The Great Railway Bazaar

What a pleasure to read. The writing is crisp and entertaining. The tales are fun without being hyperbole. Only a few chapters in and I feel that I am on the trip with the author. Highly recommended. NOTE: This book is even better on audiobook to help recreate the voices and inflection of the author. The sarcasm and irony comes through even better in the spoken word. Loved it.

This fabulous account of getting on the train in London and riding trains (including the decrepit Orient Express) through Europe, across Asia as far east as Japan, then looping back to Europe on the Trans-Siberian, is not a bit dated, even though it was first published in 1975. Theroux is sometimes cross and prickly, but he doesn't miss a thing, and he ventures into places (and eats things) that most people never would. Because he is also a novelist, he's deft at limning the appearances and characters of the people he meets, and these people, who are variously vain, odd, smelly, crazy, foolish, bigoted, or just eccentric, give this travelogue--and indeed all of Theroux's travel narratives--the quality of a Dickens novel. I've read and enjoyed several of his other rail narratives, including "The Old Patagonian Express" (Central and South America) , "Kingdom by the Sea" (United Kingdom), and "Dark Star Safari" (Africa). I'd start with this one, though, with its wonderful section on Vietnam in the last year of the war and its melancholy voyage across Leonid Brezhnev's sclerotic Soviet Union. As with all good books, it will transport you to places you did not know existed, even in this era of Google Earth. As for those who don't care for Theroux's sometimes cranky persona, well, there are always the twittering ecstasies of Peter Mayle ("A Year in Provence," etc.) or--worse--Frances Mayes ("Under the Tuscan Sun," etc.). Theroux's sojourns will never inspire busloads of tourists or the astronomical appreciation of the local real estate. Once you've read "The Great Railway Bazaar," be sure to follow it up with "Ghost Train to the Eastern Star," his recent (2009) account of his retracing (with some new stops) of the trip he took in the seventies. It's equally compelling, and it illuminates the story of the first trip.

One of the off-putting things about traditional travelogues is the litany of thing-descriptions (buildings, markets, clothes, hills) which just don't make for compelling brain food. Theroux focusses on people, and more specifically personalities. As an Indian, I can say that he captures the essence of different ilks of Indians with an incisiveness that I have not seen in any other American writer. I wish I had gotten my red, white and blue wife to read this before we visited. Many of her questions are answered episodically. Questions such as Why are some Indians so free with information about their digestive state? Why is an ailment worn like a badge of honor by some? Why do Indian travel guides always mention how far a book store is from your hotel? Isn't it admirable that somebody of such high stature is so unassuming? The incomprehensible extremes of know-it-alls versus humility amongst those with great erudition..He makes equally astute observations about Afghans, Burmese, Ceylonese etc., but I'll leave you to read the book to enjoy these. Some may find this book insulting, as it is fairly blunt about the people's idiosyncrasies. I for one do not expect literature to be politically correct (and vice-versa).

This was my first Theroux novel and I'm already hooked. Theroux's descriptions of the fascinating people he encounters on the trip--from prostitutes to statesmen--are truly captivating. Even better are his vivid descriptions of the incredible scenery he takes in on his trip from London to the Far East. Be forewarned: once you read this book you will be tempted to quit your job, grab a backpack, and head for rails. If you enjoy the likes of Bill Bryson and Tim Cahill, you will certainly enjoy this novel.

The writer explores an unconventional region of the world and develops his perceptions and feelings towards his host countries by conveying feelings about his immediate environment - the insides of various trains used to convey him across Asia. Sharp insites into social, political, and cultural aspects as gleened from endlessly facinating descriptions of fellow travelers encountered along the way. I agree; he does lose some steam at the end. But I think that's the reality of such a long exhausting experience and, ultimately, the author's point.<BR