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iainkelly_writing's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Re-reading in a gorgeous new Folio Society edition. Fascinating to read 30 years on, the journey taking place in 1991, the year that saw the end of the Soviet Union and apartheid and so much more. Palin is a perfect guide, both comic and thoughtful. Off to watch the TV series again.
shostakovichtchaikovsky's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
3.75
earendil1992's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed listening to this as an audio book, Micheal Palin is an excellent story teller. This is really my first time experiencing Micheal Palin's travel-based stories, and I'm delighted to have found something so unique and humourous. I don't have much to say about this in terms of a review, but if you are at all interested in travel and Micheal Palin as a person (I only knew him previously from Monty Python), then I recommend this book. It's an easy listen and will perhaps give you an insight into the world before your time. This television series (which I will now watch with great interest), was filmed in 1991 - a year before I was born. Micheal Palin travels through the Soviet union mere days before it collapses, and through South Africa during the end of Apartheid. These are things that I have never experienced, so it's interesting to see the world in a different perspective. I can certainly imagine that if Micheal Palin repeated this exact route today, his experiences would be markedly different. That's the wonder of the world we live in.
kirstym25's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
kristick's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic travelogue I first read over 10 years ago. This time I'm listening to the audiobook - Michael Palin narrates his book beautifully.
lariengreen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.0
_annerichards's review against another edition
5.0
Another mesmerising book by Michael Palin. His writing is as always utterly vivid, you feel like you’re actually with him sitting on a train or taking a swim in Lake Tanganyika. It’s also a lovely addition to the documentary itself
peixinhodeprata's review against another edition
4.0
What a great book! Considering almost 30 years have passed since Michael Palin has undertaken this journey, it is still a very interesting and refreshing book to read. The world seemed to be a very eventful place in 1991. The disintegration of the Soviet Union, the beginning of the end for Apartheid, the end of a dictatorship in Ethiopia, Palin has seen it all and related all to us.
Interspersed with funny appointments, even his ailments have an entertaining description. I recommend it to all people that enjoy a very good travel book, that shows us a specific moment in time. I wonder how much different some of the places would be if visited now.
Interspersed with funny appointments, even his ailments have an entertaining description. I recommend it to all people that enjoy a very good travel book, that shows us a specific moment in time. I wonder how much different some of the places would be if visited now.