The Marches: A Borderland Journey between England and Scotland

by Rory Stewart Narrated by Rory Stewart

Overview

Ten years after the walk across Central Asia and Afghanistan that he memorialized in his bestselling The Places in Between, Rory Stewart set out on a new journey, traversing a thousand miles between England and Scotland. Stewart was raised along the border of the two countries, the frontier taking on poignant significance in his understanding of what it means to be both Scottish and English, of his relationship with his father, who's lived on this land his whole life, and of his ties to the rich history and culture of the region. Now representing this borderland as a Member of Parliament, Stewart's march begins as his father turns ninety, Scotland is about to vote on independence, and Britain may disappear forever. At times alone and at times joined by his father, Stewart melds the story of his journey with an intimate portrait of the changing social and political landscape of the region. Stewart has written for the New York Times Magazine, Granta, and the London Review of Books.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Liesl Schillinger

"I believe," Stewart explains, that "walks are miracles—which can let me learn, like nothing else, about a nation, or myself." But the miracle of The Marches is not so much the treks Stewart describes, pulling in all possible relevant history, as the monument that emerges to his beloved father.

Publishers Weekly

10/31/2016
The blurry geographic and cultural line between regions that have been (and might someday be) separate nations is explored in this ruminative travelogue. Stewart, an Englishman who grew up partly in Scotland and represents an English border district in Parliament, follows The Places In Between, his 2006 account of trekking across Afghanistan by foot, with this narrative of walking trips through English-Scottish border areas. Musing on the nature of frontiers, he ponders Hadrian's Wall marking Roman Britain off from the barbarian north; the Northumbrian lands where medieval Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse settlers uneasily coexisted; cross-border feuds that inspired Walter Scott's romances; and the separatist impulses surrounding the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. He also paints vivid portraits of the region's rich (though sodden) landscapes, and trenchantly critiques environment policies that try to return the human-scaled "living countryside" of 1,000-year-old grazing and farming terrain to wild bog and forest for the sake of biodiversity and carbon sinks. Stewart anchors his lively mix of history, travelogue, and reportage on local communities in a vibrant portrait of his father, who was both a tartan-wearing Scotsman and a thoroughly British soldier and diplomat. This is a subtle, clear-eyed, ardent case for the United Kingdom's future, one that recognizes cross-border divisions but deeply values ties that bind. (Nov.)

From the Publisher

“Stewart proves to be a captivating tour guide… He brings archaic languages and traditions vividly alive, wrestles with nationalism and nationhood and, in a poignant closing section, traces his father's war years and last days… Beautiful, evocative and wise, The Marches highlights new truths about old countries and the unbreakable bond between a father and son.”—Malcolm Forbes, MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
 
“The miracle of The Marches is not so much the treks Stewart describes, pulling in all possible relevant history, as the monument that emerges to his beloved father.”—NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“Stewart demonstrates a deep historical understanding of the land and describes the flora and fauna that he encounters with the precision of a botanist… Stewart is a careful and thoughtful observer…”—CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
 
"[A] modern day Lawrence of Arabia…a sensitive exploration of what borders mean and don't mean... the book is held together by Mr. Stewart's writing, with his short chapters moving skillfully from history to personal encounter."— Andrew Lownie, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
 
“Stewart reveals the force of myths and traditions and the endurance of ties that are woven into the fabric of the land itself. A meditation on deep history, the pull of national identity, and home, The Marches will be regarded as one of the best books of 2016.”—WAMC-FM, “the Roundtable”

“Captivating… Stewart writes movingly and honestly about his father, who was 50 when Rory was born but possessed a remarkable vigor and a keen interest in his son that readers will feel throughout the narrative. It’s a fitting end to this powerful exploration of personal and national lineages and landscapes.”—BOOKPAGE
 
“As a writer, Stewart has a fine sense of the nature of the physical spaces he traverses, as well as the human stories (past and present) that play out in these landscapes.” —SIGNATURE
 
“An unforgettable tale.” —NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

"[Stewart] paints vivid portraits... [he] anchors his lively mix of history, travelogue, and reportage on local communities in a vibrant portrait of his father, who was both a tartan-wearing Scotsman and a thoroughly British soldier and diplomat. This is a subtle, clear-eyed, ardent case for the United Kingdom's future, one that recognizes cross-border divisions but deeply values ties that bind." —PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

“Fascinating…Stewart provides wonderful insights as he visits Roman fortifications, medieval castles, and Hadrian’s Wall. This is an informative, thoughtful, and timely mix of history and travelogue.” —BOOKLIST
 
“There are few authors whose books are automatic purchases, whatever the subject . . . [Stewart’s] greatest talent is in getting people to speak to him and actually listening to what they say, a skill on full display in his previous books about Afghanistan and Iraq. . . . Throughout, Stewart makes it a joy to learn every tree, flower, and butterfly, to explore where Roman forts stood, and to understand the ancient histories of the region. Another winner from a consistently engaging author.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)
 
"Stewart bubbles with geopolitical knowledge... [His] walk across the Middleland brings Cumbria brilliantly alive...  this is travel writing at its best… Perhaps more than anything else, more than the exploration of a landscape, or an attempt to define the prickly concept of empire, or to ask what it means to be Scottish, The Marches is a portrait of a man. Of an energetic, loving father; of a gentle man, yet feisty; of a man who loved to dance and to laugh and to sing, and whose son was the apple of his eye.”—THE GUARDIAN(UK)

Library Journal

04/15/2016
Stewart's The Places in Between received front-page coverage in the New York Times Book Review and has since sold more than 300,000 copies across formats. Now Stewart walks another place in between—the Marches, an area along the Anglo-Scottish border that's seen many a battle.

Kirkus Review

★ Sept. 8, 2016
The author’s journey along Hadrian’s Wall, which allowed him “to explore and answer questions about Scottish nationalism, Rome, Frontiers, and Empires.”There are few authors whose books are automatic purchases, whatever the subject, universal or arcane. Stewart (The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq, 2006, etc.) is just such an author, and here, he introduces his father to give us an idea of where he got his drive to fully understand the people around him. He is now a Member of Parliament living in Cumbria, England, while his father, Brian, lives in the family home in Scotland. Stewart’s Scottish heritage is rich and deep; as he notes, his father “and all his father’s father’s ancestors, his father’s mother’s ancestors, and his mother’s father’s ancestors were born, lived and had died, for at least two centuries, in one tiny geographical area.” This book began as a father-son walk to explore the Marches (the borderlands) and find the feelings that might foretell the outcome of the coming Scottish Referendum. His greatest talent is in getting people to speak to him and actually listening to what they say, a skill on full display in his previous books about Afghanistan and Iraq. Stewart saw a similar talent in his father when they lived in Malaya, where Brian—a fascinating character in his own right—worked in the colonial offices; he often left his post to travel around and get to know the indigenous people. The author notes similarities between the marches in Roman times and the tribes of Afghanistan and in Iraq. Taking a second walk without his father, he sought the true heritage of the lost “Middleland.” Throughout, Stewart makes it a joy to learn every tree, flower, and butterfly, to explore where Roman forts stood, and to understand the ancient histories of the region. Another winner from a consistently engaging author.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171257538
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	11/22/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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