Coasting: A Private Voyage

I read this when it was first published and it is probably the least American of Raban's books. It is thoughtful, incisive and pretty much spot on with how the country was split during the Falklands conflict and for me it gives a wonderful, if now a little dated insight into my own country and people, I love Raban's eclectic style of collecting up a whole series of people, books and charts and then introducing them to the reader as 'characters' along the way. Probably also the most autobiographical of books to date by this author but then I was in England at the time and British to boot. Andy

Raban, to move himself from his own country, goes offshore in a small boat to look back towards the land and his own past. This book is beautifully written and full of humor and insights. It is a few years since I last read it (it is a good investment because you can enjoy reading it several times). When I saw the low ratings it got from people who don't like his politics I felt inspired to give it a little boost. I do not agree with many of Raban's views, but I cannot imagine letting that spoil this wonderful read.

Hearing Raban read an excerpt from this book at Seattle's Folklife Festival last year, I "took the bait". At nearby bookstore, I bought copy, read it on the plane-ride back home, and thoroughly enjoyed it. For years I've been hooked (sorry) on Raban's books, such as "Old Glory", "Bad Land", and "Voyage to Juneau". "Coasting", is apparently a recently-published version of an early work by the author. It is a memoir of a literal voyage, of a more personal introspective voyage, and of a voyage in the turbulent political waters of M. Thatcher's Britain. It would be a shame for readers to pass on "Coasting" due to an unfavorable review, apparently based primarily on political differences with the author. I urge readers - and indeed the negative reviewer - to read (re-read?) the chapter, toward the end of the book, regarding Philip Larkin. This recollection of an evening spent with Larkin, apparently one of Raban's mentors, is written with such heartfelt fondness and melancholy that it sincerely moved this reader. It was this excerpt from "Coasting" that charmed a rapt audience at the reading in Seattle. Based on this section, alone, I would recommend this book.

This book is about water, how it moves in open and closed places, how wind moves it and stirs it (it could almost be a book on hydraulics), how it had provided livelihood for many people in the British Isles. It is a book about Britain as a museum, a service culture which hardly manufactures anything anymore. Old derelict coal mines have a better future as living museums, as do places such as Rye and Hull. It is a sad book as it charts in clear eyed terms the decay of old Britain into a museum island, and he sees the Falklands war (when the book was being written)as the last stand of an insular people somewhat like the Manxmen he describes early in the book. There are some neat surprises as when he bumps into two dyspeptic fellow writers, Paul Theroux and Philip Larkin. Imagine these three writers looking out at you while you went about your daily business! For me I was astonished at how someone can be alone for such stretches of time and not go completely bongers.

I am amazed that this book is out of print - it is probably the best travel book I have read.Jonathan Raban decides to sail around the English coast and, in the process, teaches himself navigation and buys a old wooden sailing boat. The author has an excellent perspective on the whole ethos of sailing and the drama that is involved - particularly if sailing single-handed. This is combined with a highly penetrative insight into the English character and beautiful descriptions of the various small ports and towns that he visits on his trip.Perhaps the two highlights of the book are Raban's encounters with Paul Theroux and Philip Larkin. It is very rare to encounter an author with such a sublime sense of humour and these are just two passages amongst many that make this book a 'must read' for any reader.