RED
DOG BOOKS
CROSSING BRITTANY
Walking the Nantes-Brest Canal
Wendy Mewes
£7.99
10.00 euros
Book Details:
Paperback 132 pages
Language: English
ISBN: 978 0 9557088 2 4
Dimensions: 198 x 127 x 10mm
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£7.99 |
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Book description
The journal of a long-term love affair with the Nantes-Brest canal
This journey undertaken on foot over a year, in weather and moods both foul and fair, interweaves the story of the canal with lively observations of landscape, nature and Breton history.
Issues of identity, integration in a foreign country and the connective power of walking are themes that arise along the way.
“Artificial integration is like artificial insemination: anathema to some, lifeline to others”
“If anything ever died from an electric shock it was the canal, its hopes drowned, promises of a life-line reneged upon, leaving a great severed snake, unable to reunite its extremities”
Wendy Mewes’ vivid narration of her long walk across Brittany beside the Nantes-Brest canal brings to life the history and landscape of a region where as many as 20,000 Britons now live. Well-known as a writer about Brittany, this is the author’s most personal work to date. Her journey reflects an individual search for identity and raises questions of integration and settlement in a foreign country. Places through which the canal passes prompt further thoughts on significant characters and events of Breton history. The canal itself, twinned with the Wilts/Berks canal in England, is a leading character in the book. Its story of construction, usage, decline and resurrection as an asset for leisure and tourism is interwoven with observations of the superb natural environment it now provides for flora and fauna. The connective power between man and the landscape fostered by walking is also a theme of this memorable journey.
Brittany Blues blogger, Wendy Mewes, is the author of six other books about Brittany, including Walking the Brittany Coast: Morlaix to Benodet and Discovering the History of Brittany. She lives and walks in the Monts d’Arrée.
Reviews
This short but punchy paperback is a must-have addition to any France enthusiast's book shelf. Detailing Mewes's year-long journey on foot along the Nantes-Brest canal, the narrative follows the author's daily observations as well as the history of the canal and its surrounding area. An avid walker and long-time resident of Brittany, Mewes's description of the journey from the confluence of the Erdre and the Sevre Nantaise rivers at Nantes up to the Rade de Brest bay are outlined in vivid detail. The canal and its surroundings serve as a backdrop to her passion for her adopted homeland, and her historical writings show a deep sense of empathy for the workers and technicians involved in the construction of the canal. In addition to the layers of interwoven narrative (and with a nod to the ex-pat community) she also discusses the notion of identity and integration in a foreign country. Whether your interest lies in history or the personal, Crossing Brittany is bound to impress - curl up with a cup of tea and drink in Mewes's historical storytelling skills.
Living France magazine
A fascinating journey brought to life in this very personal account. A sharing of the vistas and history of the canal as she is compelled along the path full of its own stories entwined with her own thoughts.
Amazon review
About the author
Wendy Mewes lives in Finistere and has written many books and articles about the history and landscape of Brittany. She runs the Brittany Walks organisation (www.brittanywalks.com) and is the author of walking guides to Finistere, the Brittany coast and the Nantes-Brest canal, as well as a recent column in the Independent newspaper on the Green Ways. She is a professional guide, working with groups and individuals all over Brittany, and also teaches courses on Breton history and heritage. Her latest project is a series of Ebooks on specific aspects of Brittany, such as town guides to Rennes and Quimper, and topics as diverse as the Parish Closes and Food & Drink. She is currently working on a book on the islands of Brittany.
Other books by Wendy Mewes
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