Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cycling World Review, 21 Aug 2008
Cycling Back to Happiness traces two journeys; one round the North Sea Cycle Route, some 6,000km of pedalling; and a second, much longer journey, back to health and happiness, when medication and therapy failed to help.
The style is distinctly individual, as one suspects is the author. He is best at describing the places and people he saw, while touring cyclists will relate to his escapades with ease born of familiarity. At best he has that rare ability to encapsulate in words the flavour of the experience of travel, by bicycle, through many different places. It is refreshing to find that he found so many friendly, helpful folk along the way and that he chooses to emphasise the unexpected pleasure of chance meetings and events, rather than the annoyances and obstacles.
The book improves as it progresses along its way. Initially there is, in my view, too much ranting and bitterness. This is probably inevitable given the origins of the personal journey being made and that this is a mix between travelogue and autobiography. If you find this either distressing or hard-work, it is well worth persevering.
However, when the cycling takes over, it becomes much more enticing as the focus shifts to the writer's relationship with the rest of the universe, possibly reflecting his improving mental state. It reinforces the unspoken secret of cycle touring: the restoration of mind and body at a slow pace along with the simplification of life and the rebuilding of faith in fellow humans, especially strangers met by chance.
All aspects of life are covered fom going to the toilet and farm-style brothels in Denmark, to local history. This breadth is testimony to a great achievement in what is a great read. It certainly rivals the work of names that are far better known in this genre. If Bernie Friend sets off on his bike again, I sincerely hope he'll let us know about it.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Uplifting travelogue with a difference, 1 April 2008
Inspired to literally get on his bike following the tragic death of his mum, Bernie Friend, author of Cycling Back to Happiness, is not your typical travel writer.
An exhausting 6,000 kilometer cycle ride around the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Scotland and England would be a daunting task for the fittest survivalist.
For Bernie, a lifelong hypochondriac with a morbid fear of dying horribly on foreign soil, it was an immense challenge.
Travel-phobic Bernie can't set foot on a plane, finds boats a terrifying prospect, and hasn't cycled since childhood. But in a last-ditch bid to take control of his fears he sets out from his home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on an epic adventure with just a borrowed bike and a one-man tent for company.
With his well-tuned nose for nutters, Bernie soon sniffs out the strange characters who populate the coastal route and discovers the healing power of travel along the way.
Bernie is joined in Germany by a travelling companion. While Phileas Fogg had Passepartout and Ewan McGregor had Charley Boorman, Bernie is saddled with agoraphobic hermit Rhys as a peddaling partner.
Together they cycle on through Scandinavia, the perfect double act of tortured souls seeking a pine-scented salvation in the land of trolls and Vikings.
The result is an uplifting tale of one man's battle with his inner demons.
Bernie's startlingly honest peeks into the darkest corners of his own fractured mind are contrasted with many painfully funny observations on the weird and wonderful people and places that cling to the coastal journey around the North Sea.
Join Bernie on his journey, and be inspired to face your own fears head-on.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and Inspiring, 5 Jun 2008
Having never read any travel books before, I wasn't sure what to expect from Cycling Back to Happiness, but it sounded intriguing so I thought I'd give it a go. It begins by painting a picture of the author, Bernie Friend, and his life and fears before the journey and reasons for doing it, which completely pulled me in.
I've never been to any of the countries along the North Sea Cycle Route (apart from the UK of course!), so it was a very insightful look into how the people of these countries live and how they treat visitors to their lands while also describing the scenery, landscapes and animals (lots of sheep!) encountered along the way.
However, the book wasn't just about the route itself, but also of Bernie's journey to conquer his fears and fight some of the demons that have long lived inside of him and I felt quite privileged to be allowed to follow him along the way.
Cycling Back to Happiness doesn't just appeal to those who are interested in travelling or cycling, but anyone who likes a well written, often comical, yarn filled with adventure!
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