Product Description

For Christopher Somerville this was a journey unlike any other he had undertaken in travel-writing. The only plan was to begin in the east at Easter and finish at Whitsun in the extreme west, at the Monastery of the Golden Step.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188458 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Daily Telegragh, July 21, 2007
'A finely written memoir...A more absorbing book about Crete - and indeed middle-age - is unlikely to come along for a while'

Sunday Telegragh, July 23, 2007
'Somerville's writing is fluid and well-informed, hsi descroptions are moving and evocative'

Customer Reviews

Breathless in the heart of Crete.
Christopher Somerville's delightfully self-deprecating account takes you with him deep into the gorges and high into the mountain plateaus of that most mysterious and harshly beautiful island. Armed with rudimentary Greek and ebullient good will, delighting in music, fellowship and the absurd, he works his way through to the heart of Crete. Along the way he shares just the right amount of myth, history (ancient and modern), social and political insight and his own inner journey to make this an unforgettable piece of writing.

A Step Beyond the Golden
This is a charming book; full of wit, verve and spirit of place, as the author walks through Crete's mountain ranges in search of his goal: a monastery whose steps appear gold to those of pure spirit. This latter is on Crete's west coast, and to reach it Christopher Somerville has to walk the length of an island, which, whilst only the Mediterranean's 5th largest, is incredibly long and arduous to cross. The Golden Step is an ideal way to get to know the island, as the author interweaves history, anthropology and mythology within, making the walk almost a secondary consideration to a homage of an island he clearly loves. A beautiful looking book, the design is clearly matched by the author's prose, whether attempting to avoid the island's dogs, taking solace in the book of Psalms, or climbing up and falling down mountain sides, as he attempts to complete an odyssey of his own. This is a superb read from one of Britain's foremost travel writers.

Aimiable companion
I am still reading this book. The writing style is warm and personal.
His potted history of Crete is one of the best I have come across.

Reading this makes you want to hit the E4 path and do it yourself, which must be the sign of a good book.