It's a Long Way to Malta: An Irishman's 'Gem in the Med' Paperback – 30 Mar. 2013

If you have ever been to Malta or are planning a trip there, this is a must read. It is Malta through the eyes of an Irishman who has visited there every year for the past 10 years. Paddy Cummins has, in the words of X factor judges "nailed it" when he describes the island and the people - I found myself nodding away and agreeing with him totally. His lighthearted descriptions of the British tourists also had me in total agreement - he really is a people watcher of the first order!Whilst I have been to many of the places he has mentioned in his book he talks about a whole host of places I haven't visited yet and now I am eager to go again and do more exploring, encouraged by his obvious love of his "home from home". I noted, after a bit of googling that he must have renamed the hotel he stayed in (probably to keep it a hidden treasure), but from his description of it I am pretty sure I know which one it is! I am now inspired by this book and can understand now why so many elderly people choose to winter there for three months at a time. Hopefully, God willing, in a few years time I will be able to do the same and yes I will take my own mug to the hotel with me!

Although this book had some very humourous little anecdotes, i'm not sure if it is is supposed to be fact or fiction. it is certainly told as though the author is talking of his experiences but the hotel that he describes in such detail does not exist and the front page states that all characters in the book are fictitious and do not bear any resemblance to persons living or dead! Does this include the story about his brother I wonder? I wish the author had made it clear if it is a work of fiction rather than trying to pass it of as a travel guide, as we don't know what's real and what's not!

Nice easy light hearted factual book about Malta and its people.I have been to Malta many times, but not to all the places Paddy' visits. However he coveys the mood and phylosophies of some Maltese quite well. If you have been there or know anyone Maltese I'd recommend you read this book.I commute to work on the tube and this book was easy to pick up and put down.

I've been travelling to the Maltese Islands (and more specifically, Gozo) for many years now and am always on the look-out for any new books about the islands. When I discovered this title on Amazon, and written by an Irishman, I thought, Christmas had come early. I'm very sorry to say, though, that this quick read, easily managed within two hours, has thoroughly disappointed me.I had expected the promised "endlessly fascinating, tensely absorbing" read, "classic travel writing". Alas, far from it. Instead of enjoying humorous tales about the islands and their inhabitants, the author subjected me to lengthy praise of his hotel and description of its surrounds, the mass-market tourism centre Bugibba. It is only in the second half of the book, that the author starts taking us on a quick tourist tour to some of the most obvious sights on the main island and Gozo. Much of the book is given over to not very amusing interactions between the author and British winter residents (of all people!), mostly fellow hotel guests of his. What I would have expected from a long-standing visitor to the islands who "lives in Malta during winter", is insightful and amusing contact with locals, insider tips for good eateries off the tourist path, and generally a feeling, what it is like to live in Malta for a time of the year. What we get is, stories about dogs weeing on the author's trouser legs, about the author's ear-wax removal, and his difficulty in holding his water. That, topped off with too many spelling errors than can be acceptable in a slim volume such as this, and some truly dodgy use of punctuation marks, tragically made this book a vastly unpleasant read. Pity.

This brief book is a total joy. I took it with me on a recent visit to Malta and found the content invaluable. It gives just the right amount of information on the people and the place to fire your interest, and delivers the information with humour and personal insights. I found myself quoting this book to the friends I was on holiday with and actually organising a visit to the new Maltese National Aquarium on the basis of it.

A badly written, self-indulgent book. Clearly it was self-published because he could find no publisher to take it. The writing is poor and he must have got his friends to review it and give it high scores. Waste of money. Don't buy. Get a proper travel guide from a proper writer.

Initially I enjoyed the content of this book, as it allowed me to reminisce about some of the places I had visited and enjoyed in Malta last year. However, I found myself becoming irritated with the writing, particularly the mistakes in grammar, punctuation and spelling (don't they have copy editors any more?!) Also, when I attempted to 'Google' some of the references in the book, e.g. the 'Wavecrest Hotel' and the 'Macallef brothers' - they didn't exist (or at least, if they do, Google has never heard of them). This led me to wondering whether this was supposed to be a piece of fiction or an accurate travel guide.

I found this book intriguing, I have visited Malta a few times and love it. Reading this book brought it all back to me. Lovely, refreshing and very enjoyable.