Have a picture of John Caunt, Zen and the Art of Hip-joint Maintenance?, please send it to us.
| Value for Money | 9/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 9/10 |
Full review by
kent2004
on 7th Mar 2004
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
Good Points: Amusing, informative, well-paced and well-written.
Bad Points: No maps or photographs.
General comments: John Caunt has produced a well-written and entertaining account of his multi-stage journey by bike and on foot up to John O'Groats in his book, Zen and the Art of Hip-joint Maintenance. Despite its misleading title, John Caunt's book is not at all philosophical or medical in nature. It is a straightforward and amusing record of his experiences on the journey from Land's End. The narrative is well-paced and the story is interspersed with interesting items of local and general information, including the fact that "youth" hostels these days are as likely to be frequented by middle-aged globetrotters as by younger users. The author sometimes comes over like a rather fit and active Victor Meldrew, regularly complaining about such modern evils as dog mess and aircraft noise as he tramps his 20 or so miles each day. He has a dry and appealing sense of humour which saves his sometimes rather critical view of the world from becoming too cynical. I really enjoyed this book. It is informative,lively, down-to-earth and engaging. Minor quibbles: I would have liked at least a couple of maps included to illustrate his route and it's a pity there are no photographs in the book.
kent2004's review and ratings | 208 words
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