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bob625's review against another edition
4.0
Arabia is Jonathan Raban's travel book documenting his 14 week journey through the 70s Middle East. A gaudy personnel of earnest souls populate this exciting touristic sketch, and Raban's insight is at once quirky and levelheaded, a unique blend of learned hilarity and sober empathy. This is fiery and illuminating travel writing.
kingjason's review against another edition
5.0
I recently read my first ever Jonathan Raban book, Coasting, and thought that was one of the best books I've read, Arabia has just blown that book out of the water.
Arabia is nothing short of a masterpiece, incredible writing, powerful, funny and historically in-depth. Raban decides on travelling around the Arabian countries due to the number of Arabs moving in near where he lives, he tries to communicate with them but struggles to find a way in. Instead he decides to visit their homelands to learn more about their history and culture.
He fully immerses himself to experience all levels of each country, from the rich to the poor. When he decides to try qat for the first time, a narcotic plant you chew and gets you high, the writing becomes a lot like Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the back and forth between his sober self and the him that is going crazy on qat was pure brilliance.
One thing that stands out is his honesty, by the time he reaches the last country on his tour he is feeling homesick and isn't afraid to say that he has had enough, the noise and madness, the bizarre censorship rules and the lack of art all start to get to him.
He gets to travel around countries at a time when they are just starting to evolve into the modern world, to see these changes happen must have been an incredible experience. If you don't read this book then you will be missing out on something truly special.
Blog post is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/arabia-through-the-looking-glass-by-jonathan-raban/
Arabia is nothing short of a masterpiece, incredible writing, powerful, funny and historically in-depth. Raban decides on travelling around the Arabian countries due to the number of Arabs moving in near where he lives, he tries to communicate with them but struggles to find a way in. Instead he decides to visit their homelands to learn more about their history and culture.
He fully immerses himself to experience all levels of each country, from the rich to the poor. When he decides to try qat for the first time, a narcotic plant you chew and gets you high, the writing becomes a lot like Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the back and forth between his sober self and the him that is going crazy on qat was pure brilliance.
One thing that stands out is his honesty, by the time he reaches the last country on his tour he is feeling homesick and isn't afraid to say that he has had enough, the noise and madness, the bizarre censorship rules and the lack of art all start to get to him.
He gets to travel around countries at a time when they are just starting to evolve into the modern world, to see these changes happen must have been an incredible experience. If you don't read this book then you will be missing out on something truly special.
Blog post is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/arabia-through-the-looking-glass-by-jonathan-raban/
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
4.0
After the oil boom of the 1970's Arabs lefts the security of their homelands and started to become more visible in the Western capitals. Seeing them around London made Raban think it would be good to travel to their home countries and see what life was like there. It was a journey that would take him from Bahrain to Qatar, Yemen to Jordon and finally to Egypt and he wanted to go there before the vast wealth from oil changed these places irreparably. He was a little late as wealth had flowed into the communities over there, sons had headed to Europe and America to learn medicine and engineering, The temperamental Range Rover had replaced the grumpy camel and the tents that had been the homes for the Bedouin for hundreds of years were stopping being used as they moved into homemade from brick and mortar.
However, the old way of life is still there if you want to go and look for it. Raban is gregarious nature means that he easily forges friendships with the people that he meets as he travels through each of the countries. Mixing with the expat community who are trying to recreate a little bit of England over there he finds interesting, but what he is there for is to walk the streets, absorbing the smells of the souks, chew the qat sip strong coffee with men and get lost in the maze of street away from the tourist area. He speaks to fishermen on quaysides that have been almost untouched by the economic change, apart from making fish traps from wire and changing the sails on their dhows to engines. Walking through the night he hears the call of the muezzins before the first rays of dawn erupt across the sky.
This is the first Raban book that I have read, it won't be the last either as I have been kindly sent a small pile from Eland of their republications and have bought a couple of others. He reminds me of Patrick Leigh Fermor in some ways with the way that he can engage with people from all walks of life from diplomats to the man squatting in the market with a few things to sell. His prose is very eloquent, making it a readable travel book, but most importantly he is prepared to ask searching questions of those that he interacts with to get a better insight to the places he visits. Thoroughly enjoyable and looking forward to his next, Old Glory.
However, the old way of life is still there if you want to go and look for it. Raban is gregarious nature means that he easily forges friendships with the people that he meets as he travels through each of the countries. Mixing with the expat community who are trying to recreate a little bit of England over there he finds interesting, but what he is there for is to walk the streets, absorbing the smells of the souks, chew the qat sip strong coffee with men and get lost in the maze of street away from the tourist area. He speaks to fishermen on quaysides that have been almost untouched by the economic change, apart from making fish traps from wire and changing the sails on their dhows to engines. Walking through the night he hears the call of the muezzins before the first rays of dawn erupt across the sky.
This is the first Raban book that I have read, it won't be the last either as I have been kindly sent a small pile from Eland of their republications and have bought a couple of others. He reminds me of Patrick Leigh Fermor in some ways with the way that he can engage with people from all walks of life from diplomats to the man squatting in the market with a few things to sell. His prose is very eloquent, making it a readable travel book, but most importantly he is prepared to ask searching questions of those that he interacts with to get a better insight to the places he visits. Thoroughly enjoyable and looking forward to his next, Old Glory.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
After the oil boom of the 1970's Arabs lefts the security of their homelands and started to become more visible in the Western capitals. Seeing them around London made Raban think it would be good to travel to their home countries and see what life was like there. It was a journey that would take him from Bahrain to Qatar, Yemen to Jordon and finally to Egypt and he wanted to go there before the vast wealth from oil changed these places irreparably. He was a little late as wealth had flowed into the communities over there, sons had headed to Europe and America to learn medicine and engineering, The temperamental Range Rover had replaced the grumpy camel and the tents that had been the homes for the Bedouin for hundreds of years were stopping being used as they moved into homemade from brick and mortar.
However, the old way of life is still there if you want to go and look for it. Raban is gregarious nature means that he easily forges friendships with the people that he meets as he travels through each of the countries. Mixing with the expat community who are trying to recreate a little bit of England over there he finds interesting, but what he is there for is to walk the streets, absorbing the smells of the souks, chew the qat sip strong coffee with men and get lost in the maze of street away from the tourist area. He speaks to fishermen on quaysides that have been almost untouched by the economic change, apart from making fish traps from wire and changing the sails on their dhows to engines. Walking through the night he hears the call of the muezzins before the first rays of dawn erupt across the sky.
This is the first Raban book that I have read, it won't be the last either as I have been kindly sent a small pile from Eland of their republications and have bought a couple of others. He reminds me of Patrick Leigh Fermor in some ways with the way that he can engage with people from all walks of life from diplomats to the man squatting in the market with a few things to sell. His prose is very eloquent, making it a readable travel book, but most importantly he is prepared to ask searching questions of those that he interacts with to get a better insight to the places he visits. Thoroughly enjoyable and looking forward to his next, Old Glory.
However, the old way of life is still there if you want to go and look for it. Raban is gregarious nature means that he easily forges friendships with the people that he meets as he travels through each of the countries. Mixing with the expat community who are trying to recreate a little bit of England over there he finds interesting, but what he is there for is to walk the streets, absorbing the smells of the souks, chew the qat sip strong coffee with men and get lost in the maze of street away from the tourist area. He speaks to fishermen on quaysides that have been almost untouched by the economic change, apart from making fish traps from wire and changing the sails on their dhows to engines. Walking through the night he hears the call of the muezzins before the first rays of dawn erupt across the sky.
This is the first Raban book that I have read, it won't be the last either as I have been kindly sent a small pile from Eland of their republications and have bought a couple of others. He reminds me of Patrick Leigh Fermor in some ways with the way that he can engage with people from all walks of life from diplomats to the man squatting in the market with a few things to sell. His prose is very eloquent, making it a readable travel book, but most importantly he is prepared to ask searching questions of those that he interacts with to get a better insight to the places he visits. Thoroughly enjoyable and looking forward to his next, Old Glory.
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