Reviews

North Korea Journal by Michael Palin

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a_gillie's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful informative lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

This is a very quick read, but contained all of Palin’s well known and much loved charm. A less cynical look at a country shrouded in mystery and rumour. It comes off less “1984”, and more “Brave New World”. Take from that what you will.

mehsi's review against another edition

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5.0

So happy that I found out that Palin is still writing and travelling. I loved his book about Iraq and I am excited that my library had this book as well, even in English!!
In this book Michael Palin travels to North Korea and we see him discover the land. It was very interesting to read and I love the abundance of photographs. It was an interesting glimpse of the country. How they do things, about symbolism, about communism, about the leaders, the people who live there, and more. Great writing-style which kept me engaged all the time.
At times though I felt a bit uncomfortable as he asked some pretty daring/dangerous questions and often didn't seem to understand that people couldn't/wouldn't answer for a multitude of reasons.

jenrkeeling's review against another edition

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adventurous informative

3.5

imogeni's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.25

Agree with the other reviews about how this book lacked critical depth. Did not provide much insight into the country but it was an enjoyable read and can't be judged too harshly as it is a journal/ travel log.