Wayfaring Stranger, Emma John
Wayfaring Stranger, Emma John
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Wayfaring Stranger
A Musical Journey in the American South

Author: Emma John

Narrator: Emma John

Unabridged: 9 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/27/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

Can you feel nostalgic for a life you've never known?

Suffused with her much-loved warmth and wit, Emma John's memoir follows her moving and memorable journey to master one of the hardest musical styles on earth - and to find her place in an alien world.

Emma had fallen out of love with her violin when a chance trip to the American South introduced her to bluegrass music. Classically trained, highly strung and wedded to London life, Emma was about as country as a gin martini. So why did it feel like a homecoming?

Answering that question takes Emma deep into the Appalachian mountains, where she uncovers a hidden culture that confounds every expectation - and learns some emotional truths of her own.

About Emma John

Emma John is a writer and editor on the GUARDIAN and the OBSERVER. She is a former deputy editor of OBSERVER SPORT MONTHLY and THE WISDEN CRICKETER and in 2008 she was the first woman to win a Sports Journalism Award. She is also a classical violinist and bluegrass fiddler.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Vishy

After reading two books by Emma John, I told myself – "She has written just one more book. Let me read that too." 😊 In 'Wayfaring Stranger : A Musical Journey in the American South', Emma John describes the time when she took a year off and spent time in the American South researching on bluegrass mu......more

Goodreads review by Thebooktrail

Visit the locations in the book If you’re any kind of music fan, this is going to be interesting for you! A girl travels to follow her love of music. Even though I’d heard of the style here – bluegrass, – I’d couldn’t have told you much about it But here, Emma travels to find it and find its heart an......more

Goodreads review by Mandy

I just love her style. Brought back lots of memories for me.......more

Goodreads review by Chuck

Growing up in England, Emma John trained as a classical violinist from the age of four, reaching first chair in her school orchestra. But despite her talent, she was not truly gifted, and that realization, along with a tyrannical teacher and the strain of competition, eventually combined to sap all......more

Goodreads review by Harry

A very well written book, which tells recounts of the experience of being a fledgeling folk musician of a accurately.......more

Quotes

Wayfaring Stranger goes beyond being an entertaining, informative book about a niche musical genre: it becomes the story of John's personal mission to shake off a kind of existential stiffness - an inhibiting perfectionism - to rediscover not just her passion for music, but also for life . . . Books like this work best when they manage to pull in even the most casual reader, saturating them in the colours, emotions and sensations of hidden subcultures, and John more than delivers Observer

There is a touch of Bill Bryson to her escapades. She is the well-meaning outsider stumbling through unfamiliar surroundings. She knows how to tell a good joke, and how to laugh at herself The Times

John chronicles in lively prose the setbacks, breakthroughs and devilish difficulties encountered . . . More than a memoir, Wayfaring Stranger is a valuable contribution to musicology and an informative tribute to a musical culture . . . an excellent Bluegrass primer Times Literary Supplement

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