Book Review – The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia
Author: Paul Theroux
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 342
Theroux’s book on his epic train journey is now one of the most celebrated travel books. Theroux begins his journey from London, travelling on Orient Express to Iran and further to India, Srilanka, Myanmar, South-East Asia, Japan, Russia and back. The long journey took him three months, taking him through some prettiest regions to a few depressing ones too. And the landscapes changed considerably over time, from hot desert climes of middle-east to freezing temperatures in Siberia.
Theroux epitomizes the old saying in his book, all the time trying to tell his readers that the journey is more important than the destination. Indeed, the book is more about the journey, where he talks in detail about his fellow passengers and the changing window view from the train, while he talks very little about the destination where he spends his days between journeys.
Theroux’s book may not seem all that special in the days when every tom, dick and harry talks about Round The World travel and gap-year, but it stands unique in the fact that he made his journey by train, and the book is not much about the destinations. His writing style is very readable, keeping the reader travelling with him all the time. A worthy read, but one might also wonder if the book was worth all the fame it has acquired.