Ghost Train to the Eastern Star Audiobook (Unabridged)

" He isn't as grumpy as in earlier books. At first I thought he was getting mellow. As I read more I realized he was just maudlin. This reconfirms my conclusion that I have read too many of his books. "

" I loved this book and found that Theroux's description of south and east Asia really brought his experiences to life for me. I agree with other comments about him being slightly narcissistic, and and I also found his obsession with seeking out the sex workers across eastern Asia bordering on the perverse. But the book is so well written, and leaves me wanting to plan a train adventure of my own. "

" I enjoyed Theroux's observations and snipets of information on the history and customs of different countries. I am now a fan! "

" You will learn from this book that prostitution is everywhere in Asia and that the author does not like George W. Bush. In addition, you will likely be entertained by the hundreds of stories of encounters with different people and cultures. They don't amount to much -- that personal reporting of specific events that makes up travel writing. But sometimes that's what you want, and the writing is very good. "

" I have a love/hate relationship with Theroux's travel books. I find him frustrating, irritating, and at times he skips the very things I want him to write about, but at the same time, I fall in love with his description of the people he talks to and the places he loves. I wish I'd been there the day he talked with Arthur C. Clark. As he revisits the trip he took in the 70's, he reconnects with himself, the cultures, the environment, the people, and the changes that have taken place within all of the above. His love for a place is contagious. I was glad he took a few months of his life as an older man to travel back to the places that made his first book famous. I would love to take part of this journey by myself someday... and isn't that the ultimate purpose of a good travel book? "

" Kind of long winded and not really what I expected based on reviews, and preconceived notions "

" I think that Paul Theroux is mellowing a little bit. "

" I love Paul Theroux's books. Almost finished with this one, right now he is in Vietnam... "

" Finally finished it! Great book. I feel like I've been on a train around the world with him. Such vivid descriptions and interesting anecdotes. I definitely want to go to northern Thailand. "

" Paul Theroux tells wonderful travel stories. He talks with everyone from his rickshaw driver to famous authors. He also visits all sorts of places. This book will give yiu wanderlust. "

" Wordy, not the 30 year re-visit to this great land i expected, still a decent read "

" If you love travel to far-away places you will love this book. My dream is to take a very long train trip through Asia - just like Paul Theroux. "

" Yes, he can be curmudgeonly and even superficial (the disclaimer he gives himself in the first chapter). But it's an enjoyable romp across the globe. If you don't have time to read the whole book, jump to the chapters on Burma, Singapore, Georgia, and Turkmenistan. "

" This is an interesting book. Paul Throux takes us on an exciting and interesting journey. "

" Theroux follows the general route he took years ago for his book The Great Railway Bazaar. He takes the reader to places not usually visited by tourists and meets and talks to ordinary people as well as the accomplished. "

" For the serious traveler and the serious reader of cultural travel, Theroux revisits his route from 30 years ago and finds some parts of the world unchanged, others changed for the worse, and still others lost in time. Train travel, with literary side trips and cultural dives, seamy and otherwise. "

" I love travel writing, and this is the best book in the genre I've ever read. "

" A somewhat grouchy traveler revisits his past and tells it like it is, perhaps to relive some experiences, or in search of the young man he once was. In any case, a great travel book. "

" To feed my travel bug... "

" A story to relish. I've read all of Theroux's other travel books, and this is among the best. He's retraced his Great Railway Bazaar trip, and writes about sweet and sometimes bittersweet experiences. I didn't want the trip to end. "

" He isn't as grumpy as in earlier books. At first I thought he was getting mellow. As I read more I realized he was just maudlin. This reconfirms my conclusion that I have read too many of his books. "

" If you love travel to far-away places you will love this book. My dream is to take a very long train trip through Asia - just like Paul Theroux. "

" I gave this a good try, but it sat on the coffee table for weeks and weeks and I kept finding excuses not to go on with it (sudoku, brushing the dog, reading the TV guide when I don't watch TV). Finally I gave up and took it to the op shop. Patronising, hyper-critical, unempathetic... "