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‘Panther Soup …
is an important
book, reminding us of the links between old and new world, ideals
and ideologies, war and peace in our phoenix-like continent. It
is at once raw and erudite, deeply moving and strangely leisurely.
It is also rich in black humour and insight’ |
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‘A
moving, often humorous, and thoroughly enjoyable account that
works as both a wartime recollection and travelogue …
Gimlette strikes just the right notes in juxtaposing the past and
the present. He has provided a fine chronicle with broad appeal
to general readers.’ Jay Freeman, Booklist (USA) |
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This new excursion into history reveals another range of Gimlette’s skills. His ability to transport you to a foreign country is evidently transferable to a foreign time.’ Charles Trueheart, Bloomberg.com (USA)
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‘An original travel book, written in vigorous prose and exhaustively researched …it has at its heart a profound understanding of the “soup” – the chaos and madness – of war’ Nigel Richardson, The Daily Telegraph (UK)
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‘Gimlette has a gift for travel writing with details of the most intimate kind, the small change and ammunition of a soldier’s life’ Hugh Thomson, The Independent (UK)
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‘A very special piece of travel writing. To journey past familiar European landmarks with someone who knew them in the post-war chaos of the 1940s is both moving and illuminating.’ Tim Butcher, author of Blood River. |
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‘[Gimlette] is a dazzling, if occasionally exhausting, entertainer … a born traveller and writer.’ Tom Fort, The Sunday Telegraph (UK) |
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‘Wittily written explorations of time space and character’ Craig Whitney, The New York Times |
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‘This is a book about the appetites of war and peace – for food, sex, and human comfort – unbridled, sordid and somehow, in their ability to lead a civilisation back to itself, redeeming.’ The New Yorker |
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‘A book that works on many levels – historical guide, social history, moving reunion of people and place – and does each superbly’
Simon Ward, Wanderlust |
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‘An extraordinary odyssey … an effectual account full of telling detail.’ Laurence Mackin, The Irish Times |
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‘A fascinating journey’ Sandi Toksvig, Excess Baggage, BBC Radio |
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‘[Gimlette] has a real eye for detail and an eloquence not common in modern travel writing. He can get it spot on with a casual flick of the pen, and there are times when his linguistic cantrips are a real joy … In Panther Soup we have confirmation that John Gimlette is one of the foremost travel writers of today.’ Nick Smith, Bookdealer (UK) |
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‘The book gave me a real feel for the complexities of the events of 1945 as well as their contemporary legacy. That is due in no small part to Gimlette’s skill as a writer … he revels in the oddities of the communities he visits and, like any good travel writer, he makes you want to see those places for yourself.’ Paul Harrop, The Bookbag (UK) |
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‘Gimlette is an assured enough writer to reveal a very different contemporary Europe, constructed on the smouldering ruins of its predecessor.’ Alex Stewart, The Traveller (UK) |
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‘A very good book … [it] takes a very intelligent angle on such a key part of our recent history, showing how no French region can really be understood without acknowledging what it went through not so long ago.’ France Magazine (UK) |
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‘ This book is a remarkable achievement, beautifully written, deeply human, and a fascinating journey through the past and present’.’ Robert C Ross, first reviewer, Amazon.com |
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‘Enchanting moments of verbal cleverness … a great read’ Gareth Rosser, French magazine (UK) |