Product Description

Fifteen years ago, Joe Bennett left England for a holiday. Now it's time to come back. But how is the England of his memory different from the England of the motorway? Identikit High Streets, imported cheeriness ('Welcome to Sunny Grimsby!'), chicken tikka poker machine pubs -- things aren't what they used to be. But the longer Joe travels, the more he wonders whether things were ever what they used to be in England. Even a century ago, H. V. Morton, the nation's most celebrated eulogiser, was In Search of England. Criss-crossing the country by varying means of transport and with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Joe Bennett delivers a dazzlingly funny and poignant portrait of his homeland -- part love letter, part eulogy and part diatribe, it is a wonderful follow-up to the acclaimed LAND OF TWO HALVES and establishes him as one of our most engaging travel writers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #149553 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Joe Bennett was born in Brighton and since leaving Cambridge University has taught English in a variety of countries including Canada, Spain and New Zealand. He lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Customer Reviews

Musn't Grumble - I Certainly Didn't
This is a cracking read. Bennett, with the advantage of returning to England after years of absence, is able to view the Country, and more importantly it's people with wisdom, honesty and, most importantly a great deal of humour.

Thankfully, he does not come to mock nor reinforce the "bettter in my day" attitude so prevelant in the poular press. He finds many things which will make you laugh out loud but there are also touching moments where some of the good people he meets shine through.

This is more than a travel book. In tracing the footsteps of Morton, Bennett has produced a brilliantly written, enthralling picture of England as she really is. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.

In search of HV Morton
Ever since Bill Bryson's great Notes from a Small Island different travel writers have tried to do the same thing, and this one's the latest. Joe Bennett has come over from New Zealand, returning to England after some years, and has the added 'gimmick' of following in the footsteps of HV Morton, who set the trend back in the 1920s. Unfortunately, Bennett's book lacks the pre-war sense of wonder evoked by Morton, and in place of Bryson's often affectionate fun poking at the English and their foibles indulges in some rather churlish moaning. The England portrayed here is one of apathy and some despair as Bennett treks from pub to pub (he doesn't seem that interested in chatting to anyone unless he's downing a pint at the same time) listening to their woes. It's nicely written in places, but I didn't find it funny or enlightening.

Down-market Bryson
Comparisons with Bill Bryson are inevitable, but so what? There are many different ways to approach similar topics, as witness the vast number of travelogues written over the decades/centures by people wandering through Britain. This is the down-market, rather grubbier version of Bryson. I have lived outside the UK about as long as Bennett, and bought the book during a layover at Gatwick, looking for another Brit's view on England from afar, but from the moment I read about Bennett trying to hitchhike in England - come on, is he really that far out of touch? - I knew this was going to be uninspiring. And it is; in fact, it is downright depressing, and shows many of England's warts with few (other than wistful reflections about the scenery) of its pleasures. Bennett seems to talk to very few people outside pubs, those he does come across are mainly either rude or wishing they could leave England or commenting on how the place is going to the dogs, and he offers little insight into the way England thinks, or how he now sees things after 20 years away. It's funny in parts, but bleak in many more.