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A review by chuffwrites
An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington by Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
4.0
I go to bed most nights listening to Ricky, Steve, and Karl podcasts, XFM shows, and audiobooks, so I went into this book knowing I was going to enjoy it.
Basically, these are Karl's travel diaries, written as he was in each country. It's not just a rehash of what was seen in the individual episodes, which I worried in the beginning it might be; as the diary goes on, Karl gets more comfortable with the medium, and some of the stuff he comes up with is surprisingly ... great. I mean, describing life in the tiny, middle-of-nowhere Mayan village as "waiting for a bus that's never coming" brought up such a clear image in my head, I sat back and was like, "Damn, Karl. That was good!"
I think Chichen Itza was my favorite section of the book, though the diary writing got stronger with each successive trip. I liked the Mexico parts because Karl was enjoying himself, and that made his adventures a little more fun to read. Miserable Karl just makes me miserable, however much it may make Ricky laugh.
In the end, I have to really appreciate what Karl, Ricky, and Steve have done with the Idiot Abroad series. I think, in world travels, I would very much be the Karl figure. He shows you the most realistic version of traveling: the crappy sleeping conditions, the daily trials of trying to find a bathroom, the foreign cuisine giving you the shits; being unable to appreciate the beauty of the Wonder because you've only slept four hours, or you've been hiking all day and are covered in mud and stink of piss and just want to go home already. You see very real, unapologetically unglamorous versions of the cities Karl visits. He's not staying in spotless hotels and traveling with safe tour groups; he's seeing the dirt and the rank and the terrible living conditions. He's having a horrible time, so you don't have to.
All in all, fun book. I'd only read it if you've already seen the Idiot Abroad series and have a strong love of K.P., Pilk Boy, Mr. Dilkington, etc. Otherwise, I think the inherent charm of the diary would be sort of lost in translation. If you already speak Karl's language though, I think you'll love this.
Basically, these are Karl's travel diaries, written as he was in each country. It's not just a rehash of what was seen in the individual episodes, which I worried in the beginning it might be; as the diary goes on, Karl gets more comfortable with the medium, and some of the stuff he comes up with is surprisingly ... great. I mean, describing life in the tiny, middle-of-nowhere Mayan village as "waiting for a bus that's never coming" brought up such a clear image in my head, I sat back and was like, "Damn, Karl. That was good!"
I think Chichen Itza was my favorite section of the book, though the diary writing got stronger with each successive trip. I liked the Mexico parts because Karl was enjoying himself, and that made his adventures a little more fun to read. Miserable Karl just makes me miserable, however much it may make Ricky laugh.
In the end, I have to really appreciate what Karl, Ricky, and Steve have done with the Idiot Abroad series. I think, in world travels, I would very much be the Karl figure. He shows you the most realistic version of traveling: the crappy sleeping conditions, the daily trials of trying to find a bathroom, the foreign cuisine giving you the shits; being unable to appreciate the beauty of the Wonder because you've only slept four hours, or you've been hiking all day and are covered in mud and stink of piss and just want to go home already. You see very real, unapologetically unglamorous versions of the cities Karl visits. He's not staying in spotless hotels and traveling with safe tour groups; he's seeing the dirt and the rank and the terrible living conditions. He's having a horrible time, so you don't have to.
All in all, fun book. I'd only read it if you've already seen the Idiot Abroad series and have a strong love of K.P., Pilk Boy, Mr. Dilkington, etc. Otherwise, I think the inherent charm of the diary would be sort of lost in translation. If you already speak Karl's language though, I think you'll love this.