Lifelines: Searching for Home in the Mountains of Greece

Author:   Julian Hoffman
Publisher:   Elliott & Thompson Limited
ISBN:  

9781783968640


Pages:   304
Publication Date:   15 May 2025
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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Lifelines: Searching for Home in the Mountains of Greece


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Overview

In the summer of 2000, Julian Hoffman and his wife Julia found themselves disillusioned with city life. Overwhelmed by long commutes, they stumbled upon a book about Prespa, Greece - a remote corner of Europe filled with stone villages, snow-capped mountains and wildlife. What began as curiosity soon transformed into a life-changing decision: to make Prespa their home. Prespa is a crossroads. Where three countries come together around two huge lakes, where limestone collides with granite and heat-pulsing Mediterranean ecosystems meet their colder, Balkan relatives. Here, languages, wartime histories and rivers converge, and pelicans, bears and people leave their footprints on the water’s edge – next to unexploded bombs. Lifelines is not only the tale of a courageous leap into a new life, but of seasons punctuated by unforgettable encounters, from a stare-down with a bear surrounded by Spring wildflowers to a deep-winter meeting with fourteen wrens sheltering above a frozen doorway. And into this place encircled by mountains, Julian seamlessly weaves an intricate web of stories – of conflict and possibility; of refuge lost and found; of the wild lifelines that connect us all as we move through the world seeking a home.

Full Product Details

Author:   Julian Hoffman
Publisher:   Elliott & Thompson Limited
Imprint:   Elliott & Thompson Limited
ISBN:  

9781783968640


ISBN 10:   1783968648
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   15 May 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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Reviews

‘Julian Hoffman’s writing is knockout beautiful, perceptive, sensitive, thoughtful, beguiling, deeply smart, full of humanity, and a lifeline in itself.’ Keggie Carew, author of Dadland


‘A tender, powerful story of love for a place and a way of being, and a bracing call to the barricades - for enemies are closing in. An urgent, important and compelling read.’ Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild ‘Julian Hoffman’s writing is knockout beautiful, perceptive, sensitive, thoughtful, beguiling, deeply smart, full of humanity, and a Lifeline in itself.’ Keggie Carew, author of Dadland and Beastly ‘I’ve been wondering for several years whether it was now possible for anyone writing in English to write a great book about living in Greece. Well, here it is. Exquisitely written, revelatory, passionate about the ecosystem of the Prespa lakes, Lifelines tells of how Hoffman and his wife found home in this northwest corner of Greece.’ John Kittmer, former British Ambassador to Greece ‘Set against the spectacular mountains and lakes of northern Greece, this remarkable book describes Julian and Julia’s odyssey as they meet others on similar quests to find home, be they bears, pelicans or humans. Utterly relevant to our times.’ Lee Durrell, MBE ‘Awakens every sense - Lifelines will tilt you towards the wonder of nature. Written with wisdom, love and a protective quality that soars, this is a beautiful and important gem.’ Hannah Bourne-Taylor, author of Nature Needs You and Fledgling ’[Julian] observes the world around him with such sensitivity and he brings to every natural encounter - be it a Greek landlord, a moth, a Juniper tree or a brown bear - a child’s sense of wonder and respect ... Lifelines is a book that will refresh your soul.’ Carol Drinkwater, author of The Olive Farm ‘Julian Hoffman’s Lifelines is a heart-warming tale of finding home.’ Dr James Canton, author of Grounded ’A marvellous work of love and reflection on the wild places we share with nature, the ordinary and extraordinary people and creatures, and the magic of our living world.’ Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century ‘A journey of discovery, rich in event and beautifully crafted ... At a time when the planet is at risk, Hoffman’s passionate sense of place is both a celebration and an alarm call.’ David Harsent, author of Skin ‘Lifelines is a beautifully written and tender book of what it can mean to fall in love with a place, its wildlife and its people.’ Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean 'Absolutely fantastic. Lifelines is a balm for the soul: simultaneously hyper local and international; attentive to the lives of others, animal and human; Hoffman’s writing has never been better, more powerful, more beautiful than here.’ Stephen Rutt, author of The Eternal Season ‘Julian Hoffman’s prose is poetic, joyful and filled with love for the natural world and his chosen home.’ Annie Worsley, author of Windswept ‘Lifelines is absolutely beautiful. So moving and full of insights into our flawed relationship to the Earth – and yet it is not without hope for our damaged planet.’ Joanna Pocock, author of Surrender  ‘Suffused in the wonder of nature, wildlife and humanity, and shot-through with ecological themes, Julian Hoffman’s Lifelines is simply spellbinding — an absolute must-read for anyone who’s wondered about the possibility of carving a different kind of life’ LoveReading  ‘Julian Hoffman’s poetic memoir is an inspiring call to throw caution to the wind … Lifelines is not just beautiful, it is quite literally encouraging. It will make you brave. To those waiting for the right moment, the safe path, the clearly marked route, Hoffman offers a challenge: throw yourself towards the dangerous edge of things.’ The Observer


‘A tender, powerful story of love for a place and a way of being, and a bracing call to the barricades - for enemies are closing in. An urgent, important and compelling read’ Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild 'Absolutely fantastic. Lifelines is a balm for the soul: simultaneously hyper local and international; attentive to the lives of others, animal and human; Hoffman's writing has never been better, more powerful, more beautiful than here. It is the book we need for these troubling times of closing borders, suspicion of others and biodiversity loss. It deserves to win awards’ Stephen Rutt, author of The Eternal Season ‘Awakens every sense - Lifelines will tilt you towards the wonder of nature. Written with wisdom, love and a protective quality that soars, this is a beautiful and important gem’ Hannah Bourne-Taylor, author of Fledgling 'Julian Hoffman’s writing is knockout beautiful, perceptive, sensitive, thoughtful, beguiling, deeply smart, full of humanity, and a Lifeline in itself’ Keggie Carew, author of Dadland and Beastly 'Julian Hoffman’s Lifelines is quite magical. He observes the world around him with such sensitivity and he brings to every natural encounter - be it a Greek landlord, a moth, a Juniper tree or a brown bear - a child's sense of wonder and respect ... Lifelines is a book that will refresh your soul' Carol Drinkwater, author of The Olive Farm ‘Utterly engaging and enchanting, Julian Hoffman’s Lifelines is a heart-warming tale of finding home. In a wild corner of Europe, Hoffman finds a space to live with the other creatures that know the wonder of that world. His writing enables us to join him in this landscape of natural delights.’ Dr James Canton, author of Grounded: A Journey into the Landscapes of Our Ancestors ‘A marvellous work of love and reflection on the wild places we share with nature, the ordinary and extraordinary people and creatures, and the magic of our living world. Vivid with humanity, empathy and clarity, and mercilessly devoid of sentimentality. I was enthralled and won't be the only reader making travel plans for Prespa.’ Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century ‘Lifelines describes a homecoming to a place that, as the story opens, has yet to become home. It is both an inner journey and a journey of discovery, rich in event and beautifully crafted ... At a time when the planet is at risk, Hoffman’s passionate sense of place is both a celebration and an alarm call.’ David Harsent, author of Skin ‘Lifelines is a beautifully written and tender book of what it can mean to fall in love with a place, its wildlife and its people . Lifelines is a gentle yet urgent reminder that we still have agency, that we can still join with others to do everything within our means to protect the places in which we live.’ Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean ‘With descriptions as rich as the biogeography of Prespa and with a powerful sense of place, Lifelines is much more than a delight, it is a book that will draw you in, again and again. Julian Hoffman's prose is poetic, joyful and filled with love for the natural world and his chosen home. I too, yearned to be there and meet true wilderness in the form of a bear!’ Annie Worsley, author of Windswept 


Author Information

JULIAN HOFFMAN is one of our most thoughtful and interesting writers on the natural world. He is the author of two previous books, Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save our Wild Places (Highly Commended Finalist for the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation 2020; Royal Geographical Society ‘Book of the Year’ 2020; shortlisted for ASLE UK Book Prize for Literature and Environment 2021) and The Small Heart of Things (Winner of both the 2012 AWP Award for Creative Nonfiction and the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History Literature, as well as being a finalist for the Foreword Book of the Year in Ecology and Environment and the ASLE Book Award for Literature and Environment).

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