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sianw1992's review against another edition
2.0
Author B in my A-Z was Charley Boorman although it says that Long Way Round was just written by Ewan McGregor.
I'm a fan of both actors but I've never seen the TV show so I went into this with a fresh mind not really knowing what to expect. And can I say it was the biggest disappointment.
Both authors moaned, whined and cried their way around the globe. I know it must be hard to miss those you live with constantly, but they were crying when they left and cried during a lot of the journey. When they weren't crying they were moaning about the conditions of the road, which they should have expected and each other.
On top of that it was hard to tell which of them were narrating. Their writing styles were very similar and when events happened they were brushed under the carpet. Nothing was explained in much detail. In fact more time was spent complaining about the state of the roads.
In Ewan McGregor's sections he would constantly 'film drop' mentioning what he'd been in as well as any encounter when someone recognised him from a film. Although I like him as an actor, I didn't really care about that in this context and when he started worrying about his career I skipped large chunks of text.
There were a few bits I enjoyed when there was a lot of tension, or funny moments, which it should have been for the majority of the book in my opinion, which is why I'm giving it two instead of one. But overall it was a complete and utter let down. I don't think I'll be reading one of their books again.
I'm a fan of both actors but I've never seen the TV show so I went into this with a fresh mind not really knowing what to expect. And can I say it was the biggest disappointment.
Both authors moaned, whined and cried their way around the globe. I know it must be hard to miss those you live with constantly, but they were crying when they left and cried during a lot of the journey. When they weren't crying they were moaning about the conditions of the road, which they should have expected and each other.
On top of that it was hard to tell which of them were narrating. Their writing styles were very similar and when events happened they were brushed under the carpet. Nothing was explained in much detail. In fact more time was spent complaining about the state of the roads.
In Ewan McGregor's sections he would constantly 'film drop' mentioning what he'd been in as well as any encounter when someone recognised him from a film. Although I like him as an actor, I didn't really care about that in this context and when he started worrying about his career I skipped large chunks of text.
There were a few bits I enjoyed when there was a lot of tension, or funny moments, which it should have been for the majority of the book in my opinion, which is why I'm giving it two instead of one. But overall it was a complete and utter let down. I don't think I'll be reading one of their books again.
thepaperbackplanner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
I loved this show, so I’ll love the book, right? Well, kinda. There weren’t as many insights form behind the scenes of the show, and because the POVs were divided, it made Ewan and Charley seem more divided as well. I definitely didn’t hate it, but I didn’t get as much from it as I thought I might.
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the TV show an I also enjoyed this slightly more intimate portrayal of events. A must read for lovers of travel literature.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
3.0
An entertaining tale of an around the world trip on motorcycles, despite the fact I have little knowledge of motorbikes nor any desire to ride them. Starting from London they take the long way round to New York. It's not that many people who can take their crazy dreams and put them into practice. It's a whistlestop tour as they don't have a huge amount of time in which to undertake the journey and so the focus is usually on counting the miles. But they manage to see some pretty amazing places and not get swept away by the rivers they are crossing. The POV narration switches between the two main instigators of the trip and it does go to show that the emotional toil of such a journey is part and parcel of it.
Authors being Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman with Robert Uhlig.
Authors being Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman with Robert Uhlig.
papidoc's review against another edition
5.0
Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman travel around the world (the long way) by motorcycle. Riding BMW adventure touring bikes, they encounter harsh weather, friendly criminals, exhaustion, injury, vehicular accidents, strange dinner ingredients, and every other element of a wonderfully engaging travel adventure. They rode for over four months and 20,000 miles, and their book documents the highs and the lows of their trip around the world. As these two Brits might say, "simply smashing!"
kinx128's review against another edition
4.0
Long Way Round is a mentally and physically exhausting journey made by two friends who wanted a break. The book is comprised of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s daily diary entries that were written during the entire trip. By sharing both of their personal diaries you are able to get two very different perspectives of their overwhelming trip around the world.
In the beginning, I was a little irritated, especially with Ewan. He liked to name-drop quite a bit and, also, liked to mention which movies he was filming at the time. However, as I kept reading, I realized that Ewan’s journey was about leaving the film industry behind and discover new things about himself. I thought it was amazing how he and Charley were able to get on a pair of huge BMW bikes without an entourage and travel across some of the most difficult and dangerous roads in the world. They would stay with complete strangers and found out the true meaning of hospitality.
For Ewan and Charley, Mongolia was the highlight of their journey. They were able to, finally, leave behind their insecurities and obsessions of keeping their riding schedules. They started to absorb and enjoy the ride. At one part, they decided to take a quick dip in a nearby river.
Ewan: “This is so liberating!” I screamed, running naked along the riverbank back to my bike. “Three nude men in the countryside. We should have some drums and bows and arrows.” The best part of the impromptu skinny-dip was that we had shaken off our obsession with keeping to the schedule…But we’d come to realize that keeping to planned mileage was pointless if we didn’t experience anything along the way.”
It was moments like that that made the book so entertainment; watching grown men run around like little boys enjoying their adventure.
However, there were times where the extreme demand on their minds and bodies was just too much. Charley wrote that “It was just so hard. More than once I thought: what the f—k am I doing here? Why am I doing this? Who thought this was a good idea? I just wanted to go home. For the first time, I really hit a low, my mood all the worse for not having eaten since breakfast.” When Charley would really let himself experience the land, he would lift himself out of his dark mood and journey on. Their extreme mood swings was prevalent throughout their journey. They had highs and lows. It really is amazing how they were able to fight through their emotions to meet their goal.
I really enjoyed this book. I experienced all the highs and lows with Ewan and Charley. You are left with such a respect for what these two accomplished. They left behind the comfort of their families and their privileged lifestyle to experience extreme off rode biking and other cultures. They came back changed men.
In the beginning, I was a little irritated, especially with Ewan. He liked to name-drop quite a bit and, also, liked to mention which movies he was filming at the time. However, as I kept reading, I realized that Ewan’s journey was about leaving the film industry behind and discover new things about himself. I thought it was amazing how he and Charley were able to get on a pair of huge BMW bikes without an entourage and travel across some of the most difficult and dangerous roads in the world. They would stay with complete strangers and found out the true meaning of hospitality.
For Ewan and Charley, Mongolia was the highlight of their journey. They were able to, finally, leave behind their insecurities and obsessions of keeping their riding schedules. They started to absorb and enjoy the ride. At one part, they decided to take a quick dip in a nearby river.
Ewan: “This is so liberating!” I screamed, running naked along the riverbank back to my bike. “Three nude men in the countryside. We should have some drums and bows and arrows.” The best part of the impromptu skinny-dip was that we had shaken off our obsession with keeping to the schedule…But we’d come to realize that keeping to planned mileage was pointless if we didn’t experience anything along the way.”
It was moments like that that made the book so entertainment; watching grown men run around like little boys enjoying their adventure.
However, there were times where the extreme demand on their minds and bodies was just too much. Charley wrote that “It was just so hard. More than once I thought: what the f—k am I doing here? Why am I doing this? Who thought this was a good idea? I just wanted to go home. For the first time, I really hit a low, my mood all the worse for not having eaten since breakfast.” When Charley would really let himself experience the land, he would lift himself out of his dark mood and journey on. Their extreme mood swings was prevalent throughout their journey. They had highs and lows. It really is amazing how they were able to fight through their emotions to meet their goal.
I really enjoyed this book. I experienced all the highs and lows with Ewan and Charley. You are left with such a respect for what these two accomplished. They left behind the comfort of their families and their privileged lifestyle to experience extreme off rode biking and other cultures. They came back changed men.
dozylocal's review against another edition
3.0
A simply written account of Ewan and his friend, Charley's, great adventure across Europe and America on their BMW motorcycles. Told in the form of journal-type entries, it's an easy read and fairly interesting, probably more so to motorcycle enthusiasts. The edition I had also had some photos, which were really cool. I liked that Ewan and his crew seemed to very down to earth and normal, especially considering the demanding task they were undertaking. I think most people would enjoy reading this.