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avocadochicken's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
I didn’t really expect to enjoy this much; it’s super old and non-fiction.
But it’s written more like a novel than non-fiction, and although it’s over 60 years old, it doesn’t feel particularly dated in the way it’s written.
It’s a humorous book, and I enjoyed the story and characters.
But it’s written more like a novel than non-fiction, and although it’s over 60 years old, it doesn’t feel particularly dated in the way it’s written.
It’s a humorous book, and I enjoyed the story and characters.
jon288's review against another edition
4.0
A remarkable travel book. In some ways it remined me a lot of the Mongol Rally. Two completely unprepared english chaps set off to go and explore an untravelled part of Afghanistan, and on the way climb up a 20,000ft mountain. As preparation, and to learn how to not die in the attempt, they go to Wales for the weekend. It is wonderful, and very funny- I must look up more of his adventures
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush is very firmly in the tradition of innocent, ill-prepared, and inquiring Englishmen abroad... I was surprised Eric and Hugh ever made it back during reading some of the passages of their mountaineering and general wandering around Nuristan. With a comic and self-deprecating touch Eric Newby leads us through this crazy journey with moments or wonderous beauty and lots of dysentery. There's an absolutely hilarious bit where he recounts studying a grammar of Kafir language and it's very odd collection of sentances. And in a gloriously improbable finale, they run into Wilfred Thesiger himself.
carolineroche's review against another edition
5.0
This book truly deserves it's cult status as a classic of travel writing. [a:Eric Newby|68509|Eric Newby|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1285363794p2/68509.jpg] has written a wonderful self deprecating story about an amateur expedition to climb a mountain, Mir Samir, which the locals themselves regarded as unclimbable. The mountain was in the Hindu Kush region, in Afghanistan, a very mountainous and difficult area even today. Newby was working in his parents dressmaking business when he sends a telegram to his friend Hugh Carless asking him to travel to Nuristan and climb the mountain. Carless agrees, and the whole expedition is born. It is a completely amateur affair, ramshackle and you wonder how they manage to survive another day - and yet they do. Newby has a wonderful self deprecating tone, about both himself and Carless. Yet his observations of the landscape, the people and the culture of the area is beautifully and sparsely written.He conjures up the landscapes with a few short phrases, and introduces us to this history of the area - much fought over and conquered since Alexander the Great passed that way - in an interesting way. Though some of the attitudes are a bit dated, the prose draws you on, and reading in context draws the sting. A wonderful book, one I couldn't put down, and one I will certainly be returning to again.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
3.0
A classic in adventure non fiction...i guess. While i enjoyed the pace and style of the story, besides a couple of pages this just wasn't all that adventurous. There's something to be said of hearing about central/western asia before it was associated with terrorism and fanatical religion, but even that portrait wasn't enough to make the much more than an average read.
pifferdiff's review against another edition
The book jacket describes this as "laugh out loud funny" and while I was amused in a few places, I think a lot of the British humor flew right over my head (sadly). The other factor that might have interfered with my enjoyment was my deep seated irritation with travel novels in which the authors are frustratingly ill-prepared and take seemingly ridiculously dangerous risks, which seems to be a classic theme of the genre. But perhaps this novel was the first of that type, so I have to give some credit to Newby for creating the trope. Complaints aside, I did learn some interesting things about the history of Afganistan and its geography, and I reaffirmed to myself why I NEVER want to go mountain-climbing.
scarletohhara's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating to read about Nuristan, Kafiristan and Mir Samir.