tracksterman

No, not me - the 1939 book by Geoffrey Household. I saw the Peter O’Toole TV adaptation as a kid in the 1970s and it left a strong impression on me (I remember being rather upset by the cat incident). It’s now available on the Kindle, and I just finished it in more-or-less one sitting. It’s very much a book of its time, but that doesn’t mean it’s a simplistic ‘Boy’s Own’ ripping yarn; I was surprised by its depth and jaundiced cynicism.

‘A hideous word - hiker. It has nothing to do with the gentle souls of my youth who wandered in tweeds and stout shoes from pub to pub. But, by God, it fits those bawling Englishwomen whose tight shorts and loose voices are turning every beauty spot in Europe into a Skegness holiday camp.’

Well worth a read…