|
Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World | 
 enlarge | Authors: Ewan Mcgregor, Charley Boorman
Publisher: Atria
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $4.50
You Save: $10.50 (70%)
New (17) from $8.72
Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 48323
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0743499344
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.41
EAN: 9780743499347
ASIN: 0743499344
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: The first 20 pages have slight moisture stiffness to the bottom corner, no odor and no heavy wrinkles -- the book lies flat. From the outside the book looks very good with just a little light cover wear.
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
It started as a daydream. Poring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor -- acclaimed actor and self-confessed bike nut -- noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. It was a revelation he couldn't get out of his head. So he picked up the phone and called his fellow actor-slash-biker friend Charley Boorman and told him it was time to hit the road....Long Way RoundBeginning in London, Ewan and Charley chased their shadows through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia; across the Pacific to Alaska; then down through Canada all the way to New York. Long Way Round is the result of their four-month, 20,000-mile joyride. Featuring original diary entries, travel maps, mileage charts, and dozens of photographs, this is a freewheeling, fully charged, and uproariously entertaining book about two world-famous individuals who chose the road not taken...and made the journey worthwhile.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
 Not as good as the DVD, but pretty enjoyable December 27, 2008
In 2004, actor Ewan McGregor set out with his buddy (also an actor), Charlie Boorman, on two BMW touring bikes with the goal of traveling 19,000 miles, from London to New York, the "long way round." They travel across Europe, through the Russian Federation, across Asia, through the "'stans" and Mongolia, then catch a flight up to Alaska where they cross Canada and the U.S. It's quite an undertaking for two bikers with a moderate level of experience.
Some of their encounters in the former Soviet countries are pretty entertaining, specifically one where they're invited to a man's house for a feast, and after quite a bit of drinking, their host comes down the stairs with a guitar in one hand and an AK-47 in the other. By the time they reach many of the small towns, word of their journey has preceded them, which becomes helpful at times and frustrating at others. But by far, the most interesting part of the trip is eastern Asia, where paved roads give way to wide open land and many of the rivers are too deep to cross on bikes alone. Throughout this part of the journey, they're often forced to place their fate in the hands of locals who don't speak their language and have no stake in their journey, but are nonetheless happy to help.
As a piece of travel writing, this book has a lot going against it. It trades off between McGregor and Boorman in the narration, which gives some differing perspective, but neither is a great writer. As such, it sometimes feels like an amateur journal, and much of of the landscape isn't as vividly described as it probably could be. And because the trip was also covered in a documentary, there's a sizable support crew traveling with the riders, which bogs down the sense of adventure and at times reads more like a behind-the-scenes of a reality show. That and McGregor's celebrity add aspects to the book that aren't necessarily good or bad, just make it different from your typical travelogue. It feels more like a companion piece to the DVD. Frankly, though the book is sometimes enjoyable, I'd recommend the DVD.
The Great Adventure Uncaptured September 10, 2008
A really good trip that gets blown by putting this adventure in
the hands of an amateur writer.
While this is an overall good story with some great adventure, I found
myself at times having to figure out what was going on because of a lack
in the writers ability. I don't know if this is a result of poorly kept journals or the inability of the writer to fully take on the opportunity to embellish on this tale and turn it into the truly great adventure that I'm sure that it was.As a result, I feel that at least half the adventure gets lost by what is not written. Furthermore,to sum up the entire North American continent in the course of about 30 pages was an extreme disappointment. Either they chose not to find any adventure in the this region ( I believe this to be the case as they seemed quite anxious to just get it over with by this point ) or they felt more compelled to focus on the more exotic,lesser known countries.
All in all I will say that it is a good read, at times fun, but it does
lack the overall quality that would make this a great book. I hope that
their next undertaking includes a better written tale to capture and convey to the reader their whole experience.
 Would you like cheese with that whine? August 8, 2008
I enjoyed Ewan and Charley's first trip, and was excited to see that they were on another adventure. Having been to Africa myself, I was especially interested to see how the boys fared. I was very disappointed in the amount of time that the boys and the crew spent bickering with each other. Here are these two rich guys, on the trip of a lifetime, and they are complaining constantly! While their side trips to introduce us to various charities were moving, the amount of time spent complaining about the roads (did you think the roads in Africa would be pristine?), the amount of time on the bikes (should have planned better!) each day and about each other (this isn't your first trip, so you should know about everyone's little quirks) made the book a bit unenjoyable. I would have loved to read more about the places visited, the people met along the way and the sights, smells, sounds and tastes. Get over yourselves and RIDE!
 Great book August 2, 2008
Great book that should be a companion to the DVD set. I do recommend that instead of this book you buy the illustrated edition. MOre pictures and the same verbage. But, buy at least one of them.
 Language challenged April 5, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I only watched one episode of the TV series as it was yet another "adventure TV" with full supporting cast. Spotted the book in local library so decided to give it a go, BIG MISTAKE. Why oh why are not books clasified for content as are movies? Where do these two apparently well educated authers get off with their constant use of four letter expletives? They will no doubt say it is a reflection of the real world, I find it insulting and uncalled for. I gave up half way through what was in fact a good read as I could not put up with the filth that they presumably believe to be clever.
Roger
Spokane, Washington
|
|
|
Copyright © 2006 - 2007 GoTravelMart.com. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer Privacy Policy
| |
