"Tender and intensely lyrical ... the prose is pure delight. The author breathes life into everything he sees ... To read The Stopping Places is to better understand the curious history of the Roma and how they have survived into 21st-century Britain" -- Jackie Annesley * The Sunday Times *
"A beautiful writer who seems born to tell this fascinating story. It's brilliantly researched, avoiding stereotype and explaining misconceptions, while showing what is vital and special about modern traveller culture" -- Amy Liptrot
"A fine prose style, vividly conjuring the smell of a hop pillow, the whinnying of a horse fair and the `wet-look hairstyles' of the men, as well as the dead cold of a wagon in winter... An element of memoir clings to this excellent account of folk most of us don't understand... The end of the book hints at redemption, as Le Bas comes to terms with the conflicts of his dual world. But he is too good a writer to make a meal of it" -- Sara Wheeler * The Spectator *
"An insight into the hidden world and culture of travelling people, written with delicacy and affection" -- Ken Loach
"Beautifully written and deeply affecting... While this is a beautiful, important book about Gypsy culture, it's also a moving exploration of what it means to belong" -- Clover Stroud * Daily Telegraph *
"An illuminating journey into a British culture and landscape about which most of us know nothing. This is a beautiful, important and revelatory book from a graceful new voice" -- Patrick Barkham
"Le Bas is a thoughtful writer, observant of nature and with a lovely turn of phrase... by turn lyrical, edgy and wistful... the book is rich with lore and history" -- Kathleen Jamie * New Statesman *
"I loved Damian Le Bas's beautiful, questioning memoir, at once an introduction into a hidden world and a profound meditation on belonging and difference" -- Olivia Laing
"He conjures up soaring, poetic descriptions of his surroundings... But The Stopping Places is more than a travelogue. It is also a colourful dive into gypsy culture, history and language... The Stopping Places is an enjoyable and enlightening account of an overlooked part of British society" * The Economist *
"A delicate description of a life split between two identities... Le Bas has a cinematic writing style that shifts between images, memory and history. He deftly traces the origins of his people, the language and persecutions as well as modern British hypocrisies... This is a thoroughly enjoyable read that manages a near-perfect balance of the personal and political" -- Morgan Meaker * Prospect *
"The Stopping Places is a beautiful book about belonging: both a map of a secret landscape and a rich, thoughtful memoir of a divided life. Damian Le Bas is the perfect guide to this often-overlooked geography. He is a scholar-Gypsy whose writing is lyrical, informed, and deeply humane" -- Jon Day
"Lyrical and keenly researched" -- Tim Adams * Observer *
"This book moves at the pace of a horse pulling a Gypsy wagon. It's wonderful. Slow down and relax as Damian takes you on his year-long journey seeking out the places in the UK - the atchin tans - where his people, the Romany Gypsies, have stopped, worked, lived, loved and fought since time immemorial. It's a delicate balance between romance and history, information and folklore, language, history, keen observations of people, deep love of nature , the minutiae of daily routine and glimpses into his own personal life, all in easy prose that frequently slips into poetry. A breath of very fresh air" -- Peggy Seeger
"[An] enthralling and eye-opening memoir" -- Caroline Sanderson * Sunday Express *
"In The Stopping Places, Damian Le Bas takes us on a fascinating journey through Gypsy Britain. Full of spark, tenderness and lyricism, this beautiful book reveals to us a world still largely secret, complex with enchantment and unease, rich language and blood ties, rough weather and shining poetry. Le Bas is a wonderful guide, open-hearted and curious, always respectful, as he ventures into the past and present of his own community, seeking what it means to roam and to belong" -- Liz Berry
