Customer Reviews
Breathless in the heart of Crete. - By: P. A. Clark, 30 Aug 2007 
Christopher Somerville's delightfully self-deprecating account takes you with him deep into the gorges & high into the mountain plateaus of that most mysterious & harshly beautiful island. Armed with rudimentary Greek & ebullient good will, delighting in music, fellowship & the absurd, he works his way through to the heart of Crete. Along the way he shares just the right amount of myth, history (ancient & modern), social & political insight & his own inner journey to make this an unforgettable piece of writing.
A Step Beyond the Golden - By: M. Moloney, 30 Aug 2007 This is a charming book; full of wit, verve & spirit of place, as the author walks through Crete's mountain ranges in search of his goal: a monastery whose steps appear gold to those of pure spirit. This latter is on Crete's west coast, & to reach it Christopher Somerville has to walk the length of an island, which, whilst only the Mediterranean's 5th largest, is incredibly long & arduous to cross. The Golden Step is an ideal way to get to know the island, as the author interweaves history, anthropology & mythology within, making the walk almost a secondary consideration to a homage of an island he clearly loves. A beautiful looking book, the design is clearly matched by the author's prose, whether attempting to avoid the island's dogs, taking solace in the book of Psalms, or climbing up & fallling down mountain sides, as he attempts to complete an odyssey of his own. This is a superb read from one of Britain's foremost travel writers.
Should be titled "Walking with my God in Crete" - By: Armchair traveller, 19 Aug 2007 
A lovely story of a wonderful walk but I do wish he'd left his book of psalms at home. His continual references to the psalms spoil a very entertaining read.
