Walking to Canterbury: A Modern Journey Through Chaucer's Medieval England Paperback – March 4, 2003

having been in Canterbury recently and being very interest in the subject of Gothic architecture, the Middle Ages and history of the Plantagenet, i found the subject material very good and informative.

On a long train ride to New York, I consumed Jerry Ellis's wonderful new book in one sitting. From the man who walked a straight line to the squeaky staircase, the stories Ellis tells make the reader feel as if he were along on the pilgrimage too. And a pilgrimage it was as even I, a particularly non-spiritual person, felt moved by the otherworldly aspects of the quest.Further the fact that Chaucer, all these years later, drew Ellis across the Atlantic to make this trek is captivating proof of the universal power of literature. Walking to Canterbury achieves the right balance of the then and now, and I predict that Ellis will introduce thousands to Chaucer who would have never known him.

This only mildly interesting book weaves tales of the author's 1999 walk from London to Canterbury with English history and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.Despite a potentially interesting premise and loads of unusual historical facts to link past and present, the author's ego distracts throughout the book; however it does get to a point where it's almost comical rather than irritating. He's just a bit too dramatic and evidently has had more Very Deep Thoughts and Mystical Life Experiences than the rest of us mere mortals. After a while Professor Lockhart from the 'Harry Potter' books started springing to mind whenever the author's commentary would circle back -- as it always did -- to himself and his mystical insights.Overall, it's a quick and easy read and I found the historical portions of the book interesting. Frankly, I was rather surprised that one *could* still walk from London to Canterbury on suburban and country roads. However, after reading this, I'd rather walk with someone else.

excellent

I love history and this story is about the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury over 600 years ago. Mr. Eliis takes a 60 mile pilgrimage talking to people along the way. The interesting thing is that after the murder, miracles begin to happen. People flocked to his shrine wanting healing; forgiveness or a sign from God. This book is not only historical but touches the spiritual as well.

I am partial to travel commentaries. The best ones have history and sociology lessons embedded in a moving narrative with rapidly changing settings and characters. The author's role is indispensible for he must impose a theme on his trip and package it engagingly for the reader. Jerry Ellis does this quite well. He treks from London to Canterbury along the 60 mile route established in medieval times. The cathedral where Becket was murdered has been drawing pilgrims for centuries. Ellis is of English as well as Cherokee ancestry and this jaunt was intended to lend symmetry to his work since he had earlier walked and written about the Trail of Tears.You will not enjoy this book unless you have interest in the lifestyles of twelfth century pilgrims. After a few pages of contemporary narrative, Ellis hears something to remind him of ancient ways and the reader knows he's in for a history lesson. However, they are appropriate, informative and quite interesting. Clearly, more time was spent reading the three dozen books in his bibliography than was frittered away in the south of England.The author uses the novelty of his trek to positively engage people and his interactions tend to be significant- perhaps too meaningful by intention. (He is on a religious pilgrimage.) Of course, he is of the "big tent" religion, and actively seeks parallels between Christian ways and the Cherokee beliefs. Some unifying observations are quite touching.I found it remarkable that Ellis could find spots to regularly pitch a tent and build a campfire. Evidently, once you are out of London the city ends and woodlands and wheatfields prevail. I can't imagine a pedestrian being so fortunate around any American city. Our less restrictive zoning extends the city for miles along our routes of egress. If Ellis were to make a pilgrimage out of New York, his campsites would likely be threatened by cranky suburbanites and dozens of state, county, village, environmental and parkway police for 60 miles in any direction. To bad he didn't write a bit about land use...

A fascinating read. A unique adventure. Spilling over with interesting historical information andpresent day illuminations. One of those books you can't pass on to a friend because you don't wantto part with it.

My church book club read this book as the first book of our new year. In our discussion, we focused on how the author considers miracles - and what is our own attitude toward them. Personally, I was hooked on page 47 when the little boy with his bicycle looked at the author and said with a wisdom given to children that "You and I are miracles, aren't we?" Enough of the Tales themselves are included to give you a good introduction or review, for those of us who read them years ago. And the forays into life in the Middle Ages are packed with interesting information given in compact doses. It's amazing how much you can learn without inundated. As a group, we particularly were envious of the author's ability to meet people where they are and bring something away from each encounter. We challenged ourselves to be more aware of the daily miracles in our lives - slowing down enough on our own journey to appreciate them.

An interesting book full of information on the life and times of Chaucer, but not really much help if you want practical advice on walking from London to Canterbury. A very good read just the same and well researched if you need to study this period of English history.

A great insight into the past.

as a Kent resident it is good to relive history with a modern twist, with a look at how the county has changed