If you are a fan of slow books, the kind you can pick up and read a chapter or three and then go do something before coming back to it without losing the literal plot, then try this book. Personally, I am a big fan of fast moving books but it's nice every now and then to pick up one that moves at a very slow pace. Like a friend that spills all the details of their day when you meet for coffee, so does this book. You will learn about life in mostly rural southern England, what someone trying to become a writer feels like around people who have been practicing the art of fiction longer than than he has, plus little vignettes about married life as an expat, adult student sprinkled throughout. A pleasant read.

this is a book that is easily read chapter at a time, as each one deals with a different location in Cornwall that the author and his wife visit, while living in Cornwall to allow hoim to attend university there, to become a writer. paty history lesson, part travelogue, part current conditions (economic and social culture), each chatpter gives you a little window into the sould of the inhabitants, as if you were really there. Having said that, some chapters are really heaving on economics and stats, and that is where the book lags badly. It's an interesting look at cornwall, it's just can't make up its mind what type of book it is.

Jonathan Cox returns to Falmouth university and decides to explore Cornwall with his wife. He writes about his adventures. Funny, a travelogue of Cornwall that is well written and fun to read.

Many, many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this new work! I really enjoyed this new book by Jonathan Cox. Mr. Cox returns to his roots to work on a graduate degree at Falmouth University. Mr. Cox and his wife explore the Cornwall region - much changed since the time that he grew up there. Cornwall is a very unique area with respect to the culture and geography. Mr. Cox travels this area and details his adventures. Well-written and light-hearted, and quite funny. Highly recommended. I read this while on a very long plane ride so I was able to read it straight through.

My Grandmother was from Cornwall and came to the United States after WW2. I visited Cornwall as a child. I loved reading about Jonathan Cox's adventures in Cornwall and learning more about the area than I know from my grandmother's reminiscing. The author did a great job of keeping your interest through his storytelling and humor, all while educating us on the vast history of the Cornwall region.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this great book!!

Jonathan Cox and his Swiss wife, Marlis, decide to spend a year in Cox's birth county of Cornwall, and the resulting book is a mix of current information, the struggles of being a returnee/immigrant and historical information and memoir. This means you're rarely stuck on the same topic for long, and it does follow the year around, but it darts around a bit.

Cox takes a writing course at university and they live in Falmouth, and from there make visits all over the county, to lots of places familiar to me from my own past visits there (I particularly enjoyed reading about looking at the seals at Godrevy, something I have lovely memories of doing). I did learn a lot - Truro is apparently England's wettest city and Penzance the heroin capital of the South-West ... There were some bits I knew about, such as the German love for Rosamund Pilcher, as I once memorably encountered filming in St Ives of one of her books by a German film crew and cast.

There are statistical appendices in the back, although quite a few statistics through the book, and it was an interesting read with a real flavour of Cornwall through an expert's and returner's eyes.

Review posted 29 October on my blog.

Like the author I enjoyed a mostly idyllic childhood in Cornwall and thus feel well qualified to say this book is an absolute gem. For me it brought back many happy memories of adventures spent on sunny beaches and rugged cliffs but it also taught me a great many things I did not know about the Duchy.
Jonathan E. Cox writes beautifully with wry humour and his love of Cornwall and the Cornish permeates every single page. He is well informed about the geology, history, politics, culture and folklore of the county. He appraises everything and puts it into context with a post-Brexit landscape that battles against homelessness and drug addiction.
If you've not yet visited Cornwall this book is an essential first step towards discovering its magic.

Being from Cornwall I rarely read books about Cornwall by "outsiders". They never really understand the place, and always seem to be looking for something Cornwall can't give them and then blaming Cornwall for not being the place they have projected on to it. Jonathan Cox is Cornish, and has been away so is able to see the county through fresh eyes. The book is very readable and highly entertaining. I will be repeating the Port Pendennis/Donald Trump story for a while. There is a lot I didn't know in this book, a lot I recognise and which made me smile, and nothing to wind me up. This is a rare thing - a book about Cornwall that I think a lot of people in Cornwall will enjoy. This is a book I recommend wholeheartedly.

Jonathan Edward Cox left Cornwall in his teens, and for thirty years he built a career in journalism and financial analyst abroad. Then, Covid-19 came, and, like for most of us, changed the direction of his life. As he returned to Cornwall with his Swiss wife, Cox realized that Cornwall had taken a huge change, some to the better, but some not so welcomed. This book chronicled his new view of his beloved changing Cornwall.

The book opens with his first day at the university. It's a pity, that Cox doesn't explore more on this subject. I would have loved to get more glimpses - only tiny glimpses - of the university life. Cox mostly explores places - cities, villages, landmarks, beaches. During these travels, he reminisces his childhood, what the place had used to be, what it had meant to him, and how it becomes today. And with that, he would present some history and statistics on related subjects.

What I cherished most is the local folklore stuff like The Hal-an-Tow during Flora Day, a festive event in Helston. I think it was the culminating moment of Cox's growing emotional re-attachment to Cornwall and his mother land. His two daughters visited Helston for this particular event, and it was an heartwarming family moment for them.

All things considered, this was quite an exciting book to get to know Cornwall. Cox wrote it straightforwardly with some dry, sometimes wry, witty humor. You'll feel quite refreshed by the sea breezes after finishing the book. And if you plan to have a Cornish holiday, this book is the perfect guide for you.

I visited Cornwall in the summer as had the summer off so this intrigued me.

A Cornish chap returns to Cornwall with this wife to study for post grad degree at a Cornish University. They rent a cottage for a year and travel all over the county during differing seasons.
There is reminisenses of childhood and present day issue with tourism - which was manic for me in places like Port Issac, second homes and local employment

A really interesting read with some humour thrown into the mix

Recommended read.

This book has great trouble deciding what it wants to be. Is it an economic analysis of the problems of modern Cornwall? Is it a memoir of the author's Cornish childhood? Or is it a travelogue of his adventures during a year spent in the county. The book jarringly bounces from theme to theme.

On top of this multiple personality, the author is seriously conflicted in his opinions. In one chapter, he goes on about raw sewage dumped into the sea, and then he has another chapter remembering fondly swimming in the ocean as a child when it was also badly polluted. He'll rant about folks with second homes in Cornwall, calling them "nouveau cornish.," but enjoys the restaurants and attractions they have brought.

I wish he had made up his mind instead of giving us this mash-up of a book.

Having just returned from a short break in Cornwall, the title grabbed my attention.
The author, a Cornish lad, having lived and worked abroad for many years, returns to Cornwall to study for a post graduate degree at Falmouth university. He is accompanied by his Swiss wife, Marlis and they rent a cottage for the year.
The sections in the book are divided into seasons and these in turn into chapters. At the start of each chapter there is a short quote eg. Chapter 39 ' Cornwall - A place where the drum beats differently'.
During the year they travel all over Cornwall. The mix of childhood memories and present day musings together with comments from Marlis provide an enjoyable and informative read, often with a touch of humour.
The author concludes with various statistics regarding employment, house prices and discusses tourism and the issues surrounding second homes.
Highly recommend.


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This was a delight. I so enjoyed the book, not least of all because I’m currently absolutely in love with all things Cornwall. So well written with warmth and depth.

A native son returns home in this memoir about a man coming home to Cornwall with his Swiss wife. When Cox left Cornwall, or at least the Cornwall he knew, it was rough and tumble, but now it’s become one of the most visited and sought after locations to live in the UK. Cox explores, both the old and the new, painting a picture of a way of life long gone. With humor, good grace, and a touch of melancholy this memoir, it’s both delightful and haunting.

It's highly entertaining and i had a lot of fun but it's also thought provoking and a story that shows the damage of the gentryfication.
I liked the storytelling and the style of writing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine