The Places In Between by Rory Stewart Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Places In Between
Book Review: A Wonderful Ride
Summary: 5 Stars
When this book came out it climbed bestseller lists, won awards, and impressed literary reviewers everywhere. I, however, only discovered it recently. When the author was to appear on public television's Bill Moyers Journal one Friday night in 2009, knowing nothing about Afghanistan except what is in the News I decided to read the book ahead of time and develop a better frame of reference. It was apparently a diary written on a journey so I followed along, page by page and day by day across the country. But for all of the intimate details faithfully documented on the road over many weeks there is very little drama, so by book's end I was quite surprised to find that I felt almost as overwhelmed as the author. It seems this wonderful little book had really taken me right across Afghanistan with Mr. Stewart. Now I feel that I do know the country better-the landscape, weather, godawful terrain, and (most importantly) the people. Read this book. Not just because it is entertaining and well-written but because it will help you to truly understand a country that has been terrribly misrepresented by many others.Book Review: A Worthwhile Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Scotsman Rory Stewart tells the story of his walk across Afghanistan a few months after the fall of the Taliban. He takes the less travelled route through the mountains, in the wintertime, passing through a number of small villages. Some of the villagers are kind, other are nasty, and some are plain disinterested. Stewart speaks enough of the local language, and with quite a bit of perseverance and luck, he makes it safely to Kabul.
This book is pretty standard travel fare. Stewart tells his story, without too much in the way of commentary, politics or history. He does tell us a little about the Emperor Barbur who made the same trip, also in winter, about 500 years earlier. And, of course, it is impossible not to get a bit of an anthropology lesson on such a trip, but Stewart does not preach or put his views up front. Rather, he tells story of his interesting walk -- the places he sees and the people he meets -- in plain language. Overall, it is a good read.
Book Review: A beautifully written account...
Summary: 4 Stars
A gorgeously written book about a man who walked across Afghanastan. Wow, I'm amazed by what people do with their lives. The face of war is ugly. America, Russia, and internal factions have torn the very fiber of this Colorful nation. Stephen's account is boldly honest. I would recommend this book to those who want to see/enrich themselves with the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Afghanistan, without judgement. While it's not overly heavy, it might be slightly too heavy if you are looking for happy, light reading.
It was interesting to see the progression of his understanding of the people and culture. It was fascinating to see the importance of "chiefs" and "leaders" in societies where power and might rule. The opinions of Afghans had of the Taliban, Al Queda, and Americans, while not necessarily surprising is incredibly insightful. The importance of the Koran and religion without any time or resources for education is telling.
This book is perfect for those who are looking for the casual read or want to understand better a country that sits prominently in foreign relations. Stewart's account is human, and understanding the country from this vantage is imperative to broadening one's horizon. The lack of information, the confusion, the hardness of the people is often juxtapose with the humanity of a kind face or act.
He sees the nation through his eyes, though. While I suspect his reaction is how most would feel, if one already has strong opinions about this country, I would suspect this book could be a tougher read. That said, it would be an equally wonderful piece for understanding how foreigners react to a broken nation.
Book Review: A bit of history, a bit travelogue, a fantastic journey through an exotic land..
Summary: 4 Stars
Upon coming across some fellow British in a remote town in Afghanistan, writer and traveler Rory Stewart mentioned how he came to be there, alone and on foot, in the middle of a place as remote as Afghanistan. The reponse of this hardened Special Forces soldiers was "you're nutters," or "you're freaking crazy." Crazy perhaps, but a wonderful adventurer nonetheless. Following in the footsteps of Robert Kaplan, another travel writer who analyzes and incorporates the ethnicities, history, and sociology on the areas they write about, Stewart delivers an important addition to the information out there on Afghanistan.
Following a journey taken by the ancient Emperor of India Babur, Rory Stewart ventures from Halat near the Iranian border to Kabul, relying on the hospitality of strangers in poor villages in between and what he could carry on his back. This trip, described in elegant and honest detail, is fascinating in its examination of Afghanistan's turbulent history and its current ethnic and sociological choas. Stewart describes a world and a culture completely foreign to Westerners in all its vivid color and grim darkness. The book is short, and reads very quickly, because Stewart is a wonderful writer. The tale he tells, and its insights, should make it required reading for anyone going to Afghanistan, or for anyone who wishes to read more about a intriguing land and its people. Recommended.
A.G. Corwin
St. Louis, MO
Book Review: A book well named with a pun
Summary: 3 Stars
I believe that anyone who reads this book will be rewarded by the descriptions, the story, or both, but be warned; it is not a great work and the author has named it well, with a revealing pun. In fact it is what is in between that you feel the most in this book. What Stewart leaves out, what does not happen, what he chooses not to describe; that is what becomes most apparent. Was this his intention? It's never clear. If so, it's quite well done. If not, the book is not really much more than a hiking story in a chaotic landscape. The sleight of hand continues as he distracts us with the tales of the dangerous and unpredictable Afghans, but really presents a story of a man on a hike, in bad weather, with too little preparation and too great expectations. Despite the frequent character sketches, we learn very little about the people or what is going on. Is that the lesson, or is it just that that is all there is to this tale? Are we being pointed at the gaps in our understanding or is this another, albeit well written, "Englishman in the Orient" novel? One that resonates with us because of our current concerns in that part of the world, but which would be only a quaint and little read tale, otherwise. Again, we are led to believe that the relations the book is about are with the Afghan people, but in fact, the only moving story is his attachment to a dog, Babur, which he effectively leaves to strangers. In the end, the main virtue of the book may be that it leaves you wanting to know more. Finally, Stewart tells us about his reading; the conqueror Babur wrote an Afghan travelogue of his own, which Stewart quotes at times. Perhaps this too ties to the title, as we are pointed at contemplating the places in between one Babur and another. Stewart's book is already a fast fading snapshot in political terms, so you can read it as a conversation with a friend about his Afghan hike, or you could read Kipling. Maybe it's best to do both and think about the places in between.