Shortlisted for the 2017 Orwell Prize.
‘Island Story is informed by the spirit of Cobbett’s 1830 Rural Rides, that great work of social criticism. On his travels Taylor rides his bike, camps or stays at hostels, listens hard to those he meets and takes notes. He travels erratically but reads astutely. He is leftwing but not too preachy. [JD Taylor] s a good companion because he has an original mind. But he knows too that he is travelling around a country that might soon cease to exist.’
—The Financial Times
‘In the spirit of Cobbett this is a beautifully written account of a journey around contemporary Britain which is both political and poetic – a rare combination.’
–Anna Minton, author of Ground Control
‘If you want to know what Starkey, Fox, Bryson and Paxman miss, because they travel different roads, this book is for you.’
–Denny Dorling
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