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My Midsummer Morning

£9.99

“A restless and competitive man trying to settle down… startlingly honest. Though not his physically toughest expedition, My Midsummer Morning is probably his bravest.” – Geographical

My attempt to busk through Spain without any money, despite being unable to play the violin…

Also available as an Audiobook. And on Kindle. And a 20-minute film on YouTube. For non-UK addresses, please click here.

Paperback.

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Description

Seasoned adventurer Alastair Humphreys (that’s me, writing in this weird 3rd person style!) pushes himself to his very limits – busking his way across Spain with a violin he can barely play.

In 1935 a young Englishman named Laurie Lee arrived in Spain. He had never been overseas; had hardly even left the quiet village he grew up in. His idea was to walk through the country, earning money for food by playing his violin in bars and plazas.

Nearly a century later, the book Laurie Lee wrote – As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning – inspired Alastair Humphreys. It made him fall in love with Spain – the landscapes and the spirit – and with Laurie’s style of travel. He travelled slow, lived simply, slept on hilltops, relished spontaneity, and loved conversations with the different people he met along the hot and dusty road.

For 15 years, Alastair dreamed of retracing Laurie Lee’s footsteps, but could never get past the hurdle of being distinctly unmusical. This year, he decided to go anyway. The journey was his most terrifying yet, risking failure and humiliation every day, and finding himself truly vulnerable to the rhythms of the road and of his own life. But along the way, he found humility, redemption and triumph.

Additional information

Weight 0.205 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.7 × 1.9 cm

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Comments

  1. Congratulations on the book. Alastair, I’ll be honest, I had not heard of yourself until Amazon laid this book in my email today. I saw the title and cover and said, wait a minute, looks and sounds very much like Laurie Lees book, and lo and behold, as I now visit your website and find out about this book, I’m more than excited to grab a copy.

    I don’t meet many people like myself in love with Lee, and especially this book. Around 5-6 years ago I did what you did (minus the walking/violin) and took a month to follow the trail Lee took. I had traveled to Spain every year for 10 years but this was the best experience I had ever felt, all thanks to his book. I took the time to travel to the small towns while writing and working on a first poetry collection.

    So, I’m really excited to get this book, to find a fellow soul who had the Spain experience through Lee.

    Congrats on the book and I hope it brings success as well as more exposure to the out-of-this-world writing by Lee.

    I hope you bring this book US side as I live in Chicago now and these yanks need literature education.

    Have a great day

    Stephen

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      Oh cool – a connoisseur – I’d be REALLY interested to hear what you make of the book…

      Reply
  2. Notimpressed Posted

    I was very disappointed in this book. It sounded like such a great idea and the journey was an admirable one. However, reading it was not enjoyable. The author seemed completely self-absorbed and did not interact much with his environment or the country he was in. It seemed such a waste of a vibrant country, history and culture. The editor could have pulled him up on this, but sadly, I think his ego was encouraged. Because I have not read any of this previous books, or press, I do not have a image of Alastair as a great adventurer. That was not important to me. I feel his editor just paid him in advance for his ‘next adventure’ and hastily published a mediocre work. The phrase ‘travel broadens the mind’ did not apply here. This is an introspective and self-focused journey. What a waste! Viva España!

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy it.
      Also very sorry to say that I didn’t get paid in advance, nor was it hasty – it took me three years to publish that mediocre work!

      Reply
  3. I loved the book and the concept of the journey, having read Lee’s book many times. It is self-focused, but that was the premise of the book, not a repeat of Lee’s journey – someone else can still do that. And the many gems of wisdom chime with me. Keep it up Alastair.

    Reply
  4. Owen Posted

    Although framed as a travel account, it soon becomes clear that the real journey you have described is an internal one. Arriving at mid-life chafing under the increasing responsibilities of being a husband and new father is something many experience. Having enjoyed a remarkable career as an adventurer cycling around the world, rowing across oceans, walking across deserts must make things especially challenging when running up against the newly competing demands on your time. What I particularly enjoyed about this book were the psychological and spiritual acrobatics involved in reconciling the need to redefine what constitutes an “adventure”. The result is a joyful, humorous, and deeply personal read. I enjoyed it so much that I gave a copy to my son on the birth of his first child as a touchstone to help recalibrate things for him. Thanks.

    Reply

 
 

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