The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britain [Paperback]

Paul Theroux (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1995

After eleven years living as an American in London, Paul Theroux set out to travel clockwise round the coast and find out what Britain and the British are really like. It was 1982, the summer of the Falklands War and the royal baby, and the ideal time, he found, to surprise the British into talking about themselves. The result is vivid and absolutely riveting reading. 'A sharp and funny descriptive writer. One of his golden talents, perhaps because he is American and therefore classless in British eyes, is the ability to chat up and get on with all sorts ...' - "The Times".

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Theroux was born in Medford, Massachusetts, in 1941, and published his first novel, Waldo, in 1967. His subsequent novels include Picture Palace, winner of the Whitbread Prize for Fiction, The Mosquito Coast, and the hugely acclaimed, Kowloon Tong. His travel books include The Great Railway Bazaar and The Pillars of Hercules.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); New Ed edition (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140071814
• ISBN-13: 978-0140071818
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Theroux's highly acclaimed novels include Blinding Light, Hotel Honolulu, My Other Life, Kowloon Tong, and The Mosquito Coast. His renowned travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Dark Star Safari, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, and The Happy Isles of Oceania. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an accurate description of the people and the time, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britain (Paperback)

While many would find this book and it's author depressing, it very accurately describes Great Britain at the beginning of the 1980's. It appears drab because it was. This is not the same England of the 1990's because the country has changed radically since 1980. It is important to remember that this time was the nadir of a slump that began after WWII ended. The air of pessimism and drearyness has now been replaced with unbridled sophistication and optimism. The people are still eccentric and uniquely English but probably a lot better off. For anyone who is English (I am), this book is hysterial, poignant and above all an extremely accurate description of a time and a place. Buy it if you want to avoid the cliches of british life.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Writer's Writer, October 15, 2002

By 

Lillie Palmer (New York City, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britain (Paperback)

When the car radio/player went dead on my journey through Britain, Scotland, my companion and I opted to read aloud this brilliant book during fog stops. I purchased it along with a slew of walking tours and B&B guides not knowing what a jewel we had found. We laughed so hard and paused stopped by something profound hitting us right in the gut - This man is so intelligent and observant, most people would likely miss the world for photos, postcards and tshirts. As we'd approach a new town or village, we did with his keen eye ringing in our ears. After Scotland, we flew to Ireland and rented a car and didn't even bother to see if the radio worked. I'd wave the book and shriek, "he's right! he's soooo right!" - especially where he spoke of the punks riding the train to Margate. Jeez...Mr. Theroux picks through the social garbage of a country and finds the key to its heart, even if partially troubled.

This aspects of culture or personality can be "hard to read" or not pleasant or downright insane- he points this out beautifully. There is the great animal sadness to be found in those enigmatic places, especially for the traveler with his bag and notebook - connecting to our times - our own particular darknesses - Mr. Theroux is especially sensitive to this - next to Evelyn Waugh and all those greats, he's one of my favorite writer-writers. He's one of those writers you want to call up and thank.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How not to enjoy yourself in Britain, October 20, 2004

By 

JW "JW" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Around the Coast of Great Britain (Paperback)

I suppose this is a well-written, factual book and all that. The problem is with Paul Theroux. Number one, he has perversely chosen a "no sights" itinerary around Britain (i.e. no churches, museums, castles, or anything interesting), which leaves him little to do but tramp around and eavesdrop on people. Number two, he likes making sweeping statements about the British -- how they are class-bound, tradition-bound, negative, passive, stodgy, backward-looking and just all-round cretinous. He is looking for these traits, and of course he sees them in everyone he (briefly) meets.

The odd thing is that Theroux does not fit his own stereotype of the brash, positive, outgoing American. He doesn't like working-class people, and dismisses them by giving them silly names and labelling them "typically British." You can sense his relief when he gets to mingle with fellow artists and writers like Jan Morris. In his negative, class-conscious way, perhaps he is more "British" than he would care to admit.

So anyway, if sneering voyeurism is your thing, then maybe this book is for you.