
Yorkshire Moors, Wuthering Heights
Cairo, Palace Walk
Beautiful illustrations in this book. A book about books and a travel guide for bibliophiles. Makes you want to travel to the places described within. I am hoping Sarah will write more books like this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sophie’s next book was Literary Places by Sarah Baxter, a look at the real world locations that inspired and became integral parts of many classic novels. Each short chapter explores a given location and novel, tying real locations to fictional events or looking at the real buildings that inspired fictional variations.
Literary Places travels all over the world, from New York to Cairo, the Yorkshire Moors to Kabul, London to the Australian Outback. Each of the novels selected is intrinsically linked to its location and could not be transplanted elsewhere. Ulysses could not take place outside of turn-of-the-20th-Century Dublin, nor could Les Miserables take place outside 19th Century Paris, or To Kill a Mockingbird outside the American south in the 1930s.
In the book, Baxter gives a brief overview of the novels she is discussing, then takes us on a short tour of the places that inspired it, pointing out landmarks that can be visited should you wish to take a pilgrimage. This is interspersed with illustrations by Amy Grimes whose bright and bold style helps capture the feel of these varied places. Sophie felt these descriptions were a little short and vague at times, often surprising her by their abrupt endings. This is very much a picture postcard look at these places, not a detailed essay.
Because Literary Places focuses heavily on the so-called Western Canon, the authors featured are not exactly diverse. While authors from around the world are included, of the 25 books featured in this volume, 17 were written by men, and 23 by white people. Books located in Europe account for more than 50% of the total too with the Continents of Africa and South America only covered by two titles each.
Sophie felt that while Literary Places has a great concept, it could have benefited by delving deeper and expanding its horizons a little further.
Literary Places travels all over the world, from New York to Cairo, the Yorkshire Moors to Kabul, London to the Australian Outback. Each of the novels selected is intrinsically linked to its location and could not be transplanted elsewhere. Ulysses could not take place outside of turn-of-the-20th-Century Dublin, nor could Les Miserables take place outside 19th Century Paris, or To Kill a Mockingbird outside the American south in the 1930s.
In the book, Baxter gives a brief overview of the novels she is discussing, then takes us on a short tour of the places that inspired it, pointing out landmarks that can be visited should you wish to take a pilgrimage. This is interspersed with illustrations by Amy Grimes whose bright and bold style helps capture the feel of these varied places. Sophie felt these descriptions were a little short and vague at times, often surprising her by their abrupt endings. This is very much a picture postcard look at these places, not a detailed essay.
Because Literary Places focuses heavily on the so-called Western Canon, the authors featured are not exactly diverse. While authors from around the world are included, of the 25 books featured in this volume, 17 were written by men, and 23 by white people. Books located in Europe account for more than 50% of the total too with the Continents of Africa and South America only covered by two titles each.
Sophie felt that while Literary Places has a great concept, it could have benefited by delving deeper and expanding its horizons a little further.
What a great book! It mixes both travel writing and literature, as Baxter discusses the history and culture surrounding some of the most iconic locations in popular books. I discovered new books I wanted to read, learnt about places I've never visited before and loved to read through the ones I knew all too well!
This is a perfect read for anyone who loves travel and classic literature.
*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
This is a perfect read for anyone who loves travel and classic literature.
*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
I would like to thank netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Highly enjoyable, this book takes you through the real life places that have inspired so many great authors, from Jane Austens' Bath tho Charles Dickins' London. I really like that it gives you real places to go to that were either featured in the novel or visited by the author, it would be handy to carry on journeys. The illustrations are stunning.
Highly enjoyable, this book takes you through the real life places that have inspired so many great authors, from Jane Austens' Bath tho Charles Dickins' London. I really like that it gives you real places to go to that were either featured in the novel or visited by the author, it would be handy to carry on journeys. The illustrations are stunning.