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The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britain
 
 
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The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britain (Paperback)

by Paul Theroux (Author) "Everyone seemed to be going to China that year, or else writing rude things about the Arabs, or being frank about Africa ..." (more)
3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (29 Mar 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140071814
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140071818
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 9,538 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
After eleven years living as an American in London, Paul Theroux set out to travel clockwise round the coast and find out what Britain and the British are really like. It was 1982, the summer of the Falklands War and the royal baby, and the ideal time, he found, to surprise the British into talking about themselves. The result is vivid and absolutely riveting reading. ‘A sharp and funny descriptive writer. One of his golden talents, perhaps because he is American and therefore classless in British eyes, is the ability to chat up and get on with all sorts …’ The Times.

About the Author
Paul Theroux was born in Medford, Massachusetts, in 1941, and published his first novel, Waldo, in 1967. His subsequent novels include Picture Palace, winner of the Whitbread Prize for Fiction, The Mosquito Coast, and the hugely acclaimed, Kowloon Tong. His travel books include The Great Railway Bazaar and The Pillars of Hercules.
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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3.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe selective, but not inaccurate, 18 Mar 2008
By captain cuttle (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
Oh for the ability to see ourselves as others see us!

Kingdom by the Sea seems to have upset many readers. Although, more than just about any other race on the planet, the English are whip-sharp when it comes to poking fun at themselves, like most of us they don't want an outsider doing it for them.

Not that Theroux is an outsider by any means. He lived in England for 11 years and married an Englishwoman. So this book doesn't describe the initial impressions of some passer-by. It's an informed, if narrowly-focused, description of parts of the UK and the people who live there, by somebody who has developed a keen ear for the language and a sharp eye for the quirks that make Britain unique. In a more recent travel book, Pillars of Hercules, Theroux recalls this earlier work as follows: "Prejudices in Gibraltar were quite similar to those I had encountered in English seaside resorts, an enjoyable mixture of bluster and wrong-headedness, the Little Englander in full spate." It's that Little Englander who bears the brunt of Theroux's humour, the same person who provided so much material for Monty Python, the same person ridiculed in the film "Shirley Valentine".

It's hard to dispute the accuracy of Theroux's descriptions of coastal Britain twenty years ago, if not today. Lines of cars on the prom gazing seaward; scuzzy holiday camps; criminally-overpriced and substandard accommodation; yobos on public transit swearing in loud voices while the other passengers pretend they're not there; cozy, picturesque coves and garish amusement arcades; ubiquitous "shallies", their occupants glued to evening TV. Of course, this is a selective snapshot taken at a particular time (Britain was at war with the Falklands) but no less incisive for that reason. And while Theroux is not slow to adopt a gently mocking style with many of the people he meets, he is ready to admire or sympathize with others. His description of the people of Cape Wrath is particularly touching.

Those familiar with his writings will find the style familiar. Whether in Africa, Australia, the Pacific or his own America, he can be acerbic and as wrongheaded as his Little Englanders. He has no intention of reinforcing anybody's view of any country he visits. He takes his own angle and, right or wrong, he's consistent. Bouquets and brickbats are handed around without regard to race, sex or social standing. As he quotes on one book: "No one has ever described the place where I have just arrived."

I lived in England for 26 years and traveled extensively through the UK apart from Ireland. Kingdom by the Sea is as realistic an overview of 1980's Britain as you're likely to read, and a superb counter-balance to many of the long-established travel brochure images.




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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Kingdom by the Sea, 11 Oct 2007
By Demob Happy "jamesewan" (London / Grenoble) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
I have to say I'm surprised by some of the customer reviews on this book. Could it be perhaps they hadn't read a Paul Theroux book before and didn't know what to expect? UK fans of Theroux's misanthropic, razor-sharp observations should have no qualms about the author turning his sights on Britain. Yes, 'The Kingdom by the Sea' is full of monstrous characateurs and Philip Larkin-esque mockery but, more importantly, brilliant observational and descriptive writing . Theroux manages (just) to make the rather relentless and tedious exercise of circumnavigating the British coast contstantly engaging and funny. As with (the also often misinterpreted) Larkin there is empathy beneath the cynicism. Theroux has a good eye for character and, for an American, a good ear for Britain's regional vernacular.

If you want travel writing that idealises its destinations then this is clearly not for you. If you want something balanced and objective this is also a poor bet. Paul Theroux's books don't pretend to be such things, although he makes some lofty claims about hoping to understand the British people and culture in the introduction. If you are familiar with his writing you will know that his books say just as much about the author than about his subjects; the writer Graham Greene described as having 'a chip of ice' in his heart. Theroux can be grumpy and brutal, but never less than engaging. Some of the reviewers make it sound like this book has wounded their national pride. I would be surprised if they don't at least recognize the Britain portrayed in these pages. He captures the national mood at a very definitive time: high unemployment and class conflict, the Falklands, British Rail, skin heads and mods. What is most striking about this novel is how much things in many ways have changed in the 15 years since then, and also how much has not.
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17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but a good time piece., 9 Mar 2005
This book is best approached with an open mind as Theroux does not hold back in his criticisms of Britain.
The genesis of this book is a trip around the coast of the UK and a narrative of the people who live on the coast.

The book is set around the time of the Falklands war so many of the themes discussed in this book are a bit dated. One example is that the UK is a lot more multicultural now. Somethings have stayed the same, ie train strikes and coastal pollution.

Theroux sounds thoroughly hacked of with Britain. I found this quite amusing at first and some of his points are quite perceptive, but his criticisms do become repetitive.
The places he liked most were Belfast and the Highlands, but even here he is quite judgemental, without showing a deep understanding of British culture and history which I think is important in these regions. He is also completely obsessed with trains but for some reason criticises other people who are fascinated by them. Also, the characters he meets are always oddball, and you get the impression that Theroux just wants to make the British look pathetic.

It's good that there are travel journals which do not see the world through rose tinted glasses- so this book does offer a different perspective of Britain.

It is also an interesting time piece on social Britain during the Falklands war. For a more recent critique of British modern society check out Nick Dalzingers 'Dalzingers Britain'-better and highly recommended.

In conclusion, this is no classic but does have some interesting passages.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A memorable Journey
Paul Theroux's travels are always fascinating reading. His observations are precise and his descriptions evocative. Read more
Published 28 days ago by DDH255

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I do not read much, but this is a brilliant book, which I really enjoyed!
Published 1 month ago by Mr. SA Harrison

3.0 out of 5 stars Chalk and cheese...
I've read a few Theroux books, and I've enjoyed them all. But this book is probably too close to home. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Rob B.

1.0 out of 5 stars An ill-disguised 'hatchet job'.
I have read a number of the author's other travel books so I had an inkling of what to expect before starting this one. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. T. Duke

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings
Although I find Theroux's writing skilful and some of his descriptions vivid, I did feel thouroughly depressed after reading this book. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2007 by Tamara

1.0 out of 5 stars The author, not the subject, is at fault
Whatever high literary intention, Theroux had in mind when composing this blinkered and vitriolic attack on the United Kingdom is lost on me. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2005 by D. White

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many omissions
Whilst his often reported dismissive attitude to those he encounters en route was no deterrent to reading this book, I quickly lost interest when (after a comprehensive coverage... Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Theroux is incapable of writing a bad book
Several of the other reviewers here have,I feel,missed the point of this marvellous book.Theroux was travelling around Britain at a time of great drama(the falklands war)and great... Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A modern Defoe
Having lived across the UK (Lanarkshire, Kent, Hampshire, Edinburgh, East Lothian and Liverpool) I was entranced by Theroux's insight into a people and its collective personality... Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2001

1.0 out of 5 stars Read Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" instead
This is an interesting idea for a book although I'm not sure how accurately Britain can be represented if it is judged only on it's coastal towns. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2001

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