The Seaside, England’s Love Affair is an exploration of the extraordinary history of the country’s great seaside resorts. Travelling clockwise around the country from Scarborough to Morecambe, Bunting visits over 40 resorts during two years of research to tell the story of their fabulous rise, heyday and current struggle to reinvent themselves. These are places deep in England’s imagination repeatedly attracting artists, filmmakers and writers, and yet they include the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country with shocking inequalities of life expectancy and ill health. These seaside resorts have helped define a nation and now starkly reveal its character and priorities; they represent a paradox of deep nostalgic affection and political neglect.

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'Eloquent and detailed... rich in cultural history... Britain's island story has never seemed so pertinent.' Financial Times

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'Remarkable.. humane.. As bracing as a smack in the face by a stiff sea breeze, Madeleine Bunting tours the English coastline to discover what it reveals about the state of the nation today.' The Guardian

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​'Beautifully written.... (Bunting's) trip brings out her lyrical powers and salt-and-vinegar sharpness.' Literary Review

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'One of my books of the year... A magnificent piece of travel writing' The New European.

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Link To Buy: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-seaside/madeleine-bunting/9781783787197