The Places in Between

By: Rory Stewart

Narrated by: Rory Stewart

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

In January 2002, Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan, surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. By day, he passed through mountains covered in nine feet of snow, hamlets burned and emptied by the Taliban, and communities thriving amid the remains of medieval civilizations. By night he slept on villagers' floors, shared their meals, and listened to their stories of the recent and ancient past. Along the way Stewart met heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Taliban commanders, and foreign-aid workers. He was also adopted by an unexpected companion: a retired fighting mastiff he named Babur in honor of Afghanistan's first Mughal emperor, in whose footsteps the pair was following. Through these encounters, by turns touching, confounding, surprising, and funny, Stewart makes tangible the forces of tradition, ideology, and allegiance that shape life in the map's countless "places in between".

©2006 Rory Stewart (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"An engrossing, surprising, and often deeply moving portrait of the land and the peoples who inhabit it." (Booklist)
"The well-oiled apparatus of his writing mimics a dispassionate camera shutter in its precision." (Publishers Weekly)
"If, finally, you're determined to do something as recklessly stupid as walk across a war zone, your surest bet to quash all the inevitable criticism is to write a flat-out masterpiece. Stewart did. Stewart has." (The New York Times)

One of my all-time favorites

Just listened for the second time and can’t get over how good this book is.

I could not stop listening. Amazing story.

I loved this book will recommend to my friends who love a good story as much as I do.

A Brilliant Work of Nonfiction

This is among the top 10 audiobooks I've ever listened to, and probably one of the top 3 nonfiction audiobooks I've heard (Night and Ireland are the other 2).
Stewart's writing style and oratory are clear, easy to listen to and very effective at creating a crisp, clear mental image of the events as he relates them. I almost felt as if I were walking with him.
He also manages to relate all this information without editorializing, or sounding preachy.
I have come away from this with a much clearer knowledge of the ethnic people and terrain of Central Afghanistan. I have also developed a great respect for Mr. Stewart's calm storytelling and knack for observing subtleties in people of different ethnicities. I now want to read his latest book, The Prince of the Marshes, just to hear more of his wonderful stories.
Great book--I strongly recommend it.

Incredible journey

Rory Stewart has an amazing story to tell and the book is well written. Stewart reads the book himself; this is where medium rating comes in. He's probably one of the few people who can properly pronounce the Arabic and Indonesian words but, on the other hand, his intonations rarely vary. It's a bit monotone even in the most exciting parts and the voices of the different speakers aren't easily distinguished. Nevertheless, it's a fascinating story.

A nice easy going pace

If this guy actually walked across Afghanistan on foot during the time period he claims then it truly was an amazing and death defying feat. I enjoyed the book and narration. Mr. Stewart really provides good insight into the people and places of Central Asia. Very interesting for its own sake, this book is.

What an interesting story!

For anyone interested in Afghanistan and it’s history, this is a wonderful book. Especially appreciate that it is an audible book because names of the cities towns and villages and certainly the language would have made it very difficult to read. Very well done.

A Captivating Story

This book recounts Rory Stewart's experiences walking across Afghanistan. Stewart has a subtle, understated style, and his reading perfectly matches the tone of his book. I was totally absorbed by the tale, learning of his travails as he traveled from one poor village to another, totally depending on the kindness of strangers. He gives a very even-handed account of Afghans, and a glimpse of the almost alien (to most Westerners) culture the people are steeped in. Along the way he points out that unless actual people are engaged, any effort to introduce Western values and structures are merely another imposition on the people. His story is so engaging that I could almost imagine myself walking along with him, looking at the stark landscape, and encountering the people eking out a living in it. I definitely recommend this book.

Extraordinary

Extraordinary in the telling.
I’m dumb struck by its humanity.
Thank you, Rory Stewart, for reading it yourself.

Amazing and beautifully written

Amazing and beautifully written…I have listened twice and I love it more the second time around

Understanding Afghanistan.

If you want to gain some insight into the country of Afghanistan and the problems of resolving the power struggles in the Middle East, this book is a must-read. Rory Stewart not only brilliantly narrates the story of his walk across this enigmatic country, he also characterizes the way the well-meaning interference of Western nations has done little good and much bad for the stability of the area. But beyond that, the story is gripping, passionate, and compassionate, a true hero's quest in the style of the ancient epics. I have listened to this book four times, and I could listen to it many more. The pace of Stewart's narrative mimics the walking pace, and the listener feels like a silent companion to his journey. One of the best books I've ever read.