Lifelines

Searching for Home in the Mountains of Greece - WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE MONTH

A book about finding home amidst the ancient mountains and lakes of northern Greece.

A story of people, pelicans, borders and bears.

A story of shelter, generosity and welcome.

A story of a shared world.

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A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘Magical. A book that will refresh your soul.’ Carol Drinkwater, author of The Olive Farm

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THE TRUE STORY OF A COURAGEOUS LEAP INTO A NEW LIFE

In 2000, burnt out by city living, Julian Hoffman and his wife Julia took a bold step: they left everything behind and moved to Prespa in northern Greece – a remote landscape of vast lakes, snow-capped mountains and stone villages.

Here, their seasons are punctuated by unforgettable encounters, including nesting summer pelicans, a springtime stare-down with a bear and a winter meeting with fourteen tiny birds above a frozen doorway.

Lifelines is a story of new beginnings – of searching for home in an unfamiliar place, finding community across borders and truly discovering your place in the world.

‘I was enthralled and won't be the only reader making travel plans.’ Gaia Vince

• AN FT BEST SUMMER BOOK

• An inspiring read about moving abroad and starting life again.

• Set amongst the beautiful Greek landscape.

• Full of soul-warming encounters with the natural world.

• The perfect summer read to take on holiday, an ideal non-fiction beach book.

• Winner of The Anglo-Hellenic League's Runciman Award 2026

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‘A Year in Provence meets The Earth Transformed as Hoffman's exquisite account of relocation to a crossroads region of Greece called Prespa deftly blends travel and nature writing with history, memoir and ecology.’ Waterstones

‘An inspiring call to throw caution to the wind … Lifelines is not just beautiful, it is quite literally encouraging. It will make you brave.’ Observer

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.