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elsayles's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Theroux is a downer. His routes are amazing but his insights are middling to boomer. Second try with this author and won't be a third.
jacktrapp's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Traveling is glamorous, it isn’t even all that special. It’s just an escape from the demands of life mixed with chance encounters and random happenings. Theroux sees it and says it like no one else. His trips across Europe and Asia is beautifully tinted with the eyes of an old man. A ghost. The book is slower then it’s predecessor, fitting because the main character is 30 years older.
For all that, it’s a lovely read that you need to really attend to to get the most from. Some parts seem a bit slow, a bit repetitive (Turkmenistan, Singapore) but consider that Theroux doesn’t spend needless lines on these places. The number of words probably reflects the amount of thinking those places made him do.
For all that, it’s a lovely read that you need to really attend to to get the most from. Some parts seem a bit slow, a bit repetitive (Turkmenistan, Singapore) but consider that Theroux doesn’t spend needless lines on these places. The number of words probably reflects the amount of thinking those places made him do.
berthe33's review against another edition
4.0
Theroux immerses readers in the alleys and shadowy corners of squalid cities that many are unlikely to see for themselves. He is a close observer of the unfamiliar and the strange while charting the simultaneous evolution and degeneration of the world itself. "Theroux's real work is not about travel," reveals the Rocky Mountain News, "it's about the progress of the soul."
This quote from BOOKMARKS still holds true today...Theroux's writing is as smooth and flowing as the snow in Siberia and his cultural references show he's not as "old" as he would like his readers to believe.
This quote from BOOKMARKS still holds true today...Theroux's writing is as smooth and flowing as the snow in Siberia and his cultural references show he's not as "old" as he would like his readers to believe.
toddtyrtle's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, though less so than, say, Riding the Iron Rooster.
I must say, though, after reading a few of his books, Theroux seems *obsessed* with prostitutes. I may know a little more about the countries he passes through, but I am guaranteed to know what the prostitutes were like. Though he says he doesn't partake. That said, I wonder if he doth protest too much...
I must say, though, after reading a few of his books, Theroux seems *obsessed* with prostitutes. I may know a little more about the countries he passes through, but I am guaranteed to know what the prostitutes were like. Though he says he doesn't partake. That said, I wonder if he doth protest too much...
lauracbest's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really enjoying this and the more I read, the more I would like to have a drink with the author. I love Paul Theroux's writing (enjoy his novels, too) and this book just makes me want to pack my backpack and wander off. I am particularly looking forward to the chapter on Singapore....even better, I can read this along with my other books at the moment - although its very well written, it's easy to pick up and put down, especially at the end of a long day..
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yeah! i finally finished it! Really enjoyed all 500 pages....love Theroux's writing style, so descriptive and inventive. There is a great line in the book where he is talking about people who love reading and how, if we've reached that part of the book, he knows we're one of "those" readers (i.e. to be admired!) because we've persisted in getting there- it was a great line because sometimes this book, although enjoyable, is a marathon... you have to be committed to it, to finish it. Much like a journey of any sort really. While I liked the Singapore and Burma chapters, for me, his Vietman chapter was most affecting, as he revisits the war zones he went to on his original trip in the 1970s - obviously much has changed but it's a fascinating insight into how much damage America did to the country (all for nowt), but how well the Vietnamese have rebuilt.
I've now moved onto one of his earlier works, "World's End' which is a collection of short stories....enjoying them so far...
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yeah! i finally finished it! Really enjoyed all 500 pages....love Theroux's writing style, so descriptive and inventive. There is a great line in the book where he is talking about people who love reading and how, if we've reached that part of the book, he knows we're one of "those" readers (i.e. to be admired!) because we've persisted in getting there- it was a great line because sometimes this book, although enjoyable, is a marathon... you have to be committed to it, to finish it. Much like a journey of any sort really. While I liked the Singapore and Burma chapters, for me, his Vietman chapter was most affecting, as he revisits the war zones he went to on his original trip in the 1970s - obviously much has changed but it's a fascinating insight into how much damage America did to the country (all for nowt), but how well the Vietnamese have rebuilt.
I've now moved onto one of his earlier works, "World's End' which is a collection of short stories....enjoying them so far...
knarusk's review against another edition
3.0
It's more enjoyable to read if you've been to at least some of the places Paul describes. For me those parts of Paul's journey were the most interesting to read.
carriekellenberger's review against another edition
1.0
Usually I'm a big Theroux fan, but I'm finding this one really hard to get into.
katyjean81's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent. Theroux is always a pleasure to read. It made me want to do the same thing, but possibly with a friend... it also made me think I don’t need to be so solo on my solo travels.
josephporta's review against another edition
5.0
From now he is my favorite writer. He make me like India.