Travels in Siberia

By: Ian Frazier

Narrated by: Ian Frazier

A Dazzling Russian travelogue from the best-selling author of Great Plains.

In Travels in Siberia, Ian Frazier trains his eye for unforgettable detail on Siberia, that vast expanse of Asiatic Russia. He explores many aspects of this storied, often grim region, which takes up one-seventh of the land on earth. He writes about the geography, the resources, the native peoples, the history, the 40-below midwinter afternoons, the bugs.

The book brims with Mongols, half-crazed Orthodox archpriests, fur seekers, ambassadors of the czar bound for Peking, tea caravans, German scientists, American prospectors, intrepid English nurses, and prisoners and exiles of every kind - from Natalie Lopukhin, banished by the czarina for copying her dresses; to the noble Decembrist revolutionaries of the 1820s; to the young men and women of the People’s Will movement whose fondest hope was to blow up the czar; to those who met still-ungraspable suffering and death in the Siberian camps during Soviet times.

More than just a historical travelogue, Travels in Siberia is also an account of Russia since the end of the Soviet Union and a personal reflection on the all-around amazingness of Russia, a country that still somehow manages to be funny.

Siberian travel books have been popular since the 13th century, when monks sent by the pope went east to find the Great Khan and wrote about their journeys. Travels in Siberia will take its place as the 21st century’s indispensable contribution to the genre.

©2010 Ian Frazier (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Ian Frazier caps his travels through Siberia's vastness by narrating his own account of them, another enormous undertaking. The author doesn't have the polish or range of a professional voice actor, but soon we appreciate how this somewhat pedestrian tone suits both the crude reality of Siberia and the deadpan humor that pervades his book. How could anyone doubt that this is the voice of the actual man who, as he admits, had a 'chronic fear of being run over while asleep in my tent' or who was annoyed that his tea tasted like the shaving cream someone had mixed in his cup?" ( Washington Post Book World)

Vivid travel writing

I cannot decide what made this account of travels in Siberia so compelling. The author’s thoroughness, connections with the people and landscape, and historical curiosity held my interest and attention and let me see a society and culture more realistically and more sympathetically that ever before. There is nothing “personal” about this writing, but I felt a strong sense of an admirable (and a little self-deprecating) personality. I will listen again, certainly.

A decent narrative

You can easily tell that a Mid-Westerner (Ohioan) wrote this novel. It's a plodding story that delves into a bit of history, some observations of places, and some anecdotes that happened to the author and others. It's often written in a list format with extended sentences that seemed to flatley roll out like a highway in Nebraska. It contains just enough bits to keep the reader involved without too much entertainment or excitement. It might sound like I didn't enjoy this novel, far from it. I enjoyed it quite nicely. Having spent a bit of time in the far north of Russia it was interesting to hear the author's opinions and some of the more interesting historical stories that took place in Siberia. It is the kind of audio book that one can walk away from for 15 minutes and come back and feel like you haven't missed a thing. There are many places, particularly towards the end, that it seems like the author's just writing more for his benefit than the readers and the flow just seems off. There are at least two spots where it appears that the novel is done only to restart again as if someone's trying to figure out if they've written enough.

Extraordinary look at the real Siberia and Russia.

Long, detailed but well worth the effort. It becomes fascinating as you allow yourself to get lost in the journey.

Enjoyable

This book was enjoyable to everyone who listened. Sometimes the books I listen to are boring to my family, not this one. I learned so much about a place I knew nothing about, other than it existed.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

If you like history and want to learn about the Russian people, this is a fascinating book.
It is an in-depth description of Siberia, the Russian people, their living conditions and customs.
The Siberian prisons are also mentioned and his trips to the remnants of the prisons. Interesting if you have read about the Gulag.
The author is the narrator. He is a pleasure to listen to.
I will certainly listen to more books by him.
My thanks to all involved for making this book available, JK.