The Great Railway Bazaar

By: Paul Theroux

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

The Great Railway Bazaar is Paul Theroux's account of his epic journey by rail through Asia. Filled with evocative names of legendary train routes - the Direct-Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Delhi Mail from Jaipur, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Hikari Super Express to Kyoto, and the Trans-Siberian Express - it describes the many places, cultures, sights, and sounds he experienced and the fascinating people he met.

Here he overhears snippets of chat and occasional monologues, and is drawn into conversation with fellow passengers, from Molesworth, a British theatrical agent, and Sadik, a shabby Turkish tycoon, while avoiding the forceful approaches of pimps and drug dealers. This wonderfully entertaining travelogue pays loving tribute to the romantic joys of railways and train travel.

©1975 Paul Theroux (P)1983 Recorded Books LLC

Paul's best work

This was the book that made Paul famous. It isn't as long as the newer Ghost Train To The Eastern Star, which is also a revisit of this classic Paul Theroux. The description evoke vivid imagery throughout the fast paced trip. The narrator, however was a bit too fast paced. I would have been happier had he slowed down long enough for me to digest Paul's descriptive writing. I have taken the trains in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Sri Lanka. All are as dilapidated as Paul says they are, but they are cheap, slow and comfortable. A few of the Chinese trains are very sleek and clean now. The characters are what made these train books so great. I have to wonder if some of them aren't fictional. I met a few interesting people on the trains, but it was mostly traveling salesmen in China. I can speak fairly well, so interacting with the locals is what the train adventure is all about.

What a great story!

Very well written. Funny and entretaining. Frank Muller does an amazing job narrating it! Would recommend!

Best travel book.

Loved it as I do most of his books. I listen to them often Narration was great.

Outstanding Example of Travel Writing

This audiobook was a true pleasure. Frank Muller's narration was pitch perfect at every turn, from his delivery of a Tamil man criticizing the New Delhi elites, to his performance of Theroux's own sometimes understated, sometimes exasperated, sardonic wit.

The greatest pleasure of this travel account is it's subjectivity! Theroux is so frank about his likes and dislikes, his expectations and disappointments, you really connect with his assessments, even if you don't agree with them.

Also, this book is funny as hell. I laughed out loud commuting on the subway, walking in the park, or sitting on my couch. I looked forward to every minute of listening, and I often backed up just to listen to a conversation a second or third time.

Definitely my top listen of 2015 (and I've listened to over 20 books so far this year!).

A great listen for the traveller

What did you love best about The Great Railway Bazaar?

A great travel adventure, written at a time when crossing the globe was a much more challenging experience. Will resonate with anyone who's embarked on a voyage across cultures.

What did you like best about this story?

It reminded me of what I love about freeform travel

What about Frank Muller’s performance did you like?

The narrator was excellent - when the accents seem natural and quietly add to the appreciation of the story, rather than being something that you notice outright, then the narrator has done their job well.

Very funny book ,great story, ruined by narrator

Would you try another book from Paul Theroux and/or Frank Muller?

Any Paul Theroux book yes, not narrated by Frank Muller, wrong person for this author.
I read the physical book and it was so very funny; I could not continue to listen to the overwhelming gravitas of Frank Muller's narration

Would you be willing to try another one of Frank Muller’s performances?

no

Awesome narration ...

This is the best narration job I’ve ever listened to ... Spectacular ... It really puts you where the action is ...

Makes me want to take the train again!

This is my first Paul Theroux book and I really enjoyed it. Like an artist who only needs 2 strokes of his brush to bring a picture to life, Paul Theroux brings his subjects alive with succinct descriptions - whether describing the scenery outside his window or characterising a person he meets on the train. I like how he says a travelogue becomes a autobiography which becomes a confession.

Fascinating travelogue brilliant narration

The writing is magnificent only exceeded by the quality of he narrator. The trip is a bit long!

Riviting

What did you love best about The Great Railway Bazaar?

I loved Theroux's frank descriptions of what he experienced and how he felt about everything.

What did you like best about this story?

It made me want to take the same trip--or ar at least parts of it.

What about Frank Muller’s performance did you like?

Muller's tempo is just right, alternating appropriately from phrase to phrase and he speaks the various accents convincingly.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.