- Paperback: 268 pages
- Publisher: Flamingo (4 Jun 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007104731
- ISBN-13: 978-0007104734
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 403,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The impetus behind Ben Nimmo's mammoth walk from Canterbury to Santiago de Compostela in Spain as described in Pilgrim Snail was a sombre one: he wanted to pay tribute to the girl he loved, murdered while working for charity in Belize. But Nimmo's odyssey became a life-changing one, and reading about it is anything but a sombre experience. This fascinating record of his adventure conveys the peaks and troughs with maximum vividness. Nimmo's sole companion on his eventful trip was a trombone, and for the nine months (and 2,000 miles) of his journey he struggled against injuries, massive storms and even a phantom bear--all the time weighed down by his mammoth rucksack. But what makes Nimmo's picaresque narrative so diverting is the panoply of colourful characters he encounters: smugglers with courtly manners, monks who are rather too fond of the communion wine and even a hospitable anti-bloodsports neo-nazi with whom he shares a sandwich. Nimmo lays his head down in everything from ruined castles to bat-infested caves, and engages in such surrealistic pursuits as watching a chicken-worship ceremony in a Spanish cathedral and a game of boules played with square balls. All of this is conveyed in prose that veers from the caustically funny to the sharply evocative, and it's to be hoped that Nimmo picks up his trombone again if his travels make for such quirky and entrancing writing as this. --Barry Forshaw
TheGuardian
"Nimmo is delightful and engaging company. This is his first book, yet the prose is polished and the narrative taut, funny and cleverly paced".
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A quite brilliant first book by a talent who will surely be entertaining us for many years to come. His book is a rarity among travel books, one that makes you feel good and have faith in the qualities of your fellow man. But best of all it is very funny!! It is also well-balanced and heart-warming without being sentimental. If you like Bill Bryson's "Neither Here Nor There" or Tim Moore's "Continental Drifter" then read this, you won't read a better travel book all year.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
I came across this book by accident browsing the Amazon website but am glad that I did because I found it to be a very enjoyable read. You feel like you are getting to know the author a bit as you progress through the book.Anyone who loves travelling will enjoy this book. I would certainly buy another book by the same author.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
If you have ever suffered from itchy feet and a touch of wanderlust, coupled with a desire to do something worthwhile, you must read this book. Ben Nimmo's writing is interesting , informative, poignant and very witty , recounting a mammoth walk from Canterbury to the ancient pilgrim destination of Santiago, raising funds for two charities very dear to his heart.His sole companion for the greater part of this journey is a trombone,which opens many doors to him.His description of others he meets along the way and his absorbing accounts of his travels make this first novel appealing to all sorts of people- just read the other reviews ! A word to the author - please write more ,hopefully telling us of further travels with Helena !!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Must for anyonr who likes walking
I enjoyed the book even though at times it seemed a bit self indulgent. For example we are supposed to applaud when the writer informs us that in one day he did all of 35kms. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Rowena MW
Self-love on the road to Santiago
The trouble with writing a book about an innately loveable person is that you risk twitching the reader's nauseameter to a fairly high level, and this risk is doubled if the... Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2003
Fascinating travelogue by a first class mind!
I find it incredible that this educated, civilized, cultured and gregarious man has crammed so much into such a short life. Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2001
A real treat for travel fans who are stuck behind a desk
Ben's epic walk across Europe brings him into contact with a huge variety of people and gets him into many adventures. There are fantastic highs and heart rending lows. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2001
Through pain over the Pyrenees to paradise
Ben Nimmo has put his heart,his soul and his weary limbs, not forgetting his singing trombone, into this account of his pilgrimage in memory of his murdered friend Anna. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2001
The best travel book you will read this year
Bizarre things just seem to happen to some people. Ben Nimmo is undoubtedly one of them.
The Pilgrim Snail recounts Ben's adventures walking from Canterbury to Santiago - trusty... Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
