Recommended by Simon:
A non fiction book which is beautifully written by Roger Deakin. It was inspired by the short story ‘The Swimmer’ by John Cheever, where a man attempts to swim home from a party using every possible waterway!
Deakin writes of his love of the outdoors, and, in particular, of ‘wild’ swimming. Each chapter is fairly self-contained as Deakin travels the country, experiencing and describing swimming in a variety of locations.
Particularly interesting is the way in which the history of these places is described – a fascinating piece of little known social history. There are similarities in descriptive style with Bill Bryson -think ‘Notes From A Small Island’, but Deakin’s style is more self deprecating, and he has a wonderful, understated sense of humour.
A great book!
Author: Deakin, Roger, Binding: Paperback, Imprint: Vintage, Series: N/A, Publisher: Vintage Publishing, Published: 07/08/2014, Pagination: 352 pages, Classification: United Kingdom, Great Britain, Country of Publication: United Kingdom