Windswept

*Praise for Annabel Abbs* Abbs has a healthy disregard for the great man theory of literary history... With a fine eye for period detail, Abbs confirms her standing as one of the best historical novelists today. * Observer * *Praise for WINDSWEPT* A gorgeous and revelatory blend of memoir, travelogue, and long-forgotten history, Annabel Abbs's Windswept tells the stories of six extraordinary women and their intertwining journeys-one accomplished by foot and the other by the mind and heart. Abbs is a witty and engaging guide, seamlessly weaving her own experience with those of her walking women, all of whom discovered that the simple act of taking one step at a time can be the most powerful-and defiant-of all. * Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author of The Ghosts of Eden Park * Amazing... lovely, haunting, inspiring and so well done. * Professor Amy Von Lintel, author of The Wartime Texas Letters of Georgia O'Keeffe, and Georgia O'Keeffe Watercolours. * A triumph ... I felt as though I were being lifted, carried up to peaks. * Charlotte Peacock, author of Into the Mountain: A Life of Nan Shepherd * 'I couldn't put it down...The interweaving of different chronologies, the lives of these fascinating women, with scientific information about the value of walking is incredibly deft. The humour, the very prescient section on women's unsafe walking in public, sexual harassment, the chapter headings like Victorian novels, the sac a dos as walking companion, the range: menstruation, mothering, art, literature sexuality and more! Quite extraordinary. And yet written in such a free flowing, readable style. I'm in awe.' * Maggie Humm, author of Talland House, Washington Independent Review of Books '51 Favourite Books of 2020' * I love how the act of walking connects the lives of these women - and how it transforms them. It makes me want to go for a hike just to see what happens. Windswept satisfies my endless appetite for untold stories of women's history, filling important gaps and bringing their stories into light. * Mia Kankimaki, author of Women I Think About At Night * [A] beautiful and meditative memoir. This lush narrative serves as the perfect excuse to get moving. * Publishers Weekly * A compelling, erudite book that mixes travel memoir with tantalising oblique biography. * Saga * Brilliant... clever, clever Annabel * Postcards from Midlife * I loved it. So many 'yes' moments! -- Catie Friend * Chatting with a Friend podcast * Exhilarating * Country Walking * Should be read by all women and those who love the outdoors. * Booklist Magazine * A fascinating, deeply thoughtful read -- Laurie Hertzel * The Star Tribune *