{"product_id":"a-thing-of-beauty-9780861540617","title":"A Thing of Beauty","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eBBC RADIO 4 \u003c\/i\u003eBOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE ANGLO-HELLENIC LEAGUE RUNCIMAN AWARD 2022\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Peter Fiennes’s road trip around Greece [is] engagingly described’ Mary Beard, \u003ci\u003eTLS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Fiennes is a brilliant and generous guide through Greece’ \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘A wonderful… really profound meditation on what it means to hope… a gorgeous excursion into Greece and across the centuries on an environmental quest’ \u003ci\u003eBBC Radio 4 Open Book\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year choice by Anita Roy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat do the Greek myths mean to us today?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt’s now a golden age for these tales - they crop up in novels, films and popular culture. But what’s the modern relevance of Theseus, Hera and Pandora? Were these stories ever meant for children? And what’s to be seen now at the places where heroes fought and gods once quarrelled?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePeter Fiennes travel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Peter Fiennes’s road trip around Greece – engagingly described in \u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e– began with a visit to Lord Byron’s house… Fiennes’s tough talk and his down-to-earth refusal to put up with pretentious silliness contributes a lot to the pleasure of the book… [he] is well attuned to the ambivalence of hope.’ \u003c\/p\u003e -- Mary Beard, \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Fiennes is a brilliant and generous guide… a must-read.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Alex Preston, \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘This book is a lament for a poisoned planet… He goes in search of the numinous but relishes the bathos of modernity… not so much a travelogue as an excursion into the psyche of Anthropocene man.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A wonderful book by a wonderful writer.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Tom Holland\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A wonderful… really profound meditation on what it means to hope… a gorgeous excursion into Greece and across the centuries on an environmental quest’\u003c\/p\u003e * BBC Radio 4 Open Book BOOK OF THE YEAR choice by Anita Roy *\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is an immensely pleasurable read. It takes you on an adventure around Greece and the myths that the ancients told there. But what really stayed with me were the reflections on storytelling, joy, and hope. Essential reading for our pandemic and pollution ravaged times.’ -- Helen Morales, author of \u003ci\u003eAntigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Peter Fiennes has a way of making even the most serious of subjects enjoyable and riveting to the end, and \u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is certainly no exception, this is great travel writing that makes the reader a part of the adventure, and one of the most engaging and enjoyable books I’ve read this year.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Pilgrim House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A deeply humane travelogue, a beautifully written book of stories, \u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is a siren song for Greece and a generous and precious gift – a classical education for those of us who are bereft of one.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Patrick Barkham, natural history writer and author of \u003ci\u003eWild Child\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Peter Fiennes… follows in the footsteps of Pausanias, Lord Byron and others to rediscover some of the most evocative landscapes and sites from classical myth.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Argo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Fiennes is a brilliant and generous guide through Greece. He weaves the ancient world and the modern together with intelligence and elegance… There’s a wry Sebaldian humour at work here … \u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is a must-read for anyone visiting Greece.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Alex Preston, \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is an entertaining, erudite travelogue through Greece, both ancient and modern.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003ci\u003eForeword Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘An evocative and informative book… It’s for anyone interested in the Greek Gods and their myths, the Greek countryside and wildlife, Greek politics and history, climate change and sustainable living, whether there’s any hope in the world today… and just how many Greek salads can one man eat? If you’re interested in more than one of those topics, it’s definitely the book for you.’\u003c\/p\u003e * Greece Travel Secrets *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Fiennes sets out to explore the birthplace of Western civilization, Greece, in search of Hope… It’s a highly personal travelogue…with the historical and modern-day detail that late British travel writer Jan Morris might bring to the task.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Passionate and lyrical’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘An \u003cstrong\u003eenjoyable\u003c\/strong\u003e journey through Greek myths and modernity in [Fiennes’s] search for hope, beauty and new understanding of our world.’\u003c\/p\u003e * \u003ci\u003eChoice Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘In \u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e, myths are not presented as dust-covered artefacts but vibrant, living, often frightening things that, like Greek gods, still affect and manipulate our lives. The quest that Peter Fiennes undertakes is of urgent relevance in this time of environmental change. Startling, informative and often very funny.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Nick Hunt, author of \u003ci\u003eOutlandish\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Fiennes is a talent and an important voice. His search for hope in the stories of the past feels vital for these times.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Rob Cowen, author of \u003ci\u003eCommon Ground\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eA Thing of Beauty\u003c\/em\u003e is such a joy. Peter Fiennes invites us to travel with him to visit the ancient Oracle at Delphi as he searches for hope while the pre-vaccine pandemic is at its height and the wild fires rage. Self-deprecating, funny, deeply knowledgeable about Greek mythology, yet simultaneously confronting the challenges that face our world head-on, Fiennes is a most delightful travelling companion.’\u003c\/p\u003e -- Katharine Norbury, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Fish Ladder\u003c\/i\u003e and editor of \u003ci\u003eWomen on Nature\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Oneworld Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51534996603223,"sku":"9780861540617","price":22.66,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780861540617.jpg?v=1755858556","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/a-thing-of-beauty-9780861540617","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}