Powerful... Winter feels the pain as acutely as any ordinary fan. He also has a mischievous turn of phrase. The quips, however, don't dilute the serious issues he raises. It's a horribly sobering, as well as a revealing and entertaining read.

A wholly original work on arguably the biggest topic in football. Winter has a wonderful turn of phrase and his skilful hand is necessary because the subject matter is so well known. The recontextualisation of the past as a means to understand the present is this book’s gift. Winter is justifiably proud of his attendance at every England match since 1993, and his asides, observations and anecdotes are what elevate this above other accounts of the Three Lions. History suggests that Winter's tale is likely to remain relevant for years to come.

Deeply felt, highly readable and enjoyable.

Elegaic... Winter's excellent contacts have brought him interviews with key players.

This is an utterly fascinating, moving and very dramatic book. Great footballing heroes past and present leap from the pages. Never has the beautiful game been more beautifully written about.

How good is it to read a nature memoir that is not a study in misery? … For a writer, the highest compliment he or she can pay another writer is envy. And I was green on reading The January Man. It’s not just Somerville's knowledge, it’s the truth and clarity in his prose – which is like the pure tone that comes from a tuning fork.

The January Man is a book that makes you want to pull on your boots, grab a map and get out there ... [Somerville] has the enviable power of noticing and describing details so beautifully: the subtle but once captured so distinct, variations of yellow in spring flowers; the way a kingfisher's garb - iridescent blue and copper in the sunshine, green and brown in the shadows - gives it the power of discretion ... This is a gentle, thoughtful narrative about the nature of relationships ...love opened up through the mutual experience of the power of place, enjoyed on foot.

A goldmine of historical nuggets and walking inspiration

This inspiring book tells the story of a year of walking across the British Isles...Evocatively written, with charming snippets of childhood memories... Somerville explains how walking the countryside shaped him as an adult... Touching on his father's Second World War experiences and stoic nature, Somerville seeks to discover the man inside the man. Poignantly highlights the power walking has in forging close relationships and enabling communication, this heart-warming walker's diary proves real inspiration to exploring Britain on foot.

Christopher Somerville’s moving, measured and immaculate The January Man is part walker’s diary, part celebration of his reticent yet loving father, and part... well, anything that takes his fancy and ours. But most of all it is a tender rumination on the One Big Thing that troubles all of us when we put on our hiking boots – and that’s mortality.

A rich and wonderful book which draws on Christopher Somerville’s unusually deep knowledge of Britain’s hidden pathways.

Editor's Choice: a beguiling blend of memoir, travel and nature writing.

A terrific and touching read. The January Man is a combination of natural and human history and somehow manages to be both light- and slightly heavy-hearted... amusing but almost mystical in places too, which is a pretty incredible feat to pull off.

Brilliantly descriptive of the British landscape and wildlife across the seasons, from fields to coasts, along lanes and byways, it is interwoven with stories of local people, traditions, customs and thoughts on history, culture and geography. Walker or armchair traveller, it’s a pleasure to read.
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Exquisitely written.

A thrilling read ... exquisitely poignant

The author's gaze is on the world around him, especially its natural history ... his skill at describing just what he sees is remarkable ... a very British account of a father-son relationship and more moving for its restraint and light touch.

This finely observed and evocative book is a celebration of the power of walking to discover emotional, as well as physical, landscapes.

A delightful, poetical hotchpotch of a book. It's part nature notes, part history lesson, as well as memoir and loving salute to his late father. . . Somerville is a great wordsmith.

Charming, evocative

Top 10 Books About Walking in Britain - The book tenderly blends memoir with descriptions of nature and the passing of the seasons.