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| The Places In Between | 
 enlarge | Author: Rory Stewart
Publisher: Harvest Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $2.71
You Save: $11.29 (81%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (157 reviews)
Sales Rank: 3717
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0156031566
Dewey Decimal Number: 915.810447
EAN: 9780156031561
ASIN: 0156031566
Publication Date: May 8, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 writing that becomes lyrical, a journey that is epic November 26, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Rory Stewart's walk across Afghanistan is a spectacular act of courage and a wish to know firsthand. I found it hard to read at times -- for example, when he develops what seemes to be a camaraderie with a man both sadistic and loyal, whose idea of fun is frightening young children. Rory Stewart does not overtly muse about this complex relationship though he describes it so well that presumably the reader wonders about it because Rory Stewart is also uncertain and perhaps uncomfortable with the dichotomy. At other times, he does express clear feelings -- for example, his sense of the superficiality and self-serving nature of those who "help" without first-hand knowledge of what those receiving this "help" actually need and want. There are riveting descriptions of scenes he witnesses or participates in and, as the book goes on, his writing becomes almost lyrical. There is the dog he walks with for part of his journey, Babur. And then there is the man himself. Rory Stewart never seems to pity himself, even when he very nearly succumbs to the cold and snow and being sick. Although he is sometimes in very dangerous situations with the people he meets, one senses by the time he gets near Kabul a weary impatience and doggedness that make him refuse to be bullied after all he has seen and lived through. I highly recommend this book.
an adventure featuring brazen foolishness November 23, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
When it comes to travel writing, you've either got it (I'm thinking Paul Theroux, Bruce Chatwin), or you don't. Rory Stewart comes real close to not having it; however, he redeems this narrative of retracing the route of Babur, an 8th Century conqueror, with some pretty precocious writing.
Stewart does his descriptions well; perhaps what is missing is the seasoning of experience.
Why he felt this great urge to walk through Afghanistan, two months after the fall of the Taliban, and in the middle of winter, is never made clear to the reader (although he does say he's not good at explaining why he did this trek - not real convincingly either). He mixes his walkalogue with historical asides of the places he passes through - Afghanistan is depicted as a land of contrasts: attempts at comprehending the modern resistances of different tribal groups (Pashtun, Hazara, and Tajik) have to be seen in the light of ancient histories.
He passes through historic places of the Silk Road (the former villages of Jam and Chist-e-sharif); his knowledge of Dari and Persian is enough to enable him to converse with the various villagers. Along the way, he adopts a mastiff who accompanies him on half of this journey from Herat to Kabul. Some of his experiences are harrowing - one has to wonder about Stewart's brazen foolishness at these times.
This narrative is not a "flatout masterpiece", as the NY Times Book Review would have it. Although Stewart is good with the descriptions, like I've mentioned, the narration gets slushy at times (mirroring the terrain being slushed through I suppose). Babur's journals are overquoted to the point of making the narrative get slack; that could be another downer point here.
That Rory Stewart pushed his luck and tempted his fate, as youthful exuberance does, is really what lies between the lines of this book. He emerges from this ordeal to tell the tale - which comes off as a young man who has a couple of pretty close shaves with having his head cut off.
Four stars (barely) on this one.
The Cloud Reckoner
Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts
 I'd read the book instead November 11, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The story was somewhat interesting and gives the reader/listener a somewhat of a good idea about the culture in Afghanistan (at least along the route he traveled); however, his journey seemed kind of pointless, almost meaningless. What made the CD version less appealing was hearing Rory Stewart's winy C-3PO narration. I would read the book instead, but even then, it seemed pointless to me. I hate to knock Rory's account of his travels because I think he's a good guy. Having been to Afghanistan and other Third World nations, I can appreciate his tenacity and self-sacrifice to walk the same path as Babur, but at the end of the day, I really didn't care all that much. You might...
 the places in between November 10, 2007
2 out of 25 found this review helpful
i was very unhappy with the amazon service last time. i received one book twice, from 2 different sources. since it was too complicated to return the second copy, i had to pay twice. i didn't even enjoy the book THE PLACES IN BETWEEN.
marianne phiebig
Attempts At Understanding Rural Afghanistan October 11, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I picked this book off the bookstore table, I really only had a vague idea that it was one man's story about traveling through Afghanistan. Beyond that, I didn't know what to expect.
The book tells the story of Rory Stewarts walk across Afghanistan, from Herat to Kabul, and some of the people, villages, and feelings he had along the way. He states he wanted to walk across Asia, and this part helped to complete this quest. He managed to do this shortly after the Taliban were defeated in 2002, which is a bit interesting.
I can't say that I was fascinated by this book, yet I can't say that I was disappointed, either. I am glad I read it. I've a few books about Afghanistan that were centered in Kabul, and it was interesting to find out more information regarding the rural parts of Afghanistan and to find out just how drastic the difference between the two are. We here in the US always hear about how difficult it is fighting a war in rural Afghanistan because of the geography and because of tribalism. This book really helped to bring an understanding of those concepts to me. In that, I found the book fascinating.
The book does seem to drag, however. And the villages do seem to be strikingly similar until they all seem to fade together. Chapter after chapter of villages one cannot find on a map filled with nothing but mud huts gets a bit tedious to read about. Yet, for me, anyway, when Mr. Stewart speaks to the historical parts of Afghanistan, I found it be very interesting. And when he spoke of the people he met along the way, I was fascinated. He did seem to dwell on those individual who were less than savory, though. It would have been refreshing to read more about people he'd met who had been nice, helpful, and thoughtful. I'm sure there must have more than just 3 or 4?
I did enjoy reading about the various customs within some of the different tribes. I thought that to be very interesting. Some of the items Mr. Steward writes about were amusing, some were shocking to my Western mindset, and some were just outright disturbing (the Afghan Islamic view on the treatment towards dogs was especially difficult for this dog lover!). In all it was an interersting book, but there were some flaws.
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