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leethepea's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book, especially just having returned from a short trip to India. It just makes me want to go back an see more of this amazing country. I only wish the book had some maps and pictures in it to go along with the text.
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
4.0
Monisha Rajesh's family had moved over from India a while ago, but in 1991 they decided that they wanted to move back. Heading to Madras, they lasted two years before concluding they preferred the cold climate of the UK over rats and severed body parts. Twenty years later, she has the urge to return once again to India, but how to see it. An idea forms based on Jules Verne's classic Around the world in 80 Days and she starts researching the railways of India hoping to find 80 separate train journey's that would take her around the country and help her to re-discover it. But first, she needed a companion for her adventure. Fortunately, she knew a photographer who had some spare time and he agreed to come with her.
Her journey would take her across India from top to bottom, and right into the far reaches of the country. She passes through well-known cities like Mumbai and Delhi to places that are only known to the locals. Each journey was different and a challenge to all the senses from the sleekest sleeper trains to the carriages where she shared space with the mass of humanity each on their own personal journey. Herr companion, Passepartout, though turned out to be a radical atheist who was continually challenged and assaulted by the cacophony of sights and sounds in this deeply devout country.
A romantic evening haze hung over the treetops that sped past. I soon realised that this was a layer of filth on the window…
I thought that this was a really enjoyable account of a series of trip backwards and forwards around the subcontinent of India. Rajesh conveys the character of the country really well from the people that she meets on the trains as well as being able to draw on her dual cultural identity to understand the context of what she is seeing. Mixed with this is a blend of historical and personal anecdotes and written in a warm and conversational style. It is also a warning to choose your travelling companions wisely too…
Her journey would take her across India from top to bottom, and right into the far reaches of the country. She passes through well-known cities like Mumbai and Delhi to places that are only known to the locals. Each journey was different and a challenge to all the senses from the sleekest sleeper trains to the carriages where she shared space with the mass of humanity each on their own personal journey. Herr companion, Passepartout, though turned out to be a radical atheist who was continually challenged and assaulted by the cacophony of sights and sounds in this deeply devout country.
A romantic evening haze hung over the treetops that sped past. I soon realised that this was a layer of filth on the window…
I thought that this was a really enjoyable account of a series of trip backwards and forwards around the subcontinent of India. Rajesh conveys the character of the country really well from the people that she meets on the trains as well as being able to draw on her dual cultural identity to understand the context of what she is seeing. Mixed with this is a blend of historical and personal anecdotes and written in a warm and conversational style. It is also a warning to choose your travelling companions wisely too…
corinnemercury's review
4.0
This is a very warm and candid reveal of a woman's journey through India, very humorous at times and quite intense at others. I was instantly placed in the author's shoes and travelled with her throughout India, and I particularly admired the way she didn't shy away from certain controversial aspects of her journey: the dangers of being a woman on the road, the poverty of the slums, the misogyny encountered. One moment in particular stuck out for me, with the entire atheism vs. spirituality argument carried out by two characters, and how the author showcased the faults of both sides while still maintaining their validity. It was such an enjoyable read, it might just become a comfort read for me.
Some favourite quotes:
"To the right and up some steps was (...) a sign: HINDUS NOT ALLOWED. It looked rude. Why invite someone into your house if they could not warm their hands at the hearth?"
"Everything arises to disappear. Learn to face both pleasure and pain with equanimity.
The truth was that both hurt: one when it disappeared and one when it arrived. But by remaining a passive observer to both, perhaps day-to-day events would become more manageable."
"Are you travelling alone? I asked.
No, I'm not alone. I'm by myself."
Some favourite quotes:
"To the right and up some steps was (...) a sign: HINDUS NOT ALLOWED. It looked rude. Why invite someone into your house if they could not warm their hands at the hearth?"
"Everything arises to disappear. Learn to face both pleasure and pain with equanimity.
The truth was that both hurt: one when it disappeared and one when it arrived. But by remaining a passive observer to both, perhaps day-to-day events would become more manageable."
"Are you travelling alone? I asked.
No, I'm not alone. I'm by myself."
meenakshimadhavan's review
2.0
Two stars because while I really liked the premise--travelling around India on trains, and I'm a huge train fan myself--I thought her descriptions of India and Indians were a bit heavy handed with cliches, the familiar trap for foreigners writing about India, though the author is of Indian origin, she identifies as British. ("Indians are so-and-so" "Indian travellers like such-and-such.") It made me quite impatient, I wanted to say, "Get on with it already!" However, for those wanting more reads about travelling in India via trains, it's an informative read. So there's that.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
Monisha Rajesh's family had moved over from India a while ago, but in 1991 they decided that they wanted to move back. Heading to Madras, they lasted two years before concluding they preferred the cold climate of the UK over rats and severed body parts. Twenty years later, she has the urge to return once again to India, but how to see it. An idea forms based on Jules Verne's classic Around the world in 80 Days and she starts researching the railways of India hoping to find 80 separate train journey's that would take her around the country and help her to re-discover it. But first, she needed a companion for her adventure. Fortunately, she knew a photographer who had some spare time and he agreed to come with her.
Her journey would take her across India from top to bottom, and right into the far reaches of the country. She passes through well-known cities like Mumbai and Delhi to places that are only known to the locals. Each journey was different and a challenge to all the senses from the sleekest sleeper trains to the carriages where she shared space with the mass of humanity each on their own personal journey. Herr companion, Passepartout, though turned out to be a radical atheist who was continually challenged and assaulted by the cacophony of sights and sounds in this deeply devout country.
A romantic evening haze hung over the treetops that sped past. I soon realised that this was a layer of filth on the window…
I thought that this was a really enjoyable account of a series of trip backwards and forwards around the subcontinent of India. Rajesh conveys the character of the country really well from the people that she meets on the trains as well as being able to draw on her dual cultural identity to understand the context of what she is seeing. Mixed with this is a blend of historical and personal anecdotes and written in a warm and conversational style. It is also a warning to choose your travelling companions wisely too…
Her journey would take her across India from top to bottom, and right into the far reaches of the country. She passes through well-known cities like Mumbai and Delhi to places that are only known to the locals. Each journey was different and a challenge to all the senses from the sleekest sleeper trains to the carriages where she shared space with the mass of humanity each on their own personal journey. Herr companion, Passepartout, though turned out to be a radical atheist who was continually challenged and assaulted by the cacophony of sights and sounds in this deeply devout country.
A romantic evening haze hung over the treetops that sped past. I soon realised that this was a layer of filth on the window…
I thought that this was a really enjoyable account of a series of trip backwards and forwards around the subcontinent of India. Rajesh conveys the character of the country really well from the people that she meets on the trains as well as being able to draw on her dual cultural identity to understand the context of what she is seeing. Mixed with this is a blend of historical and personal anecdotes and written in a warm and conversational style. It is also a warning to choose your travelling companions wisely too…
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