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magnaraz117's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
As a longtime Rush fan, this is an insightful look into Neil Peart's life during the most emotional and traumatic times of his life.
The landscapes are always beautiful, the food usually good, the reading selection excellent, but sometimes his personal views fall a little short, flat, and dated. He addresses this openly and honestly early on, citing his anger with life, the world, and people around him that lead to his jaded comments that largely due with overweight people, and those of lower economic standing. The comments can at times be jarring, and take you out of the narrative, nonetheless they are a honest reflection of his grief, rage, and sorrow.
Overall, this memoir is a beautiful glimpse into this man's healing process, or rather his healing road. It is no great work of literature, though the prose is at times pretty and paints pictures of the landscape aptly. What it does so well is put you in the seat of his motorcycle, in every diner and restaurant, of the ferries and hotels, and make you feel like you are there. Like you are standing next to the man listening to him talk through his pain and horror. And that is no small feat.
This is an excellent read for hard core Rush fans, for people going through similar grief, and for those looking for an emotional ride through North America as seen by a motorcyclist.
The landscapes are always beautiful, the food usually good, the reading selection excellent, but sometimes his personal views fall a little short, flat, and dated. He addresses this openly and honestly early on, citing his anger with life, the world, and people around him that lead to his jaded comments that largely due with overweight people, and those of lower economic standing. The comments can at times be jarring, and take you out of the narrative, nonetheless they are a honest reflection of his grief, rage, and sorrow.
Overall, this memoir is a beautiful glimpse into this man's healing process, or rather his healing road. It is no great work of literature, though the prose is at times pretty and paints pictures of the landscape aptly. What it does so well is put you in the seat of his motorcycle, in every diner and restaurant, of the ferries and hotels, and make you feel like you are there. Like you are standing next to the man listening to him talk through his pain and horror. And that is no small feat.
This is an excellent read for hard core Rush fans, for people going through similar grief, and for those looking for an emotional ride through North America as seen by a motorcyclist.
raethedarkfae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.25
rocksea329's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
lizaster's review against another edition
3.0
This was a bookclub pick, and not something I would have picked myself. I sort of know Rush, as in I could identify that they are a band. I actually asked a few friends if they knew them and they had a similar response.
Well, the book itself is kind of charming and easily readable, I just didn't really have much of an attachment or nostalgia for the author. Tragically, Neil loses his wife and daughter in the same year, and the book covers his recovery through motorcycling through Canada, the US and Mexico. It can be very sad, but it will also make you want to travel, eat good food, and get moving.
However, halfway through the book he completes four months of traveling, and spends a snowy winter at his lake house in Toronto snowshoeing and skiing. And THEN, the second half of the book is him basically doing the same trip again. I skimmed the second half. I can see some people loving this book, those who are motorcyclists, and Rush fans, especially, but it was just not for me.
Well, the book itself is kind of charming and easily readable, I just didn't really have much of an attachment or nostalgia for the author. Tragically, Neil loses his wife and daughter in the same year, and the book covers his recovery through motorcycling through Canada, the US and Mexico. It can be very sad, but it will also make you want to travel, eat good food, and get moving.
However, halfway through the book he completes four months of traveling, and spends a snowy winter at his lake house in Toronto snowshoeing and skiing. And THEN, the second half of the book is him basically doing the same trip again. I skimmed the second half. I can see some people loving this book, those who are motorcyclists, and Rush fans, especially, but it was just not for me.
captainjaq's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this much more than I did. To be fair, it's a fascinating look at the grieving one man went through, but at the same time, this book would never have been published (at least not in this edit) were that man not the drummer for the band Rush. It was in desperate need of an editor, someone who could catch the repetitions, and focus it down because there was a great story there to be told.
That said, Peart sounds like a really interesting, intelligent, well-read, guy. The list of books he reads during this journey is impressive.
That said, Peart sounds like a really interesting, intelligent, well-read, guy. The list of books he reads during this journey is impressive.
papi's review against another edition
3.0
Often downbeat and mirroring the morose attitudes and emotions of Neil Peart on the recent loss of his wife and daughter, this book is nonetheless a compelling read. The successful member of Rush, a top Canadian band, Peart takes a leave of absence to reconnect with the world around him and battle the demons in his soul as he rides. Not really a travel book, nor yet an emotional exploration, it combines elements of both and the result is a look into the heart of the man.
sockielady's review against another edition
4.0
I was very tempted to give this 5 stars, because it was mostly a very enjoyable book, but there were two things which stopped me from doing so. The first is Mr. Peart's obvious but inexplicable prejudice against people of size. He makes several comments throughout the book using an inverse relationship to equate a person's physical size and fitness to his or her worth as a human being; i.e., the fatter a person is, the more worthless he or she is as a human (in Mr. Peart's estimation, at least). I did notice that these comments were more abundant in the first half of the book, so perhaps it was mostly the grief talking; still, I found these comments to be offensive and unnecessary, especially since all these comments were made about total strangers.
The other thing that prevented me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that the narrative dragged a bit during the three chapters wherein he went on hiatus from traveling and holed up on his lake house in Quebec. During this time, he mostly wrote letters to friends about his mental/emotional state at that point in his grieving. While I'm sure this was very interesting to any diehard Rush fans who read the book, I came to this book as a fan of travel writing, not as a fan of Rush (right now, at least five of my friends are standing up with their fists clenched in rage, screaming "HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE RUSH?!? THEY'RE THE GREATEST BAND EVER!!!" to which I say, to each his own). I mostly skimmed these chapters, and got back to the traveling parts as quickly as possible (although I must say I was very entertained by his ongoing battles with the birdfeeder-raiding squirrels and garbagecan-raiding raccoons). I am looking forward to reading his previous book, The Masked Rider about cycling in Africa.
The other thing that prevented me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that the narrative dragged a bit during the three chapters wherein he went on hiatus from traveling and holed up on his lake house in Quebec. During this time, he mostly wrote letters to friends about his mental/emotional state at that point in his grieving. While I'm sure this was very interesting to any diehard Rush fans who read the book, I came to this book as a fan of travel writing, not as a fan of Rush (right now, at least five of my friends are standing up with their fists clenched in rage, screaming "HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE RUSH?!? THEY'RE THE GREATEST BAND EVER!!!" to which I say, to each his own). I mostly skimmed these chapters, and got back to the traveling parts as quickly as possible (although I must say I was very entertained by his ongoing battles with the birdfeeder-raiding squirrels and garbagecan-raiding raccoons). I am looking forward to reading his previous book, The Masked Rider about cycling in Africa.
jlkhype's review against another edition
This book was recommended / lent to me by a fellow rider (I ride too) at a time when I very much appreciated the perspective Neil Peart brings to the subject matter.
baybay11098's review against another edition
3.0
As a huge fan of Rush, I knew had to read this at some point in my life. And now, with some stuff that I've gone through this year, this seemed like a good time to read it. Peart has a very wide vocabulary and a vast knowledge of literature, philosophy, and history. All of these things are shown in his writing here.
Peart was always a shy and therefore private person but this book lets us see him much closer. He doesn't hold back from portraying his own weaknesses. Especially in times of grief, we may think things that are hateful even if we don't necessarily believe them, and Peart lets us see that here. It is especially interesting to see how he handles his grief because he's very unlike most people who write about this stuff. He's atheist (but kind of spiritual), he's shy, he's in one of the best and most important rock bands of all time and also one of the greatest drummers ever (but extremely modest), and he explicitly says he doesn't believe in any of that "it happened for a reason" or anything like that. He literally just has to work through his emotions from the very bottom and work his way up.
Most of the actual words on the pages, though, are about the traveling itself. This is where any traveling or history lover will really enjoy this, as Peart travels throughout Canada, USA, and Mexico, and talks about the history, culture, and wildlife of pretty much every area.
To be honest, I thought the book was way too long because of some of the traveling stuff. I don't need to know the exact number of kilometers or miles for every tiny thing, for example. This is 458 pages but should really be like 360-370.
It is still a good read, though, and I am happy I got know The Professor a bit more. This is a great introspection into his life, opinions (more than what we say in his lyrics), and just himself in general. I'm sure it probably reads a bit different now since he passed away earlier this year. But overall I think it was interesting to read about someone who suffered much more tragedy than I definitely have, and how he was able to move beyond it. His words, like his lyrics, are already sticking with me and that is always a good sign.
Peart was always a shy and therefore private person but this book lets us see him much closer. He doesn't hold back from portraying his own weaknesses. Especially in times of grief, we may think things that are hateful even if we don't necessarily believe them, and Peart lets us see that here. It is especially interesting to see how he handles his grief because he's very unlike most people who write about this stuff. He's atheist (but kind of spiritual), he's shy, he's in one of the best and most important rock bands of all time and also one of the greatest drummers ever (but extremely modest), and he explicitly says he doesn't believe in any of that "it happened for a reason" or anything like that. He literally just has to work through his emotions from the very bottom and work his way up.
Most of the actual words on the pages, though, are about the traveling itself. This is where any traveling or history lover will really enjoy this, as Peart travels throughout Canada, USA, and Mexico, and talks about the history, culture, and wildlife of pretty much every area.
To be honest, I thought the book was way too long because of some of the traveling stuff. I don't need to know the exact number of kilometers or miles for every tiny thing, for example. This is 458 pages but should really be like 360-370.
It is still a good read, though, and I am happy I got know The Professor a bit more. This is a great introspection into his life, opinions (more than what we say in his lyrics), and just himself in general. I'm sure it probably reads a bit different now since he passed away earlier this year. But overall I think it was interesting to read about someone who suffered much more tragedy than I definitely have, and how he was able to move beyond it. His words, like his lyrics, are already sticking with me and that is always a good sign.
psalmcat's review against another edition
4.0
OK, I can't stand Rush--I know, I know, I know!--and know nothing about the individuals in the band, but here is a book by the drummer (whose voice is not the reason I dislike Rush). When I cataloged this at work, it looked interesting: motorcycle trip to anywhere as escape from reality: Dealing with the death of a family member (in his case two -- hmmm, in my case, two....). He's quite a good writer ("for a rock musician"), no really he is. He is obviously every-so-slightly more literate than say, Britney Spears or (to be less ageist and obvious) Ozzy Osbourne.
Daughter died in car accident on her way to college, wife died of cancer less than a year later, but he's convinced her broken heart killed her. They were his life. So now what? His answer: drive around North America for the better part of two years on his 'bike. Would that we could all run away ( from our troubles so easily. But that is a minor quibble for me.
Generally I liked this book. I could see what he was seeing (inside his head and out). Gotta love a man not afraid to admit he cries. He did get to the wallowing stage right around year one. Reminded me of that awful period of crying in the shower when everyone thinks, "Why isn't she over this?? It's been months!" Too bad it ends with a hokey-dokey romantic la-la ending. Quite a let-down (although I guess I'm happy for him)....grudge grudge. ;-)
Daughter died in car accident on her way to college, wife died of cancer less than a year later, but he's convinced her broken heart killed her. They were his life. So now what? His answer: drive around North America for the better part of two years on his 'bike. Would that we could all run away ( from our troubles so easily. But that is a minor quibble for me.
Generally I liked this book. I could see what he was seeing (inside his head and out). Gotta love a man not afraid to admit he cries. He did get to the wallowing stage right around year one. Reminded me of that awful period of crying in the shower when everyone thinks, "Why isn't she over this?? It's been months!" Too bad it ends with a hokey-dokey romantic la-la ending. Quite a let-down (although I guess I'm happy for him)....grudge grudge. ;-)