Synopsis
From the acclaimed author of The Road Less Traveled comes the personal story of his own journey of self-discovery. On a three-week spiritual quest with his wife to see the ancient megalithic stones in the countryside of Wales, England, and Scotland, he gained insight into such issues as parenthood, holiness, romance, art, and his own shortcomings.
Reviews
Connecticut psychiatrist Peck (The Road Less Traveled) spent three weeks in 1992 traveling with his wife, Lily, a psychotherapist, through the English countryside, visiting Stonehenge, other prehistoric stone circles, megalithic tombs, earthworks and medieval cathedrals. That trip is the framework for this quirky, magical blend of autobiography, travel, spiritual meditation, history and Arthurian legend. Peck candidly discusses his addiction to tobacco and his habitual alcohol use, his emotional estrangement from his three grown children, his repeated operations for degenerative disc disease, his wife's recurrent depressions, his wealth and the strength of his marriage despite his many sexual infidelities. He describes his encounter with a benevolent sprite, a "spirit of mirth" that entered his psyche, in 1986. He writes of Merlin, the Druids, the Protestant Reformation and the Quakers, whose outlook inspired the community-building workshops he and his wife conduct. Enhanced by 30 evocative drawings, Peck's soaring meditations on faith, art, despair and self-integration make this a rewarding spiritual odyssey.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Peck, author of the phenomenal best seller The Road Less Travelled (1978) and a number of other respected books on personal growth, continues his journey with a thoroughly readable account of a vacation trip he and his wife took through Great Britain in search of megalithic stone monuments built by Neolithic people several thousand years ago. Peck and his wife are archaeology enthusiasts, and their quest for prehistoric standing stones takes them to many small towns and interesting out-of-the-way places. Against this backdrop, Peck interweaves philosophical musings and personal wisdom on a variety of subjects, including peace, parenthood, aging, religion, art, money, and death. He speaks openly and candidly of his own shortcomings as well as his triumphs, successes, and outlook on life. His search for ancient stone monuments leads to a deeper quest?an exploration of the mind and of one's own humanity. Peck masterfully integrates travel, archaeology, history, philosophy, and autobiography to provide useful insights into many of life's basic issues. This thoughtful work would be a valuable addition for all public libraries and is sure to be popular with those who are already familiar with Peck's writings.
- ?Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The psychiatrist who has so successfully merged psychology and Christianity--his Road Less Traveled has spent 11 years on the New York Times' best-seller list--turns out to have a thing for megaliths, and so does his wife. Together, the couple roamed western Great Britain, from Wales to the Hebrides to Inverness, during May 31-June 20, 1992, looking for and at the mysterious standing stones (the most famous of them comprise Stonehenge, which the Pecks skipped), and Scott kept notes, which he greatly expanded upon for this book. There is a chapter for every day of the Pecks' journey, but they are not entitled with the days' destinations. Rather, they carry the names of the big topics--"Reason," "Romance," "Holiness," etc.--that the events of particular days made Peck contemplate, then or later. These topics elicit from Peck both the kind of rumination for which he is famous and wonderful little lessons in British religious history as well as the prehistory the megaliths bring to mind; for example, in "Religion," Peck relays the life and teachings of the original Quaker, George Fox (1624-91). Meanwhile, Peck also gives us some perfectly adequate travel writing about the actual trip. Maybe those who don't give a rip about megaliths will yawn during this excursion, but both Peck's faithful readership and those who adore all things British and ancient will be completely charmed. Ray Olson
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