A long Way Around Ireland is a book about a man's personal journey to paddle around Ireland while at the same time getting in touch with his Irish heritage. His descriptions of the landscapes are oftentimes interesting, and his struggles on the kayak will resonate with fellow paddlers, especially for those who have paddled in Ireland who upon recognizing the locations and recollecting their own experiences, will find the story to be very relatable.
Historical descriptions of places he visits along the way however, seem a little canned, which can detract the reader from the flow of the story. It would have been better if he had worked the historical references into his experiences while there. On a few occasions he does do that and it enriches the story, but when he doesn't, it feels like he might as well just have referred the reader to the appropriate Wikipedia entry.
I do have one particular complaint about the book. It's narrated in the present tense which makes the flow of the read very bump and awkward. I found myself constantly having to transfigure sentences into the past tense in my head to have the narration flow smoothly. It's the only book I have ever seen written this way.
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