Lifelines: Searching for Home in the Mountains of Greece

‘A tender, powerful story of love for a place and a way of being, and a bracing call to the barricades – for enemies are closing in. An urgent, important and compelling read.’

‘Absolutely fantastic. Lifelines is a balm for the soul: simultaneously hyper local and international; attentive to the lives of others, animal and human; Hoffman’s writing has never been better, more powerful, more beautiful than here.’

‘Awakens every sense – Lifelines will tilt you towards the wonder of nature. Written with wisdom, love and a protective quality that soars, this is a beautiful and important gem.’

‘Julian Hoffman’s writing is knockout beautiful, perceptive, sensitive, thoughtful, beguiling, deeply smart, full of humanity, and a Lifeline in itself.’

’[Julian] observes the world around him with such sensitivity and he brings to every natural encounter – be it a Greek landlord, a moth, a Juniper tree or a brown bear – a child’s sense of wonder and respect … Lifelines is a book that will refresh your soul.’

‘Julian Hoffman’s Lifelines is a heart-warming tale of finding home.’

’A marvellous work of love and reflection on the wild places we share with nature, the ordinary and extraordinary people and creatures, and the magic of our living world.’

‘A journey of discovery, rich in event and beautifully crafted … At a time when the planet is at risk, Hoffman’s passionate sense of place is both a celebration and an alarm call.’

‘Lifelines is a beautifully written and tender book of what it can mean to fall in love with a place, its wildlife and its people.’

‘Julian Hoffman’s prose is poetic, joyful and filled with love for the natural world and his chosen home.’

‘Suffused in the wonder of nature, wildlife and humanity, and shot-through with ecological themes, Julian Hoffman’s Lifelines is simply spellbinding — an absolute must-read for anyone who’s wondered about the possibility of carving a different kind of life’

‘I’ve been wondering for several years whether it was now possible for anyone writing in English to write a great book about living in Greece. Well, here it is. Exquisitely written, revelatory, passionate about the ecosystem of the Prespa lakes, Lifelines tells of how Hoffman and his wife found home in this northwest corner of Greece.’

‘Set against the spectacular mountains and lakes of northern Greece, this remarkable book describes Julian and Julia’s odyssey as they meet others on similar quests to find home, be they bears, pelicans or humans. Utterly relevant to our times.’

‘Lifelines is absolutely beautiful. So moving and full of insights into our flawed relationship to the Earth – and yet it is not without hope for our damaged planet.’

‘Julian Hoffman’s poetic memoir is an inspiring call to throw caution to the wind … Lifelines is not just beautiful, it is quite literally encouraging. It will make you brave. To those waiting for the right moment, the safe path, the clearly marked route, Hoffman offers a challenge: throw yourself towards the dangerous edge of things.’ 

‘A reflective, encouraging and exquisitely written memoir full of astute observations on our flawed relationship with the wild.’

‘This is a serious account of new lives abroad, greatly concerned with humans’ relationship with the natural world. Prespa is much wilder than Provence too, home to pelicans, otters and bears, all lyrically described’

‘This book is a very good read partly because of the thoughtfulness of the writing, partly because of the insights into the lives of the locals, but largely, for me at least, because of the wildlife … I enjoyed Lifelines very much and recommend it to those interested in both people and wildlife.’

‘I’m looking forward to Julian Hoffman’s Lifelines: Searching for home in the mountains of Greece about the shaggy, untamed (but threatened) nature of northern Greece – pelicans, lakes, bears – and making a life there.’ 

‘A lyrical nature memoir set in a remote corner of the Balkans… expansive and universal’

‘Twenty-five years ago, Hoffman and his wife, Julia, left the city and settled in Prespa … It is a place of ‘remarkable biodiversity and wild beauty’, where his encounters with brown bear and golden eagle, pelican, griffon vulture and mongoose, animate a story of finding a home far away from home.’

‘Part autobiography, part ethnography, part poetic narrative is both a lament and a celebration of the natural world written in attentive, awakened language … All that was ever within me was stirred by this book and I intend to belong to this world from now on in an active, not a passive way.’

‘This book is a life-giving call to realign our relationships and wield that capacity now.’

‘By swapping city life for the mountains of Prespa, Greece, a British couple set out to reconnect with nature. From a face-to-snout meeting with a bear to chilling winters and a moving encounter with sheltering wrens, this paean to the simple pleasures of the changing seasons will inevitably make you want to follow their lead.’

‘When author Julian Hoffman and his wife grew disillusioned by city life, they decided to take a courageous leap and move to the Greek mountains. Lifelines is their tale of conflict and possibility as they attempt to live the dream.’ 

‘A seductive book that leads us as close to the nature and people of an intriguing place as words can.’