Enchanted Islands by Laura Coffey

“A magical and hugely captivating journey - filled with such beauty, wonder and surprise. A simply marvellous read, hugely recommended.” Stephen Fry

Join us with Laura Coffey talking about her stunning debut memoir Enchanted Islands: A Mediterranean Odyssey Through Love, Grief and Mythology.

Enchanted Islands is a beautifully written tale that weaves together memoir and mythology and invites us to consider the meaning of “home”.

"Something about this attempt to map the imaginary onto concrete-literal geography, its futile nature perhaps, caught my attention and held it. I have a propensity to spin into story, to fill in the gaps with what I want to believe, to tell myself wild romance or deep tragedy, even when the cold data might suggest otherwise. If myths function to help us make meaning of the world, maps help us find our footing, understand where we are in gravitational space. I needed both."

It started with a boy, of course. Seeking solace from the pain of heartbreak and her father's illness, Laura Coffey embarks on what was meant to be a simple holiday. But her new found fascination with ancient Greek myths transforms her trip into a six-month odyssey, around tiny archipelagos and mystical Mediterranean islands thought to be the setting of Odysseus's epic journey.

As Laura chases one of the most conflicted, flawed and yet beloved heroes through his fantastical sea-kingdoms, looking for the places where geography and mythology collide, she discovers the wild beauty of the islands, and the redemptive powers of travel and nature, cold-water swimming, long hikes up mountains, and luminous star-lit skies.

But her quest to find happiness, safety and the true meaning of home is over shadowed by the deepening illness of her father. Returning as he's dying, forced to confront the very things she was running from, Laura reflects on what she has lost, how to live between story and reality, and the way we craft our own mythologies. Slipping between the mythical realm and the real world, she finds enchantment and healing in the magic of both.

About the author:

Laura Coffey is a travel writer, happiest in motion. She's newly addicted to cold water swimming, has an old addiction to adventure, and loves to write about the wild beauty of the places she visits and the people she meets as she roams through the world. Her work has been published in places like Condé Nast Traveller, The Guardian and BBC Travel. She is a certified yoga teacher, solo travel enthusiast and excitable bird-nerd.

The event will start promptly at 7.00pm

Tickets £7

Includes glass of wine/soft drink and a discount off the book whe purchased on the evening.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Stanfords, 7 Mercer Walk, London, United Kingdom