Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Lovely photographs with added historical, social, and religious context made for an illuminating read.

I received this ARC through NetGalley with permission from the publisher. Thank you, I was very interested in the contents of the book, as I do hope to see all these sites for myself one day. I was given only parts of the book - the majority of the text was hidden under Lorem Ipsum gibberish, but what wasn't, was remarkable. I appreciated very much that the author wrote not only about physical appearances of those sites, but also about its history and spiritual background. That sort of information is invaluable to those wanting this book not only for its visual but also for its spiritual content. The photographs weren't hidden, and they were absolutely stunning. The book would be worth buying even only for themselves.

The only complaint I have would be that it appears that there are no pilgrimage sites outside the Western Europe, excluding Poland and Slovakia (maybe I err if I say they do not belong in there geographically). Ireland is also not on the list. The introduction section was also hidden from the viewing, so it might be that the clue for the criteria which sites do belong to the book and which not is given in there. In short, the book is indeed a beautiful coffee table book, just not as complete as it could've been.

I was really looking forward t this book as I am at the stage in my life where I am traveling more and wanted to see here I my want to go. The best part of this book are the photos. They were absolutely stunning and the layout was pretty good for a large format coffee table book (not so much for my pdf version). Unfortunately my review copy only had half of the text (the first was all 'lorem ipsum'), so I have no idea what the criteria was for inclusion or what they really meant by pilgrimage. It would have been nice to break up the descriptive text to cover the legend, the physical structures (pictures) and why it is revered today (why are the pilgrims coming). Some of that was in the text, but it didn't seem consistent and was hard to find quickly when I was only looking for one part specifically. Regardless, it seems a little odd not to have Medjugorje among other potential sites. At times it just seemed like the author was including a site simply because it was popular with tourists. I guess that I was expecting something a little more spiritual?

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#GreatPilgrimageSitesofEurope #NetGalley

The photography in this book was absolutely stunning. I've been to a lot of churches in Europe and it fascinates to see what a professional chooses to photograph. I was amazed by how many of these locations I had not been to. Of the 33 pilgrimage sites in the book (I say sites and not churches because the entire city of Rome is considered one site) I have only been to 6. Clearly I need to go back and use this book as my travel guide. The descriptions gave a nice overview of the site providing information on the religious significance, history of the building, and how/why pilgrims continue to visit today. This is the type of book that I would buy for my coffee table. Looking at Goodreads, Derry Brabbs has several similar books that I now want to take a look at.

I was a bit annoyed to find that the download I had been given was missing about half the text for the book (it was in lorem ipsum). Several of the places that were missing the captions I really wanted to learn about and had to look up on wikipedia. I'm trying to have that saw my opinion of the book too much because a purchased copy would not have this issue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely-looking book, with some fabulous images of important sites, that range from those known worldwide (Lourdes, Fatima, Czestochowa) to the less populist (Le Puy-en-Velay, Covadonga). Image quality is really strong, with every site getting an overall view, and several close-ups of the key treasures and sanctuaries – or the processions themselves – make up the six or eight pages each venue receives. I can't pretend to have read every word, because many early chapters in the preview file I received were in Lorem Ipsum, but enough entries had actually been given the English text for me to attest to the value of this volume. Snide comments about coach trippers are not the only reason to believe the author has been to all these places; his presence everywhere, and his potted histories and architectural guides really are most inspiring. Four and a half stars.

I really liked this book, except it did not have Knock, in Mayo, Ireland. I have been their and loved it. The pictures in the book was amazing, so beautiful. It was very informative.

This gorgeously photographed title provides readers with a fantastic opportunity for arm chair travel. Visit pilgrimage sites throughout Europe. Religious locations are featured from Britain, France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Finland and Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Italy, and Spain and Portugal. Enjoy revisiting places that may be familiar while also traveling to those that are new. Will you be inspired to take a pilgrimage of your own (post covid)?

Note: I very much enjoyed looking at the photos in this title. However, some of the text was not in English. I so wish that it was! For this reason my rating is three stars. If I could read the book, my rating would be higher.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.