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alidottie's review against another edition
3.0
3 & 1/2 stars
I do like Tony Horwitz's writing style, but I would've liked a bit more of the history of the Australian Outback which he only touched on in the briefest of stories instead of so many stories of stopping at pubs and such in the Outback of today. Also, the fact that this book is now nearly 30 yrs old, it makes me wonder how the Outback has changed. I will admit that a place that sounded at least a bit intriguing to me, has lost most of it's charm! And he wasn't even overly negative--his style is more that of a journalist reporting what he sees. The Outback is about as opposite as you can get to my kind of place!
It was interesting that he was hitch hiking and talking about how much hitching a ride had changed since he did it in the '70's. I imagine that has changed to almost not even be possible today.
I do like Tony Horwitz's writing style, but I would've liked a bit more of the history of the Australian Outback which he only touched on in the briefest of stories instead of so many stories of stopping at pubs and such in the Outback of today. Also, the fact that this book is now nearly 30 yrs old, it makes me wonder how the Outback has changed. I will admit that a place that sounded at least a bit intriguing to me, has lost most of it's charm! And he wasn't even overly negative--his style is more that of a journalist reporting what he sees. The Outback is about as opposite as you can get to my kind of place!
It was interesting that he was hitch hiking and talking about how much hitching a ride had changed since he did it in the '70's. I imagine that has changed to almost not even be possible today.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a sucker for amusing travelogues, but this one just wasn't quite that entertaining. There's really two reasons for this: 1. The outback of central Australia is a boiling hot, desolate, lonely place. 2. Tony Horwitz, whom I enjoy, is just not that humorous or interesting on this go around. I think most of us forget that when we think of Australia the majority of us are thinking of the coast. It's because that's where almost the entire population resides. The heart of the continent is a wasteland and what towns survive, if you can call it that, exist solely because they are or were attached to an industry or because they are a stopping point for food, gas, or mostly alcohol between two other sad and dull places on the road. I find Australia fascinating still, but an entire book on hitching around the outback is really just as boring as it sounds. If you want a better travelogue on the continent check out "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson, which is both more interesting and far more well rounded.
bookworm_anna's review against another edition
3.0
I love Horwitz's books. However, i have to agree w/ others who say this is one of his weaker ones. But that said, i still enjoyed it! It gives not only a glimpse into Australia (from one point of view), but also into the craft of hitchhiking. That is what i found most interesting about this book- his descriptions of his hitchhiking adventures. However, his later book, Blue Latitudes, gives a better description/understanding of Australia, i think.
Still worth the read, i think!
Still worth the read, i think!
jbojkov's review against another edition
3.0
I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt with my 3-star rating. I have to admit, I remember very little of it. I do think it was easy to read ( I tend to remember if I had to slog thru a book!), but don't know if it was also enjoyable.
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
3.0
I pulled this off my unread shelf thinking I had seen it on the wishlist of an attendee at the upcoming 2020 BookCrossing Convention in Gold Coast. When I checked again, I didn't find it. But since this is a book about visiting Australia, it will likely make the trip with me anyway.
I have acquired a new appreciation for the sanity and mild-mannered company of my Aussie friends after reading this tour of the hardscrabble and hard-drinking sections of the country/continent. This tour of Australia was interesting, but not always pleasant. I think the best part was Broome, which I don't know if anyone has ever said about Australia. This book may be more than 20 years old, but I don't know if it is outdated at all -- guess I will find out in a few months.
I have acquired a new appreciation for the sanity and mild-mannered company of my Aussie friends after reading this tour of the hardscrabble and hard-drinking sections of the country/continent. This tour of Australia was interesting, but not always pleasant. I think the best part was Broome, which I don't know if anyone has ever said about Australia. This book may be more than 20 years old, but I don't know if it is outdated at all -- guess I will find out in a few months.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
4.0
This was exactly the palate-cleansing travel memoir that I needed to recover from the barren gloom of Theater of Fish. One For the Road is the second travel memoir I've read about Australia, and the second one I've loved. I'm starting to think I'd love anything Tony Horwitz writes (write faster!). I didn't think anything could surpass my love for In a Sunburned Country, but this certainly pulls even with it. The thing is that the two books seem to capture different aspects of Australian culture and geography. Horwitz's book is the scruffy young kin to Bryson's book, and together they create a truly vivid picture of a continent/ country I'm not dying to visit, but still find vastly interesting.
I was really glad for the map at the front of the book, as I had some trouble keeping track of where Tony was at any given time. That has something to do with the nature of hitchhiking and such brief sojourns through any given place, I get. The book was also slightly dated, in that hitchhiking was still apparently an acceptable, legal, and somewhat safe method of travel (so bizarre to me!), cassette tapes were still in use, and the world news, culture, and politics mentioned were obviously not current.
But those are minor asides for me, not even something I'd consider an issue. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was surprised by how candid Tony is throughout this book, talking about religious beliefs (or lack thereof), hinting at political opinions, at least on a few topics, talking about his childhood, his insomnia and wanderlust, etc. They gave extra perspective to his interactions and adventures. My favorite sections of the book mostly had to do with the aborigines. I can't say I enjoyed them, exactly, since often the stories are bittersweet at best. But as a people they have more of a presence here than in In a Sunburned Country, and generally come out seeming like good people, however embattled their culture might be by various forces.
I also like that Horwitz wasn't afraid to show a bit of the darker, seedier side of Australian culture. The endless chain of pubs and nights of drinking could get a little old, but it does reflect the central nature of drinking and pubs to much of Australian, especially Outback culture. The fierce racism bothered me the most, as well as the often ferocious disregard for the environment. "Edna" was especially charmless, although cleverly depicted by Horwitz. I kept thinking of the evil teacher in Mathilda.
This was a fast, fun, easy read, and I'm glad I went to the extra effort of hunting it down through interlibrary loan. I may not want to visit Australia any more than I did before, but I certainly enjoyed my virtual trip (and I'd still love to see Uluru.).
I was really glad for the map at the front of the book, as I had some trouble keeping track of where Tony was at any given time. That has something to do with the nature of hitchhiking and such brief sojourns through any given place, I get. The book was also slightly dated, in that hitchhiking was still apparently an acceptable, legal, and somewhat safe method of travel (so bizarre to me!), cassette tapes were still in use, and the world news, culture, and politics mentioned were obviously not current.
But those are minor asides for me, not even something I'd consider an issue. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was surprised by how candid Tony is throughout this book, talking about religious beliefs (or lack thereof), hinting at political opinions, at least on a few topics, talking about his childhood, his insomnia and wanderlust, etc. They gave extra perspective to his interactions and adventures. My favorite sections of the book mostly had to do with the aborigines. I can't say I enjoyed them, exactly, since often the stories are bittersweet at best. But as a people they have more of a presence here than in In a Sunburned Country, and generally come out seeming like good people, however embattled their culture might be by various forces.
I also like that Horwitz wasn't afraid to show a bit of the darker, seedier side of Australian culture. The endless chain of pubs and nights of drinking could get a little old, but it does reflect the central nature of drinking and pubs to much of Australian, especially Outback culture. The fierce racism bothered me the most, as well as the often ferocious disregard for the environment. "Edna" was especially charmless, although cleverly depicted by Horwitz. I kept thinking of the evil teacher in Mathilda.
This was a fast, fun, easy read, and I'm glad I went to the extra effort of hunting it down through interlibrary loan. I may not want to visit Australia any more than I did before, but I certainly enjoyed my virtual trip (and I'd still love to see Uluru.).
julieputty's review
4.0
I think I'd read Horwitz talking about a tour of his own cellar. This wasn't as brilliant as Confederates in the Attic, but it was still a treat.
hrhacissej's review
3.0
I enjoyed this memoir about hitchhiking through the Australian Outback. I do so love to live vicariously. However, the writing isn't as strong as in Blue Latitude and Confederates in the Attic.
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