Between the Woods and the Water [Hardcover]

Patrick Leigh Fermor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Half a century after the journey, a renowned British travel writer recaptures a five-month period in 1934 when, on a walking trip to Istanbul, he traversed 600 miles through Hungary and Transylvania, arriving finally at a point on the Danube where the Carpathians meet the Balkans. Sleeping at times in the open but often in the stately homes of families to whom he had letters of introduction, 19-year-old Fermor experienced regions untouched by the industrial revolution, where the rhythm of life had remained many decades behind the pace of the West. His "blessed and happy" stays in these quiet lands were as leisurely as they are in English and Russian novels of the 19th century. A worthy sequel to his 1977 book A Time of Gifts.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The second volume of a projected trilogy, this book continues Fermor's account of a trip he made on foot across Europe in 1933-34. The book confirms the impression made by the first volume ( A Time of Gifts ): that Fermor is a very fine writer, whether he is discussing a brief liaison ("all unentwined moments seemed a waste"), a Hungarian castle, or haymaking. Like the first volume, this one too is full of superb vignettes that linger in the memory, combining to create an impression of Western Europe between the wars of striking power and (given what happened soon afterwards) poignancy. If the amateur etymologizing is a little overdone here, the blemish is a minor one in a notable contribution to literature. Thomas M. Robinson, Philosophy Dept., Univ. of Toronto
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (December 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670811491
• ISBN-13: 978-0670811496
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,558,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a travel book, it takes you through history, life, July 26, 1998

By 

D. Summers (Shanghai, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Between the Woods and the Water (Hardcover)

As a restless young man in the 1930s, Patrick Leigh Fermor made a trip on foot from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. As an older man, he returned to his diaries and wrote the account of his journey. This second of the series takes us from Budapest across the Hungarian plain and through the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania. It is much more than a travelogue, however: the book contains a unique glimpse into the lives of the declining Hungarian aristocracy after WWI. It is rich with historical background brought to life. Most rewarding of all is the evocative portrayal by a man whose life is mostly behind him man reliving with vivid eloquence those early revelations which stamped his way of being. Embedded in all the picaresque detail is a love story which rings as true as Shakespeare.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly written account of lands rarely traveled., May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Between the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople from the Hook of Holland : The Middle Danube to the Iron Gates (Transaction Large Print Books) (Hardcover)

I can only echo the thoughts of the other reviewers and would urge the publishers to reissue this book and its companion, A Time of Gifts, that relates the adventures and thoughts of the mature author on his youthful odyssey. I also have a question for the publisher and the author. The author planned a third and final volume to go from the Iron Gates to the Black Sea and Constantinople. Is there still hope that we can be delighted by the language, insight, and wonder of the author on this last leg of a remarkable journey

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Portrayal of Pre-WWII Central Europe., February 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Between the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople from the Hook of Holland : The Middle Danube to the Iron Gates (Transaction Large Print Books) (Hardcover)

The book opens with the author as a young man setting out from the small town of Estergom in Hungary in 1934 on a journey which will take him through the sweeping vistas of the Great Hungarian Plain, the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania. Descriptions of such places is only rivalled by the brilliant characterisation lent to the protagonists throughout. Added to this is the poignant reminder that so much of this was to be destroyed by the occupying Nazi forces only a few years later. The variety of experiences written with supremely masterful imagery makes this book a must for those who have an interest in this part of Europe.