The Observer‘s Tim Adams has reviewed Damian Le Bas‘s The Stopping Places.

“Mostly, in telling this history, Le Bas is aware of the temptation to simply romanticise all things Romany – living in the van opens his eyes to a hard-knock life – even as he describes the bare-knuckle justice of an older “mush”; the Gypsy reverence for horses; the charisma of fairground hucksters and the theatre of deal-making. He brings much of this stubborn world to life, often with the help of key Romany words and phrases. Typically, on his curious journey between laybys, Le Bas is met with the question, “katar avilan?” – “where do you come from?” By the end of the book, both he and the reader have a much clearer idea of how to answer.”

Read the full review here. Follow Damian on Twitter here.

The Stopping Places was Radio 4’s book of the week. Listen to Damian reading it here.

Buy a copy of the book here, or at your local bookshop by clicking the link to the right.