Enchanted Islands: Laura Coffey in conversation - Cardiff

Join us as we welcome author Laura Coffey to the store, who will be discussing her beautiful debut book Enchanted Islands.
Fluidly moving between the warm, confessional tone of Dolly Alderton and the insightful meditations on literature, myth, and storytelling found in the writing of Octavia Bright or Madeleine Miller, this is a beautiful study of love and heartbreak, travel and adventure. Enchanted Islands: Travels through Myth & Magic, Love & Loss is the story of Laura's journey around the islands of the Mediterranean searching for the real life inspo behind the fantastical lands of The Odyssey, and combines travel and nature writing with memoir, and a twist of mythology.
Seeking solace from the pain of heartbreak and her father's illness, Laura Coffey embarks on what was meant to be a simple holiday. But her newfound fascination with ancient Greek myths transforms her trip into a six-month odyssey, around tiny archipelagos and mystical Mediterranean islands thought to be the setting of Odysseus's epic journey. As she chases one of the most conflicted, flawed and yet beloved heroes through his fantastical sea-kingdoms, looking for the places where geography and mythology collide, she discovers the wild beauty of the islands, and the redemptive powers of travel and nature, cold-water swimming, long hikes up mountains, and luminous star-lit skies.
'Laura Coffey's personal Odyssey is a magical and hugely captivating journey into journeys. Like the original Odyssey and all that follow it, Enchanted Islands is about finding one's way home. But the adventures on the way are filled with such beauty, wonder and surprise. The journey changes the meaning of the destination. A simply marvellous read, hugely recommended.' - Stephen Fry

Laura Coffey writes regularly for national and international magazines and newspapers, like BBC Travel, The Guardian and Condé Nast Traveller, and has appeared in a wide range of Podcasts including CNT Women Who Travel. She holds an MA and M.Phil from St John’s College, Cambridge University, is a certified yoga teacher and an excitable bird nerd. When she’s not writing she can be found cycling across London, stretching out on her yoga mat, or best of all, planning an escape to a remote island.

Refreshments will be provided! Please note that our events space is on the first floor, accessible via stairs or lift. Do contact us if you have any access requirements.
Doors open at 18:30

Host or Publisher Waterstones