Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit
There were layers to this book. On the surface it’s a travelogue or adventure story - two friends bike the length of the ancient Silk Road. It’s also a meditation on borders - their history, their nature, their role and the danger of them. It’s about exploration and the joys and pitfalls. It’s about friendship - especially between two tough young women.
I had a lot of feelings about this book. First of all, no question, Harris is a FANTASTIC writer. The comparisons to Rebecca Solnit's writing, IMNSHO, are not unwarranted. She can turn a phrase, lyrical as all get out, and paint a clear evocative picture that describes both the terrain as well as her emotional state. Beautiful.
Her journey is a fascinating one; cycling the Silk Road - what an incredible adventure! I learned a bit about geography, geology, meteorology and culture from her. Plus, I have a wistful longing to be 25 years younger and use her book not just as an inspirational travelogue but an actual guidebook as well.
For these two things alone I heartily recommend "Lands of Lost Borders". And if you are a Solnit fan or travelogue/memoir nut, definitely read.
That being said, I have a few quibbles ...
One of my quibbles was that there was no map in my book. C'mon! But I just checked the final published version and there is a detailed map in there. So, yay!! This would have made my read even more informed.
My least favourite section of the book was about Harris' time at Oxford. I found it a little "out of touch" for someone who clearly has an explorer's heart and had already completed part of her silk road journey. This continued through the majority of the book for me. She is so privileged to be able to make this journey (to be at Oxford, to get help with visas from connections in the Canadian government, etc) that I was surprised that there was not really any commentary on this.
Towards the end of the book, as Harris is musing on the plight of Tibet and its people, I found her to be more empathetic and more cognizant of her privilege.
To be clear .. I know that "Lands of Lost Borders" isn't THAT kind of book and that she has no obligation to offer this type of political commentary - but it just rang occasionally tone-deaf to me and that brought me out of her otherwise lyrical narrative.
However, I still recommend it as an excellent read. Plus she's Canadian!
I received my ARC in a Goodreads giveaway. Many thanks to Goodreads and the publisher.
Also, it didn't actually take me 7.5 months to read this :) I finished it in about a week.
Her journey is a fascinating one; cycling the Silk Road - what an incredible adventure! I learned a bit about geography, geology, meteorology and culture from her. Plus, I have a wistful longing to be 25 years younger and use her book not just as an inspirational travelogue but an actual guidebook as well.
For these two things alone I heartily recommend "Lands of Lost Borders". And if you are a Solnit fan or travelogue/memoir nut, definitely read.
That being said, I have a few quibbles ...
One of my quibbles was that there was no map in my book. C'mon! But I just checked the final published version and there is a detailed map in there. So, yay!! This would have made my read even more informed.
My least favourite section of the book was about Harris' time at Oxford. I found it a little "out of touch" for someone who clearly has an explorer's heart and had already completed part of her silk road journey. This continued through the majority of the book for me. She is so privileged to be able to make this journey (to be at Oxford, to get help with visas from connections in the Canadian government, etc) that I was surprised that there was not really any commentary on this.
Towards the end of the book, as Harris is musing on the plight of Tibet and its people, I found her to be more empathetic and more cognizant of her privilege.
To be clear .. I know that "Lands of Lost Borders" isn't THAT kind of book and that she has no obligation to offer this type of political commentary - but it just rang occasionally tone-deaf to me and that brought me out of her otherwise lyrical narrative.
However, I still recommend it as an excellent read. Plus she's Canadian!
I received my ARC in a Goodreads giveaway. Many thanks to Goodreads and the publisher.
Also, it didn't actually take me 7.5 months to read this :) I finished it in about a week.
3.5 Stars.
The journey that Kate Harris and her friend Melissa embarked on is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I can't even imagine biking that distance, through unknown countries with unknown languages. I applaud them for their determination, bravery, and desire to explore. Kate grew up in an area about an hour from my home town, which made her story resonate with me even more.
I enjoyed this book and absolutely loved the stories of their journey, but I found myself skimming over some of the asides about history, language, philosophy, etc. While many of them were interesting, I found that others distracted from the story.
The journey that Kate Harris and her friend Melissa embarked on is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I can't even imagine biking that distance, through unknown countries with unknown languages. I applaud them for their determination, bravery, and desire to explore. Kate grew up in an area about an hour from my home town, which made her story resonate with me even more.
I enjoyed this book and absolutely loved the stories of their journey, but I found myself skimming over some of the asides about history, language, philosophy, etc. While many of them were interesting, I found that others distracted from the story.
What a beautifully written, thoughtful, insightful, honest book! I loved Kate Harris's account of her year long bicycle ride along the Silk Road. Her search for "wildness" and for an understanding of borders, her descriptions of the beauty and hardships, her evocative vignettes of life on the road, and her insightful commentary made me want to linger with her on the road. Her writing is so good that there were times I read passages aloud to my husband. Although not long, this is a book to be savored, with a pencil in hand in order to underline thoughts worth reflecting upon.
This book exhilarated, excited, and enthralled me throughout. I often feel hesitant of exploration narratives, especially ones in which white people enter the lands of peoples of color, but Kate Harris does a stupendous job of exposing the problematic nature of exploration and the long term legacy of colonization in those places. Her prose is gorgeous and enticing, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves this world, in all its dark complexity.
Excellent from start to finish. I loved the pace and how the author lead us through the present and past. I loved her observations about herself along the trek and the histories of the area.
This travelogue/memoir is perfect for anyone who enjoys wild, wide open spaces, exploring new cultures, cycling, environmental conservation, science, geopolitical history, finding one's way in the World and/or space travel to Mars.
I know. There's a lot going on in this book, but Harris manages to thread these varied topics together in a well-written and introspective journey along the historic Silk Road.
Definitely worth a read!
I know. There's a lot going on in this book, but Harris manages to thread these varied topics together in a well-written and introspective journey along the historic Silk Road.
Definitely worth a read!
3.5
decent bike travelogue, but in some ways it is odd that we don't get a better sense of her inner life, or her relationship with her fellow bike rider.
decent bike travelogue, but in some ways it is odd that we don't get a better sense of her inner life, or her relationship with her fellow bike rider.