A stunning book that is a must for any young children with a passion for geography. It's well presented with complimentary information for each place.

This was such a fascinating read! Baxter managed to pair real world places with fictional ones to create an interesting analysis of literature. The variety of places she talked about was good as it meant that it wasn't eurocentric. The detail she goes into is good as it means that as a reader it builds a picture of the setting behind these famous books.

This book is utterly useless, a waste of talent, paper, and space. If the idea behind the book is to show places where some chosen famous books are set, then the illustrations fail that idea. Every picture by Amy Grimes looks like a Wordsworth poem - even the 'ghetto' Dublin - and ALL lack specific detail or purpose that makes one place unique or different - they all look the same, have the same brown-orange, blue/cobalt, dark green, bright yellow color concepts (whether to show roofs or barren land; Kabul and Yorkshire Moors are too similar; same for Kerala and Mississippi River) or look as snippets of Monopoly Game Board or cartoonish maps. It would have been better if the text carried actual images of authors and places.

Maybe it would work as a coffee table book for someone. Underwhelming. Text / writing is okay.

This is a fun book that takes a look at 25 cities around the world through the lens of fiction. For example, London as seen in Oliver Twist, New York City in The Cather in the Rye, Paris in Les Miserables. Each city is also represented with illustrations. I appreciated that the literature covered was from classic to modern, and the locations highlighted were worldwide. This would be a fun coffee-table book and conversation piece.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of "Literary Places" via Net Galley.

I loved the concept of this book and also the art work and variety of locations visited and books used but ultimately I wanted more about the book and the location. For me it was so close to being my ideal gift book that I was a bit sad it didn’t quite live up to my hopes.

Another book about books - or better: a book about the places that are described in some of the most important classics of all times - which stole my heart. I loved to read and remember the plots that were running in the streets that the author describes. Only disappointment was the total absence of Rome, in a book where Florence and Neapels are described....

Un altro libro sui libri - o meglio: un libro su alcuni dei posti raccontati dai classici più famosi - che mi ha preso il cuore. È stato molto bello leggere le parole dell'autrice e contemporaneamente ricordare le trame che si svolgevano in quei vicoli e piazze. Peccato peró, che in un volume che cita Firenze e Napoli, Roma sia vistosamente assente.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

This is such a beautiful book full of ideas for those who love the combination of travel and reading. What better way to learn about a new place than through the eyes of an author?! Would highly recommend and can’t wait to add some of these places to my bucket list!

This was not at all what I had expected it to be. First of all, it wasn't really so much a Traveller's Guide, as a book with short descriptions of books and some of the locations it was set in. If I were planning an actual literary based holiday, I doubt this would have helped me.

What it does do is describe all books it mentioned shortly, and since I read less than a quarter of all the books mentioned this was nice. However, not really a travel guide. It then goes a bit deeper into some of the places that are mentioned (or sometimes not mentioned) in the book. While interesting, there were many instances of books chosen where you can not visit the places because they have either been demolishes, or the actual location was never given in the book and the author suggests it might have taken place there. This concept became repetitive rather quickly, and I would have liked to see some more variation.

Everything was accompanied by some colorful, bright drawings which I really enjoyed even though they were quite simple in style. For me, they were the part I enjoyed best. While I liked the idea of Literary Places, I found it was not what I expected and I think there could have been more in the book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Being winter weary, this book appealed to me. The promise of pictures of favorite literary locales with background info was intriguing.
Perhaps my expectations were too high because this book is simply okay. The pictures weren't what I had expected. The stories about the locations were somewhat interesting.
It is an interesting idea for a book though.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful book for armchair readers and explorers. 25 fictional places are featured and paired with the novels that made them well known. Some of my favorites were New York City/Catcher in the Rye; Yorkshire Moors/Wuthering Heights, Bath/Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, Naples/My Brilliant Friend, Alabama/To Kill a Mockingbird and really just about every place and book mentioned. The author and illustrator are well matched; the text is informative and helps the reader to imagine the place described at the time that the book was written as well as now, while the drawings are just slightly whimsical and very appealing.

This book will inspire you to look at old favorites, find new ones and think about either real or virtual travel. I recommend it highly.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-galley. I enjoyed my journey!

Unfortunately, I am unable to read and review books in ePub format. It is helpful in making requests if publishers mention if a book is unavailable in kindle format.

I enjoyed Literary Places, by Sarah Baxter, and I recommend it to other "armchair travelers." The book takes us to 25 places around the world that have inspired great authors like Victor Hugo, who wrote of the Paris sewers in Les Miserables. I loved the way the author described these locations--she made me want to visit them and read the books that were inspired by them.

Thanks to the publisher for an e-copy, exchanged for my honest opinion, I recommend this very interesting and enjoyable read!

Literary Places is an armchair inspiration guide to the key settings from 25 of the world’s greatest novels. While it may inspire you to travel, it is more likely to inspire you to read.

On the same day I read Literary Places, which includes Picnic at Hanging Rock (set in Victoria, Australia), I came across Joan Lindsay’s haunting novel in my local bookshop and am now reading it - so Literary Places works!

Literary Places is divided into 25 short chapters each introduced with a flavourful scene-setting narrative: “A north wind whips over the rise by the old stone ruin, quivering the heather…’ This is followed by a digest of the social and political contexts in which the authors wrote and how these relate to the selected novels.

The guide is not comprehensive. Instead, each chapter is an amuse-bouche aiming to momentarily transport us to Cairo, Kerala, Kabul and inspire us towards the original novels. For me, the overviews of Knut Hamsun’s Growth of the Soil set in the Norwegian wilds and Nadine Gordimer’s Burger’s Daughter from South Africa were the most persuasive.

What Literary Places unforgivably lacks are excerpts from each of the selected novels illustrating their evocations of place.

Written by Sarah Baxter and illustrated with a joyous minimalism by Amy Grimes, Literary Places is the second in the Inspired Traveller’s Guide series – preceded by Spiritual Places.

"Inspired Traveller’s Guides: Literary Places takes you on an enlightening journey through the key locations of literature’s best and brightest authors, movements, and moments - brought to life through comprehensively researched text and stunning hand-drawn artwork.

Travel journalist Sarah Baxter provides comprehensive and atmospheric outlines of the history and culture of 25 literary places around the globe, as well as how they intersect with the lives of the authors and the works that make them significant. Full-page color illustrations instantly transport you to each location. You’ll find that these places are not just backdrops to the tales told, but characters in their own right.

Travel to the sun-scorched plains of Don Quixote’s La Mancha, roam the wild Yorkshire moors with Cathy and Heathcliff, or view Central Park through the eyes of J.D. Salinger’s antihero. Explore the lush and languid backwaters of Arundhati Roy’s Kerala, the imposing precipice of Joan Lindsay’s Hanging Rock, and the labyrinthine streets and sewers of Victor Hugo’s Paris.

Delve into this book to discover some of the world’s most fascinating literary places and the novels that celebrate them."

I love walking in the footsteps of favorite books and authors, whether in actuality or from the comfort of my armchair delighting in Amy Grimes's artwork.

This is a book for book lovers who like to travel! It's such a nice read and really necessary :)
I loved it. It highlights the literary places iconic books take place with illustrations. And I must say illustrations are fantastic.

I definitely made my list, don't miss this book!

In the Venn diagram of those with wanderlust in one section, and another section of readers who enjoy books where Place is a strong element, readers who find themselves in the overlap will enjoy Literary Places by Sarah Baxter.

A visually beautiful book, illustrator Amy Grimes uses bold colors to depict locations described within 25 books (well, 26: Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are combined in one chapter about Bath). Author Sarah Baxter devotes a few pages to each place.

I'm a fan of illustrator Amy Grimes' aesthetic. The colors are bold, lines crisp. Let your gaze linger a bit and see some of the subtler details she includes. Notice how she uses light in her artwork. I don't actually know anything about art, but I know what I like, and I like what I'm seeing.

The titles represented in this book cover a range of dates and places. Locations include the inhabited continents, with the bulk of titles in Europe. The earliest I've spotted is Don Quixote in 1615 in Spain, to 2011 and My Brilliant Friend, set in Naples. This particular depiction also graces the cover.

Each chapter can stand alone. For that reason, I'd suggest you start with a chapter on a book you've already read. This will help you get a feel of what Literary Places can offer.

Baxter writes about the setting and places the book in historical context for the book and author. For the chapter on To Kill a Mockingbird, Baxter's use of imagery sets the scene, then she reminds us of events during the Civil Rights movement around the time the book was published. We have a brief plot summary (I don't think there are spoilers within, though I know some readers prefer to jump into a book knowing nothing at all about plot, so bear that in mind). We also have a description of Harper Lee's hometown, where she drew inspiration for the book. If you want to visit a site in person, Baxter suggests a few highlights for a tour.

My summary doesn't do it justice; read a sample chapter.

I'm planning on using Literary Places to enhance my appreciation for books I've already read, and to add to my TBR stack.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a digital review copy. I preordered this in hardcover.

I enjoyed Literary Places Sarah Baxter =delves not just into the physical places but the political and social climate as well. Where appropriate, she details what has changed between the time of the novels and current day. Reading this book, is like the novels and is a trip around the world.
The book does have one major flaw: it contain illustrations instead of actual pictures While illustrations can work on getting some of the hues and recall back to older times, modern pictures would have been very helpful in really understanding these places.. Had this book had photos, I would have bought this book for a few of my literary friends.

Inspired Traveller's Guides: Literary Places by Sara Baxter

published by Quarto is the book for you, if you search for an original approach with the most stunning places of literature seen and lived with the eyes of the authors taken in examination.

Readers will visit thanks to full-page color illustrations Central Park seen through the eyes of J.D. Salinger or the places of Don Quixote's La Mancha, the wild Yorkshire where Cathy and Heathcliff lived their tormented love, or Victor Hugo's Paris without forgetting Florence described in A Room with a View by EM Forster but also the town that inspired the touching book by Harper Lee: To Kill a Mocking Bird.
I love John Steinbeck and for all the estimators, I can tell you that there is also his presence, like also the one of Mark Twain, with a location of Huckleberry Finn for complexively twenty-five wonderful, romantic, wild locations that, during these centuries or decades have meant for readers their literary life.
It's a book this one that wants to let you fall in love again and again for these literary places, representing, speaking,communicating, giving voice again at masterpieces of literature beloved by million of readers.

It's a book I would suggest, for originality also to your children. Sometimes a different approach, more original, in particular when children don't want to read, can be helpful and can stimulate them.

Everything start from curiosity. Trravels are a powerful suggestion :-) for searching for a book.

Highly recommended.

I thank NetGalley and Quarto for this ebook.

Anna Maria Polidori

This lovely little book combines charming watercolors with narratives about the places that star in some of the world’s greatest literature. From Dickens to Salinger and Bronte, this is a book that will please readers and travelers alike

A beautifully illustrated book exploring the places that inspired great pieces of literature. Twenty five different books are explored with regard to their setting, places from around the world, from Paris, Les Miserables to Chile, The House of the Spirits. Some of these books I have read and visited their setting. Others I am unfamiliar with but I have been inspired to read in the near future. It would have been lovely to see photographs of some of the places mentioned in addition to the stunning artwork. Thank you to Net Galley and White Lion Publishing,Quarto Group for an ARC.