COASTING: A Private Voyage

by Jonathan Raban ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 1986

The novelist sets out to circumnavigate the British Isles by himself in an old fishing boat. This is no ordinary travel memoir, or pablum for the yachting set--but is a moving and richly observant book about life, politics, art and love. After describing some of the eccentric sailors who have preceded him as circumnavigators, Raban explains how the loss of England's wild areas created a need in people to escape to the wilderness. For him, the sea was such an escape and a revelation. No old salt, he had to teach himself navigation and learn the rudiments of sailing. His descriptions of the beauties of the sea and its black terrors are gripping, but he is always psychically in touch with the unresolved issues in his own life--his complex relationship with his soldier/parson/hero father is achingly real. The exquisitely observed sections on man, sea and boat would be enough, but there is a heart and soul here and a man who laughs at his own foibles, the English Malaise, the world's follies, and worries about them as well. He is an ideal companion for those who have dreamed of escape to a wilderness: literate, sensitive, yet he won't let you get away with a thing. His wisdom is easy to take, and Raban supplies it with a gusto and perception that is rare. The sea, the old ports, the people of the British Isles and a man trying to under. stand himself and the meaning of existence sound like a formidable cargo, hut, done with grace and elegance, it becomes both a love affair and adventure.

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 1986

ISBN: 0375725938

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION