The Places in Between

This book provides a glimpse into a deeply foreign culture almost all of us will never see or penetrate otherwise. Afghanistan may be a desperately poor, largely illiterate country, but that doesn't tell the whole story. If you want to learn a little more about the complexity of modern Afghanistan, Rory Stuart is a good guide. He's not an apologist for the Taliban or some kind of latter day neo-colonialist, he generally just tells his story straight and lets you draw your own conclusions. Nor is this some incredible adventure story filled with narrow escapes and tales of daring do. Stuart knows he is doing something incredibly dangerous but is very matter-of-fact about the whole thing, even when he comes close to getting killed.

The perspective is somewhat unusual, in that he's walking from village to village, and in each spot he picks up little bits of the culture and the people and shares them as he goes. So the picture that emerges is never fully formed, not completely linear or organized. He doesn't pre-digest and organize everything for you. Yet somehow by the end of the book, you feel as though you've learned something of the place and its people, something you could have only learned through his unique perspective.

Read by the author himself and he does a nice job with it.

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.

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.

stewart is an elegant british/scottish story teller
a fellow brit labels him "a f---ing nutter" and it fits
the book title suits the story and the author

the places in between
the things left unsaid
the challenges to conventional wisdom

the ability to stand up to bullies
the detection of a lie no matter how elegant
the willingness to endure in order to taste the truth

he believes his only true peers are ancient writers
quoted references are routinely from 4 or more centuries ago
he seeks a wisdom and perspective deeper than modern life provides

are parts embellished or fabricated ? probably
is he concerned with a "top 40" audience ? not at all
is it a wonderful awe inspiring book ? yes

he allegedly just got elected to british parliament
i suspect he is on his way to well promoted career
he brings you with him every insightful step of the way

This story is almost hard to believe. How he made it to the end of his journey is beyond me. The author offers lots of very interesting insights and observations that leave you with much to think on. I feel that I have a better understanding of the "climate" in that area culturally after reading the book.

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.

For me, this book was an eye-opener. Fascinating story, well told by the author.

Afghanistan was the last stop in the author's 20 months of walking through India, Pakistan, and other countries. I haven't read his other books, which I expect might be quite good, but I get the impression that he was a little burned out when he got to Afghanistan, and just wanted to be done.

The fact that he did this trip in the dead of winter, through the snow, soaking wet, cold, pressing on while he was tired and had diarrhea, never really resting, probably did not leave him a lot of extra creative energy to observe and interact.

I think that many details that we as readers would find interesting and exotic were commonplace to him and he barely bothers to mention them. The place did not come alive for me through his words. Also, it seemed the country didn't measure up to some of the other places he'd been. He filled in with anecdotes of other places and had lots of details of the exploits of an ancient emperor. I am interested in history, but this was such micro detail (how they spent the night in a certain cave) I didn't feel it added to my understanding.

I did learn about Afghanistan, but this information could have been in a good article in the Economist, and didn't need 8 hours. This author is talented, but needs some perspective and fresh eyes.

This book is a must-read for people wanting to know more about Afghan culture. Rory Stewart is a Scottish historian and writer who culminates a walk across the Middle East with a roughly month-long walk across Afghanistan in the weeks immediately following the fall of the Taliban. He walks through deserts, mountains and valleys. He meets new government officials and soldiers, simple village folk, mullahs, Taliban-loving villagers, etc. He only survived because he spoke Persian, was respectful of Afghan culture, and was given a dog for protection in remote and dangerous areas. After reading this, I realize more than ever that Afghanistan is a bit of every stereotype. He encountered jihadists (quite few in comparison) and peaceful villagers who didn’t even know about the United States. It is a misunderstood country that needs to be met with fresh eyes.

This book is an amazing eyeopener as the US prepares to escalate our military commitment to Afghanistan. Mr Stewart's experiences clearly illustrates the logistical nightmare that is Afghanistan. The lives of the average Afghan is almost like going back in time. This country is full of poor, illiterate, isolated people who are none the less hospitable to a total stranger, sharing their very meager resources with him.
If I have any quarrel with Stewart it is that someone from such wealth and privilege (Dragon and Oxford) begging the bread out of the mouths of people so desperate and on the edge.
I am trying to imagine the success of travelling across this country the same way. "I have a letter of recommendation from your State Senator, may I have a nights lodgings and dinner?" Even though most of us have guest bedrooms and plenty of food, how many of us would open our doors?
I like when authors of non-fiction read their own works. While he doesn't do different voices or emote- he is British after all- it is more important to me to have the accuracy and first person account than showmanship. Their is one very emotional aspect to the book, that added to the story, but I wont go into it in the review. Just say it increased my interest in finishing the book to the very end.