The Great Railway Bazaar Audiobook

" Theroux is judgmental, dismissive and often contemptuous of the citizens of the countries he passes through. He is an old school misanthrope and orientalist. If you can look past this, the book is brilliantly written and hilarious. "

" Theroux writes a travel narrative like no one else. He paints such a vivid picture that you can close your eyes and you are there. "

" Impossible to put down. The best travel book I have ever read. If you haven't read this, get on it. "

" My first book by Theroux, found it quite odd and difficult reading at the beginning. Couldn't first understand how he could be one of the most acclaimed travel authors (since I've read better) - but as it turns out he was one of the first to write about travel in this kind of style. Once I got into it, I really enjoyed the train travels. And the fact that he attempted to retrace his steps 33 years later made me read the Ghost train straight after "

" Great travel book with the usual Theroux view. Enjoying it. "

" Not as wonderful as Theroux's later book, Dark Star Safari, but still an entertaining read by a skillful and observant author. It chronicles a train trip Theroux took that started and ended in London and encompased the Balkans, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and the entire width of Russia along the way. It's wonderful to ride along with Theroux as he makes this epic journey "

" Very interesting but it dragged in places and I had to switch my brain back to 1975! But most of it was interesting and very descriptive of the people and places he saw. "

" Just under the two-year mark to finish, having deliberately read in bits and pieces through that time period. I find myself a little sad that the journey has ended. "

" Really liked dark star safari but this one did not do it for me. Dragged myself to the end. "

" Wonderful prose, vivid descriptions, and musings on travel. However an undercurrent of uncomfortable misogyny, prostitution and homophobia were challenging to overcome. "

" This book brought back vivid memories of when I was in India in the early 70's. He gives a realistic description of the people, landscape and some history of all the countries he visits. He was a bit wordy and this was not easy to read, but I do think it was worth the effort. "

" I enjoyed it, although the trip across Russia seemed quite truncated. Lots about Vietnam, but then at the time that was a place of intense interest. Entertaining all the way. "

" One of the most inspiring travel writers of all time- if not THE best. Gotta love people watching and sippin on some whiskey while takin in the entire world. "

" A delightful journey through Asia by train. However, suffers form repetition and could have been half the length. "

" Really, summaries of this book tell the whole story. The man took an intercontinental tour that had multiple exotic stops. There are a few interesting anecdotes, but I did not find it enthralling. I would not recommend reading this. "

" Theroux is not always happy in his traveling; indeed, he is often uncomfortable and harassed. Yet he does love his work and with considerable eloquence and occasional dyspepsic pronouncements takes us a long for this long, long train ride. "

" The best of Theroux's travel books and written before he got really grumpy. "

" Enjoyable, fast read. Resonant for anyone who has done long-itrips in semi-hostile conditions. References to Naipaul are interesting in light of Thereoux's current estrangement from him. "

" A An excellent travel book by Theroux; he begins in London and travels across Europe and Asia, taking the trans-Siberian express back to London. Wonderful, and very train-focused. "

" This was like reading someone's journal and was really not that interesting. Perhaps the updated book has more insight. One of the few books that I gave up on... "

" Theroux never strikes me as a really pleasant guy, but when he's at his best, he's pretty great. I've been told for years that this is one of the best-ever travel books, and everyone who told me that was correct. "

" 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... "