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A review by nathanjhunt
Pole To Pole by Michael Palin
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
This was my 83rd book finished in 2025.
I listened to an audiobook version of this, which made me enjoy it all the more hearing it in Michael's distinctive voice.
Pole To Pole benefited from not being set on too many ships. It was these passages in Eighty Days that just fell a bit flat for me. He was on the move more and therefore encountered a wider variety of happenings. What a year 1991 was! I was born in 1994, so it's fascinating to hear about a world I never experienced.
I love that he says everything how he experienced it - no denying the frustrations and disappointments along the way. It makes me feel better about my travelling experiences in the past; I no longer feel guilty for not always living in the moment and appreciating things despite the hardships. You can be pessimistic at the time, but you will always looks back on it in fond memory.
This book uses less dated language than the book that came before and after it, so it was more enjoyable on that front. He does, however, still make the occasional unnecessary comment on women's appearances.
Despite the flaws, Michael Palin will forever be a huge inspiration to me and my adventures (currently visited 51 countries). I cry for the day he will no longer be with us. Palin forever.
I listened to an audiobook version of this, which made me enjoy it all the more hearing it in Michael's distinctive voice.
Pole To Pole benefited from not being set on too many ships. It was these passages in Eighty Days that just fell a bit flat for me. He was on the move more and therefore encountered a wider variety of happenings. What a year 1991 was! I was born in 1994, so it's fascinating to hear about a world I never experienced.
I love that he says everything how he experienced it - no denying the frustrations and disappointments along the way. It makes me feel better about my travelling experiences in the past; I no longer feel guilty for not always living in the moment and appreciating things despite the hardships. You can be pessimistic at the time, but you will always looks back on it in fond memory.
This book uses less dated language than the book that came before and after it, so it was more enjoyable on that front. He does, however, still make the occasional unnecessary comment on women's appearances.
Despite the flaws, Michael Palin will forever be a huge inspiration to me and my adventures (currently visited 51 countries). I cry for the day he will no longer be with us. Palin forever.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Sexism, Colonisation