Accidental Pilgrim [Paperback]

David Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

After one Silicon Valley project meeting too many, David Moore returned to Dublin with too much money to get a real job, and no idea what to do next. The Accidental Pilgrim follows the recovering dotcommer as he rides two thousand miles across Europe in pursuit of himself and the Celtic saint Columbanus - the Roy Keane of the early medieval Church. A bad-ass early Irish saint who wouldn't stand for such ephemeral notions as identity crises, if anyone could sort the craic-loving but well-mannered young man, Columbanus would. On the way to the saint's final resting place in Northern Italy, there are bee-stings in Malin Head, melting roads along the Loire, and instant celebrity in eastern France. A freewheeling traveller's tale with a dash of medieval history thrown in, The Accidental Pilgrim presents an unlikely double-act and a rewarding journey.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Moore was born in London and reared in Buckinghamshire, England. The child of an Irish mother and jazz-addicted English father, David spent many summers in Ireland. He graduated from Cambridge with first-class honours in English and Dark Age history, and continued his studies at Trinity College Dublin, gaining a masters degree in Anglo-Irish Literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Lir; First Edition edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340832282
• ISBN-13: 978-0340832288
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,177,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Ireland to Italy on Bicycle, November 27, 2006

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Permanent Marker (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Accidental Pilgrim (Paperback)

A travel book can be more than just a detailed chronology of logistics and fantastic sights that can't be missed along the way. David Moore demonstrates this unequivocally with his engaging account of an inspiring bicycle pilgrimage from Dublin, Ireland to Bobbio, Italy following the faint tracks of Dark Ages Irish monk, St Columbanus. Moore starts the book by drawing the reader into the dramatic climax of his trip with the harrowing details of his bicycle descent from Splugen Pass in the Alps to peaceful Chiavenna in the valley below. He then cleverly recounts the progression of events bringing him to that point in his life. Moore alternately educates, amuses, and delves deeply into his inner journey as he pedals across a continent and tries to reconcile the complexities of his identity, motivations, and life choices. Although well organized for riding with neatly packed panniers and an array of maps and plans, his `real' life as an Englishman living in Ireland after having spent considerable time in the USA seems less organized and more daunting. Earlier careers as a technical writer and a dot com era Internet whiz weren't satisfying and left him wondering about his life's direction. Moore seized on the idea of the pilgrimage and its promise to resolve his internal uncertainty but part way through the trip, events such as 9-11 and later the crash of an SAS jet at the Linate airport help him form a new thesis that life should be enjoyed while it can without guilt. This lightening of his soul is reflected in entertaining accounts of his experiences with a variety of eateries and hotels. Along the way he argues with St Columbanus about the dangers of religious extremism and admires the Saint's contributions that are still remembered to this day. The book ends without a clear picture of Moore's future but that's okay because it leaves room for a sequel. This reviewer can only hope he plans more travel and the development of another inspiring and entertaining book like the Accidental Pilgrim!