A review by kizzia
On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage Across Britain by Oliver Smith

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

I picked this up because I wanted to be taken on a journey across this land that I love so much at a time when I am unable to walk it with my own two feet and I was not disappointed. This wide ranging and fascinating book absolutely fit the bill. I was not taken on one journey but twelve, each one offering a different facet of the British Isles as well as different facet of belief, understanding, and history. My personal favourite, simply because I don't think I'd find this included in any other book about pilgrimage, is Chapter 11: A Stadium. 

The only reason I didn't feel able to rate this otherwise outstanding book 5 stars is because one of the chapters deals with a topic I've personally researched at length. As such I found what was included and what wasn't quite telling, and the choice to ignore a request made about a certain piece of information rubbed me up the wrong way. However that is minor and a very personal take so I doubt it will mar anyone else's enjoyment. 

I listened to this audiobook via audible, with Oliver himself narrating, doing so clearly and well. My only gripe with the narration is that he mispronounces several words and place names (the most egregious being Samhain and Wrotham) and that did make me wonder how many of the other place names, ones I did not recognise, were also being mispronounced.