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A review by lory_enterenchanted
A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube by Patrick Leigh Fermor
adventurous
informative
reflective
3.0
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
I have been meaning to read Fermor's account of his walk across Europe for a long time. Now I have finally done it -- the first half at least. I was reminded forcibly of Simon Winder's Danubia, as Fermor roved across the same territory, and with something of the same rambling style that eddied into extended musings on historical or architectural themes.
Some of these lost my attention and I found myself skimming. I liked the book best where Fermor met and interacted with people. One of my favorite parts was when in Vienna, after his bag had been stolen and his allowance not yet arrived, he met a fellow-traveler from the Frisian Islands who suggested he sell his drawing skills from door to door, offering to do portraits. This was a wonderful little set-piece that introduced us to all sorts of characters, and his friend, above all, an unforgettable one.
I also liked it when he realized, partway through Czechoslovakia, that he'd finally left behind his misdeeds of the past (he was doing this walking tour at the age of nineteen because he'd failed to get along in both school and the army) and was free of the expectation that he'd mess up in some way. The whole journey, ironically given that he was doing it on the eve of WWII, has a feeling of walking toward freedom and self-empowerment. Though I am sure I will never do anything nearly so extensive, my own small walking experiences give me the same feeling.
I have been meaning to read Fermor's account of his walk across Europe for a long time. Now I have finally done it -- the first half at least. I was reminded forcibly of Simon Winder's Danubia, as Fermor roved across the same territory, and with something of the same rambling style that eddied into extended musings on historical or architectural themes.
Some of these lost my attention and I found myself skimming. I liked the book best where Fermor met and interacted with people. One of my favorite parts was when in Vienna, after his bag had been stolen and his allowance not yet arrived, he met a fellow-traveler from the Frisian Islands who suggested he sell his drawing skills from door to door, offering to do portraits. This was a wonderful little set-piece that introduced us to all sorts of characters, and his friend, above all, an unforgettable one.
I also liked it when he realized, partway through Czechoslovakia, that he'd finally left behind his misdeeds of the past (he was doing this walking tour at the age of nineteen because he'd failed to get along in both school and the army) and was free of the expectation that he'd mess up in some way. The whole journey, ironically given that he was doing it on the eve of WWII, has a feeling of walking toward freedom and self-empowerment. Though I am sure I will never do anything nearly so extensive, my own small walking experiences give me the same feeling.