-
The Geography of Bliss
- One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
The Geography of Bliss
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Geography of Genius
- A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 423
In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very, very disappointing
- By Tamara Greer on 06-08-16
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Last Duel
- A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France
- By: Eric Jager
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 626
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 559
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 557
In the midst of the devastating Hundred Years’ War between France and England, Jean de Carrouges, a Norman knight, fresh from combat in Scotland finds his wife, Marguerite, accusing squire Jacques Le Gris of brutally raping her. A deadlocked court decrees a “trial by combat” that also leaves Marguerite’s fate in the balance. For if her husband loses the duel, she will be put to death as a false accuser. While enemy troops pillage the land, and rebellion and plague threaten the lives of all, Carrouges and Le Gris meet in full armor on a walled field in Paris.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
History or Fiction, It’s a Story Well Told
- By Gael Dalton on 02-20-21
By: Eric Jager
-
Man Seeks God
- My Flirtations with the Divine
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 80
When a health scare puts him in the hospital, Eric Weiner-an agnostic by default-finds himself tangling with an unexpected question, posed to him by a well-meaning nurse. "Have you found your God yet?" The thought of it nags him, and prods him-and ultimately launches him on a far-flung journey to do just that.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Boy does Weiner whine!
- By Lectrice on 03-18-13
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Socrates Express
- In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 407
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 345
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 343
Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and travel in a globe-trotting pilgrimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to reconnect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wisdom, Wit and Warmth
- By NotTheDuchess on 08-28-20
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Year of Living Danishly
- Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country
- By: Helen Russell
- Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,286
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,778
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,768
When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn't Disneyland but Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of long, dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries. What is the secret to their success? Are happy Danes born or made?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting content. Unfortunate delivery.
- By Jennifer Soudagar on 11-13-15
By: Helen Russell
-
Outlive
- The Science and Art of Longevity
- By: Peter Attia MD, Bill Gifford - contributor
- Narrated by: Peter Attia MD
- Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,038
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,424
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,413
Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Too Much Filler
- By J. Badaracco on 04-09-23
By: Peter Attia MD, and others
-
The Geography of Genius
- A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 423
In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very, very disappointing
- By Tamara Greer on 06-08-16
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Last Duel
- A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France
- By: Eric Jager
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 626
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 559
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 557
In the midst of the devastating Hundred Years’ War between France and England, Jean de Carrouges, a Norman knight, fresh from combat in Scotland finds his wife, Marguerite, accusing squire Jacques Le Gris of brutally raping her. A deadlocked court decrees a “trial by combat” that also leaves Marguerite’s fate in the balance. For if her husband loses the duel, she will be put to death as a false accuser. While enemy troops pillage the land, and rebellion and plague threaten the lives of all, Carrouges and Le Gris meet in full armor on a walled field in Paris.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
History or Fiction, It’s a Story Well Told
- By Gael Dalton on 02-20-21
By: Eric Jager
-
Man Seeks God
- My Flirtations with the Divine
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 80
When a health scare puts him in the hospital, Eric Weiner-an agnostic by default-finds himself tangling with an unexpected question, posed to him by a well-meaning nurse. "Have you found your God yet?" The thought of it nags him, and prods him-and ultimately launches him on a far-flung journey to do just that.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Boy does Weiner whine!
- By Lectrice on 03-18-13
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Socrates Express
- In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 407
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 345
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 343
Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and travel in a globe-trotting pilgrimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to reconnect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wisdom, Wit and Warmth
- By NotTheDuchess on 08-28-20
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Year of Living Danishly
- Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country
- By: Helen Russell
- Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,286
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,778
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,768
When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn't Disneyland but Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of long, dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries. What is the secret to their success? Are happy Danes born or made?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting content. Unfortunate delivery.
- By Jennifer Soudagar on 11-13-15
By: Helen Russell
-
Outlive
- The Science and Art of Longevity
- By: Peter Attia MD, Bill Gifford - contributor
- Narrated by: Peter Attia MD
- Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,038
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,424
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,413
Wouldn’t you like to live longer? And better? In this operating manual for longevity, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Too Much Filler
- By J. Badaracco on 04-09-23
By: Peter Attia MD, and others
-
Demon Copperhead
- A Novel
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 21 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 23,017
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 20,792
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 20,725
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow! It’s a Masterpiece
- By Billy on 10-25-22
-
The Consolations of Philosophy
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 665
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 493
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 491
Alain de Botton has performed a stunning feat: He has transformed arcane philosophy into something accessible and entertaining, useful and kind. Drawing on the work of six of the world's most brilliant thinkers, de Botton has arranged a panoply of wisdom to guide us through our most common problems.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Cheering, empathic, helpful
- By Austin on 11-11-09
By: Alain de Botton
-
World Travel
- An Irreverent Guide
- By: Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever
- Narrated by: Laurie Woolever, Shep Gordon, Christopher Bourdain, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 393
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 325
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 324
Anthony Bourdain saw more of the world than nearly anyone. His travels took him from the hidden pockets of his hometown of New York to a tribal longhouse in Borneo, from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, Paris, and Shanghai to Tanzania’s utter beauty and the stunning desert solitude of Oman’s Empty Quarter - and many places beyond. In World Travel, a life of experience is collected into an entertaining, practical, fun and frank travel guide that gives listeners an introduction to some of his favorite places - in his own words.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Poor man’s version of Lonely Planet guidebooks
- By KC on 04-23-21
By: Anthony Bourdain, and others
-
The Covenant of Water
- By: Abraham Verghese
- Narrated by: Abraham Verghese
- Length: 31 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,436
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,635
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,624
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Story Telling At Its Best
- By Regina on 05-06-23
By: Abraham Verghese
-
Lessons in Chemistry
- A Novel
- By: Bonnie Garmus
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus, Pandora Sykes
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32,845
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 28,894
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28,821
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Making my 3 adult daughters read this
- By Teresa H. on 04-07-22
By: Bonnie Garmus
-
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 37,692
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 33,087
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32,804
What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in digestible chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing - not much physics
- By Rob Hahn on 07-15-17
-
A Short History of Nearly Everything
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27,607
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20,942
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 20,838
Bill Bryson has been an enormously popular author both for his travel books and for his books on the English language. Now, this beloved comic genius turns his attention to science. Although he doesn't know anything about the subject (at first), he is eager to learn, and takes information that he gets from the world's leading experts and explains it to us in a way that makes it exciting and relevant.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Only Book I reread imediatley after reading
- By Andrew on 11-09-09
By: Bill Bryson
-
Soul Boom
- Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution
- By: Rainn Wilson
- Narrated by: Rainn Wilson
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 395
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 360
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 359
The trauma that our world experienced in recent years—as result of both the pandemic and societal tensions that threaten to overwhelm us—has been unprecedented and is not going away anytime soon. It is clear that existing political and economic systems are not enough to bring the change that the world needs. In this book, Rainn Wilson explores the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom” in order to address today’s greatest issues—mental health, racism and sexism, climate change, and economic injustice.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Political posturing
- By patti luke on 05-03-23
By: Rainn Wilson
-
Ten Years a Nomad
- A Traveler's Journey Home
- By: Matthew Kepnes
- Narrated by: Ryan Burke
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 237
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 205
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 205
Ten Years a Nomad is for travel junkies, the travel-curious, and anyone interested in what you can learn about the world when you don’t have a cable bill for a decade or spend a month not wearing shoes living on the beach in Thailand.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
A too long travel blog.
- By Skippy on 10-19-22
By: Matthew Kepnes
-
The Beach
- By: Alex Garland
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 73
The Khao San Road, Bangkok—first stop for the hordes of rootless young Westerners traveling in Southeast Asia. On Richard's first night there, in a low-budget guest house, a fellow traveler slashes his wrists, bequeathing to Richard a meticulously drawn map to "the Beach." The Beach, as Richard has come to learn, is the subject of a legend among young travelers in Asia: a lagoon hidden from the sea, with white sand and coral gardens, freshwater falls surrounded by jungle, plants untouched for a thousand years.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Paradise is an Illusion
- By Danny Elfman on 11-28-23
By: Alex Garland
-
Eat, Pray, Love
- One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
- By: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,810
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10,290
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10,270
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned 30, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. She got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world, all alone. This is the absorbing chronicle of that year.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An Inner Journey within an External One
- By YoginiZora on 07-20-06
-
The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern
- By: Rita Zoey Chin
- Narrated by: Sarah Skaer
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 7
Born in a carnival trailer, Leah Fern begins her life as the "The Youngest and Very Best Fortuneteller in the World," taking strangers' hands and feeling the depths of their emotions. Her mother Jeannie Starr is a captivating magician, but not always an attentive mother, and when Leah is six, Jeannie upends their carnival life with an unexpected exit. With little fanfare and no explanation, she leaves her daughter at the home of Edward Murphy, a kindly older man with whom Leah shares one fierce wish: that Jeannie Starr will return to them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Magical story
- By Steven Roiphe on 06-15-23
By: Rita Zoey Chin
Publisher's summary
Part travel memoir, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the listener across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but WHERE it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy?
In a unique mix of travel, psychology, science and humor, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.
Critic reviews
"In the end, Weiner's travel tales - eating rotten shark meat in Iceland, smoking hashish in Rotterdam, trying to meditate at an Indian ashram - provide great happiness for his readers." (Publishers Weekly)
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
Midnight in Siberia
- A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia
- By: David Greene
- Narrated by: David Greene
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 172
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 159
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 159
Through the stories of fellow travelers, Greene explores the challenges and opportunities facing the new Russia: a nation that boasts open elections and newfound prosperity yet still continues to endure oppression, corruption, and stark inequality. Set against the wintery landscape of Siberia, Greene’s lively travel narrative offers a glimpse into the soul of 20th century Russia: how its people remember their history and look forward to the future.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Long String of NPR Short Reports
- By Sara on 04-13-15
By: David Greene
-
The Zahir
- By: Paulo Coelho
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, Emilia Fox
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 298
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 237
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 237
It begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession. One day a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified - and increasingly fascinated - by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful and deep read!
- By Top 1% Buyer on 09-13-15
By: Paulo Coelho
-
Lost on Planet China
- By: J. Maarten Troost
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 753
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 505
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 505
When the travel bug bit, J. Maarten Troost took on the world's most populous and intriguing nation. As Troost relates his gonzo adventure - dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai, eating yak in Tibet, deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as cattle penis with garlic), and visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead) - he reveals a vast, complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I love Troost but...
- By Abigail on 02-25-09
-
Paris to the Moon
- By: Adam Gopnik
- Narrated by: Adam Gopnik
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 107
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 107
Paris. The name alone conjures images of chestnut-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés, breathtaking façades around every corner: in short, an exquisite romanticism that has captured the American imagination for as long as there have been Americans.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Wish this wasn't abridged!!
- By Sarah D. on 03-25-17
By: Adam Gopnik
-
The Geography of Genius
- A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 423
In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very, very disappointing
- By Tamara Greer on 06-08-16
By: Eric Weiner
-
In the Light of What We Know
- By: Zia Haider Rahman
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 82
One September morning in 2008, an investment banker approaching forty, his career in collapse and his marriage unraveling, receives a surprise visitor at his West London townhouse. In the disheveled figure of a South Asian male carrying a backpack the banker recognizes a long-lost friend, a mathematics prodigy who disappeared years earlier under mysterious circumstances. The friend has resurfaced to make a confession of unsettling power.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
dreadful
- By sam on 06-05-15
-
Midnight in Siberia
- A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia
- By: David Greene
- Narrated by: David Greene
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 172
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 159
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 159
Through the stories of fellow travelers, Greene explores the challenges and opportunities facing the new Russia: a nation that boasts open elections and newfound prosperity yet still continues to endure oppression, corruption, and stark inequality. Set against the wintery landscape of Siberia, Greene’s lively travel narrative offers a glimpse into the soul of 20th century Russia: how its people remember their history and look forward to the future.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Long String of NPR Short Reports
- By Sara on 04-13-15
By: David Greene
-
The Zahir
- By: Paulo Coelho
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, Emilia Fox
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 298
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 237
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 237
It begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession. One day a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified - and increasingly fascinated - by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful and deep read!
- By Top 1% Buyer on 09-13-15
By: Paulo Coelho
-
Lost on Planet China
- By: J. Maarten Troost
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 753
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 505
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 505
When the travel bug bit, J. Maarten Troost took on the world's most populous and intriguing nation. As Troost relates his gonzo adventure - dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai, eating yak in Tibet, deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as cattle penis with garlic), and visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead) - he reveals a vast, complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I love Troost but...
- By Abigail on 02-25-09
-
Paris to the Moon
- By: Adam Gopnik
- Narrated by: Adam Gopnik
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 107
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 107
Paris. The name alone conjures images of chestnut-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés, breathtaking façades around every corner: in short, an exquisite romanticism that has captured the American imagination for as long as there have been Americans.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Wish this wasn't abridged!!
- By Sarah D. on 03-25-17
By: Adam Gopnik
-
The Geography of Genius
- A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 423
In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very, very disappointing
- By Tamara Greer on 06-08-16
By: Eric Weiner
-
In the Light of What We Know
- By: Zia Haider Rahman
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 21 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 82
One September morning in 2008, an investment banker approaching forty, his career in collapse and his marriage unraveling, receives a surprise visitor at his West London townhouse. In the disheveled figure of a South Asian male carrying a backpack the banker recognizes a long-lost friend, a mathematics prodigy who disappeared years earlier under mysterious circumstances. The friend has resurfaced to make a confession of unsettling power.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
dreadful
- By sam on 06-05-15
-
Hector and the Search for Happiness
- By: François Lelord
- Narrated by: James Clamp
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 129
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 129
Hector is very good at treating patients in need of his help. But he can’t do much for those who are simply dissatisfied with life, and that is beginning to depress him. When a patient tells him he looks in need of a vacation, Hector takes a trip around the world to learn what makes people happy—and sad. As he travels from Paris to China to Africa to the United States, he lists his observations about the people he meets. Is there a secret to happiness, and will Hector find it? Hector’s journey ventures around the globe and into the human soul.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful, uplifting, full of wisdom ;-)
- By Birta Flokadottir on 05-04-15
By: François Lelord
-
Happy Wives Club
- One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage
- By: Fawn Weaver
- Narrated by: Fawn Weaver
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 156
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 139
Everywhere she looked, Fawn Weaver saw negative portrayals of marriage dominating the airwaves and dooming everyone to failure. Looking at Keith, the love of her life, she knew that wasn't true. Happy Wives Club is Fawn's journey across the world to meet her friends and discover what makes their marriages great. Join her on this exciting, exotic trip across six continents and through more than 18 cities.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
narration is unbearable
- By Frederick Bohnen on 09-19-15
By: Fawn Weaver
-
Schadenfreude, a Love Story
- Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For
- By: Rebecca Schuman
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
Schadenfreude is the story of a teenage Jewish intellectual who falls in love - in love with a boy (who breaks her heart), a language (that's nearly impossible to master), a culture (that's nihilistic but punctual), and a landscape (that's breathtaking when there's not a wall in the way). Rebecca is an everyday, misunderstood '90s teenager with a passion for Pearl Jam and Ethan Hawke circa Reality Bites until two men walk into her high school civics class: Dylan Gellner and Franz Kafka, hitching a ride in Dylan's backpack.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A humorous, delectable read
- By Amazon Customer on 07-13-17
By: Rebecca Schuman
-
Road Dog
- Life and Reflections from the Road as a Stand-up Comic
- By: Dov Davidoff
- Narrated by: Dov Davidoff
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Road Dog is comedian, actor, and writer, Dov Davidoff's unflinching memoir told through reflections of twelve months on the road. Davidoff travels across the country from college campuses to local theaters doing stand-up comedy and telling it like it is. He's been known to wax poetic about everything from encounters with large fake breasts, to people who have too many kids, to magnum condoms the size of CD cases. He is hilarious and relatable and will have you laughing at yourself in no time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
dark, real, & exceptional
- By Luis F Rodriguez on 11-22-17
By: Dov Davidoff
-
The Almost Nearly Perfect People
- Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
- By: Michael Booth
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 656
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 579
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 569
Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than 10 years, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. In this timely audiobook, he leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success, and, most intriguing of all, what they think of one another.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Obsessed with bad politics
- By Erik on 09-07-20
By: Michael Booth
-
Maeve's Times
- In Her Own Words
- By: Maeve Binchy
- Narrated by: Kate Binchy
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 85
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 85
From the royal wedding to boring airplane companions, Samuel Beckett to Margaret Thatcher, "senior moments" to life as a waitress, Maeve's Times gives us wonderful insight into a changing Ireland as it celebrates the work of one of our best-loved writers in all its diversity - revealing her characteristic directness, laugh-out-loud humor, and unswerving gaze into the true heart of a matter.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A GLIMPSE THROUGH MAEVE'S LOOKING GLASS
- By jstrfic on 08-08-17
By: Maeve Binchy
-
Bangkok 8
- By: John Burdett
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 325
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 280
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 280
Witnessed by a throng of gaping spectators, a charismatic Marine sergeant is murdered under a Bangkok bridge inside a bolted-shut Mercedes Benz. Among the witnesses are the only two cops in the city not on the take, but within moments one is murdered and his partner, Sonchai Jitpleecheep - a devout Buddhist and the son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam War G.I. - is hell-bent on wreaking revenge. On a vigilante mission to capture his partner’s murderer, Sonchai is begrudgingly paired with a beautiful FBI agent named Jones....
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very dissapointing
- By Dennis on 05-29-13
By: John Burdett
-
River Town
- Two Years on the Yangtze
- By: Peter Hessler
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 541
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 424
In the heart of China's Sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the Yangtze River valley, lies the remote town of Fuling. Like many other small cities in this ever-evolving country, Fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into remarkably sharp focus when Peter Hessler arrived as a Peace Corps volunteer, marking the first time in more than half a century that the city had an American resident.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Peter Berkrot Again?
- By Abstraction on 07-10-11
By: Peter Hessler
-
Insomniac City
- New York, Oliver, and Me
- By: Bill Hayes
- Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 176
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 163
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 161
Bill Hayes came to New York City in 2009 with a one-way ticket and only the vaguest idea of how he would get by. But, at 48 years old, having spent decades in San Francisco, he craved change. Grieving over the death of his partner, he quickly discovered the profound consolations of the city's incessant rhythms, the sight of the Empire State Building against the night sky, and New Yorkers themselves, kindred souls that Hayes, a lifelong insomniac, encountered on late-night strolls with his camera.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Touching and Intimate Portrait
- By Amazon Customer on 01-18-19
By: Bill Hayes
-
Almost French
- By: Sarah Turnbull
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 184
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 160
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 157
After backpacking her way around Europe journalist Sarah Turnbull is ready to embark on one last adventure before heading home to Sydney. A chance meeting with a charming Frenchman in Bucharest changes her travel plans forever. Acting on impulse, she agrees to visit Fredric in Paris for a week. Put a very French Frenchman together with a strong-willed Australian girl and the result is some spectacular - and often hilarious - cultural clashes.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Almost Terrific
- By Elizabeth on 02-05-13
By: Sarah Turnbull
-
See You Again in Pyongyang
- By: Travis Jeppesen
- Narrated by: Will Collyer
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 129
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 114
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 113
From terrifying missile tests, its unmissable Olympic cheering squad, and the war of words between President Trump and Kim Jong Un - not to mention stranger-than-fiction stories of purges and assassinations - news from North Korea has dominated global headlines. But what is life there actually like? In See You Again in Pyongyang, Travis Jeppesen, the first American to complete a university program in North Korea, culls from his experiences living, traveling, and studying in the country to create a multifaceted portrait of the country and its idiosyncratic capital city.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Save me from the hippie millennials with a PhD
- By Verified purchaser on 06-21-18
By: Travis Jeppesen
-
Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn
- A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran
- By: Jamie Maslin
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
When Jamie Maslin decides to hitchhike the entire length of the Silk Road, he decides to travel first and plan later. Then, unexpectedly stranded in Iran - a country he's only read about in newspapers - he wonders whether he'll make it out alive. After crossing the border on foot from Turkey, Maslin finds himself suddenly plunged into the subversive, contradictory world of Iranian subculture, where he is embraced by locals who are happy to show him the true Iran as they see it....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Entertaining & Informative
- By Bella Bates on 04-18-14
By: Jamie Maslin
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Geography of Genius
- A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 423
In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very, very disappointing
- By Tamara Greer on 06-08-16
By: Eric Weiner
-
Man Seeks God
- My Flirtations with the Divine
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 80
When a health scare puts him in the hospital, Eric Weiner-an agnostic by default-finds himself tangling with an unexpected question, posed to him by a well-meaning nurse. "Have you found your God yet?" The thought of it nags him, and prods him-and ultimately launches him on a far-flung journey to do just that.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Boy does Weiner whine!
- By Lectrice on 03-18-13
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Socrates Express
- In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 407
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 345
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 343
Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and travel in a globe-trotting pilgrimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to reconnect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wisdom, Wit and Warmth
- By NotTheDuchess on 08-28-20
By: Eric Weiner
-
Ben & Me
- In Search of a Founder's Formula for a Long and Useful Life
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Ben Franklin lingers in our lives and in our imaginations. One of only two non-presidents to appear on US currency, Franklin was a founder, statesman, scientist, inventor, diplomat, publisher, humorist, and philosopher. He believed in the American experiment, but Ben Franklin’s greatest experiment was…Ben Franklin. In that spirit of betterment, Eric Weiner embarks on an ambitious quest to live the way Ben lived. Not a conventional biography, Ben & Me is a guide to living and thinking well, as Ben Franklin did.
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Art of Travel
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Nicholas Bell
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 177
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 155
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 155
Aside from love, few actvities seem to promise us as much happiness as going traveling: taking off for somewhere else, somewhere far from home, a place with more interesting weather, customs, and landscapes. But although we are inundated with advice on where to travel, few people seem to talk about why we should go and how we can become more fulfilled by doing so.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Dull, suggestions for better alternatives
- By J. Natael on 08-07-13
By: Alain de Botton
-
This Is Where You Belong
- The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
- By: Melody Warnick
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 274
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 239
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 237
The average restless American will move 11.7 times in a lifetime. For Melody Warnick, it was her sixth move - from Austin, Texas, to Blacksburg, Virginia - that threatened to unhinge her. In the lonely aftermath of unpacking, she wondered: Aren't we supposed to put down roots at some point? How does the place we live become the place we want to stay? This time she had an epiphany. Rather than hold her breath and hope this new town would be her family's perfect fit, she would figure out how to fall in love with it - no matter what.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Look beyond yourself!
- By Robert on 01-29-17
By: Melody Warnick
-
The Geography of Genius
- A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 423
In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very, very disappointing
- By Tamara Greer on 06-08-16
By: Eric Weiner
-
Man Seeks God
- My Flirtations with the Divine
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 80
When a health scare puts him in the hospital, Eric Weiner-an agnostic by default-finds himself tangling with an unexpected question, posed to him by a well-meaning nurse. "Have you found your God yet?" The thought of it nags him, and prods him-and ultimately launches him on a far-flung journey to do just that.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Boy does Weiner whine!
- By Lectrice on 03-18-13
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Socrates Express
- In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 407
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 345
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 343
Eric Weiner combines his twin passions for philosophy and travel in a globe-trotting pilgrimage that uncovers surprising life lessons from great thinkers around the world, from Rousseau to Nietzsche, Confucius to Simone Weil. Traveling by train (the most thoughtful mode of transport), he journeys thousands of miles, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Wyoming, Coney Island, Frankfurt, and points in between to reconnect with philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wisdom, Wit and Warmth
- By NotTheDuchess on 08-28-20
By: Eric Weiner
-
Ben & Me
- In Search of a Founder's Formula for a Long and Useful Life
- By: Eric Weiner
- Narrated by: Eric Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Ben Franklin lingers in our lives and in our imaginations. One of only two non-presidents to appear on US currency, Franklin was a founder, statesman, scientist, inventor, diplomat, publisher, humorist, and philosopher. He believed in the American experiment, but Ben Franklin’s greatest experiment was…Ben Franklin. In that spirit of betterment, Eric Weiner embarks on an ambitious quest to live the way Ben lived. Not a conventional biography, Ben & Me is a guide to living and thinking well, as Ben Franklin did.
By: Eric Weiner
-
The Art of Travel
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Nicholas Bell
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 177
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 155
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 155
Aside from love, few actvities seem to promise us as much happiness as going traveling: taking off for somewhere else, somewhere far from home, a place with more interesting weather, customs, and landscapes. But although we are inundated with advice on where to travel, few people seem to talk about why we should go and how we can become more fulfilled by doing so.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Dull, suggestions for better alternatives
- By J. Natael on 08-07-13
By: Alain de Botton
-
This Is Where You Belong
- The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
- By: Melody Warnick
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 274
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 239
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 237
The average restless American will move 11.7 times in a lifetime. For Melody Warnick, it was her sixth move - from Austin, Texas, to Blacksburg, Virginia - that threatened to unhinge her. In the lonely aftermath of unpacking, she wondered: Aren't we supposed to put down roots at some point? How does the place we live become the place we want to stay? This time she had an epiphany. Rather than hold her breath and hope this new town would be her family's perfect fit, she would figure out how to fall in love with it - no matter what.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Look beyond yourself!
- By Robert on 01-29-17
By: Melody Warnick
-
The Great Railway Bazaar
- By: Paul Theroux
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 490
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 417
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 411
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Just about as good as it gets...
- By david d. on 03-27-11
By: Paul Theroux
-
The Sex Lives of Cannibals
- Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific
- By: J. Maarten Troost
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,370
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 969
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 965
At age 26, Maarten Troost decided to pack up his flip-flops and move to a remote South Pacific island. The idea of dropping everything and moving to the ends of the earth was irresistibly romantic. But he should have known better.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
HILARIOUS
- By Elizabeth on 08-17-08
-
Hector and the Search for Happiness
- By: François Lelord
- Narrated by: James Clamp
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 129
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 129
Hector is very good at treating patients in need of his help. But he can’t do much for those who are simply dissatisfied with life, and that is beginning to depress him. When a patient tells him he looks in need of a vacation, Hector takes a trip around the world to learn what makes people happy—and sad. As he travels from Paris to China to Africa to the United States, he lists his observations about the people he meets. Is there a secret to happiness, and will Hector find it? Hector’s journey ventures around the globe and into the human soul.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful, uplifting, full of wisdom ;-)
- By Birta Flokadottir on 05-04-15
By: François Lelord
-
Love with a Chance of Drowning
- A Memoir
- By: Torre DeRoche
- Narrated by: Candice Moll
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 235
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 201
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 202
City girl Torre DeRoche isn’t looking for love, but a chance encounter in a San Francisco bar sparks an instant connection with a soulful Argentinean man who unexpectedly sweeps her off her feet. The problem? He’s just about to cast the dock lines and voyage around the world on his small sailboat, and Torre is terrified of deep water. However, lovesick Torre determines that to keep the man of her dreams, she must embark on the voyage of her nightmares, so she waves good-bye to dry land and braces for a life-changing journey that’s as exhilarating as it is terrifying.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
True Adventure and Romance--I Loved It!!
- By Kathy in CA on 09-08-15
By: Torre DeRoche
-
Happiness
- The Science Behind Your Smile
- By: Daniel Nettle
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
Bringing together the latest insights from psychiatry, psychology, and philosophy, Daniel Nettle sheds light on happiness, the most basic of human desires. Nettle examines whether people are basically happy or unhappy, whether success can make us happy, what sort of remedies to unhappiness work, why some people are happier than others, and much more.
By: Daniel Nettle
-
The Catch Me If You Can
- One Woman's Journey to Every Country in the World
- By: Jessica Nabongo
- Narrated by: Jessica Nabongo
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 170
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 149
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 148
In this inspiring travelogue, celebrated traveler and photographer Jessica Nabongo—the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 countries in the world—shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure, culture, travel musts, and human connections.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mixed Bag of Vapid and Deep Reflection
- By John Leonard on 01-02-23
By: Jessica Nabongo
-
Wild
- From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
- By: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24,825
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21,620
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21,664
At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State - and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Glad I Took the Trip
- By FanB14 on 04-08-13
By: Cheryl Strayed
-
Work
- A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots
- By: James Suzman
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 317
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 266
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 265
Work defines who we are. It determines our status and dictates how, where, and with whom we spend most of our time. It mediates our self-worth and molds our values. But are we hardwired to work as hard as we do? Did our Stone Age ancestors also live to work and work to live? And what might a world where work plays a far less important role look like? To answer these questions, James Suzman charts a grand history of "work" from the origins of life on Earth to our ever more automated present, challenging some of our deepest assumptions about who we are.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
if you like Jared Diamond's work, you'll like this
- By Mark on 04-09-22
By: James Suzman
-
Eat, Pray, Love
- One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
- By: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,810
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10,290
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10,270
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned 30, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. She got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world, all alone. This is the absorbing chronicle of that year.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An Inner Journey within an External One
- By YoginiZora on 07-20-06
-
Nomad Capitalist
- Reclaim Your Freedom with Offshore Companies, Dual Citizenship, Foreign Banks, and Overseas Investments
- By: Andrew Henderson
- Narrated by: Andrew James Henderson
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
As the world’s most sought-after expert on offshore tax planning, second passports, and global citizenship—cited by the BBC, Bloomberg, Forbes, CNN, Fox Business, and more—Mr. Henderson has condensed over a decade of investigative world travel into an unprecedented book to show entrepreneurs and investors another way to live that will enable them to keep more of their own money, live where they want, become citizens of the world, and improve their lives and the planet.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
This is mostly fluff.
- By Sascha on 06-21-23
By: Andrew Henderson
-
Vagabonding
- An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
- By: Rolf Potts
- Narrated by: Rolf Potts
- Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,666
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,955
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,943
Vagabonding is about taking time off from your normal life - from six weeks to four months to two years - to discover and experience the world on your own terms. Veteran shoestring traveler Rolf Potts shows how anyone armed with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of extended overseas travel.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I wanted to love this book...
- By Scott Shepherd on 10-10-16
By: Rolf Potts
-
The Shadow Land
- A Novel
- By: Elizabeth Kostova
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 706
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 643
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 644
A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly couple into a taxi - and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding an urn filled with human ashes.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Mysterious and Beautiful
- By Mel on 04-23-17
What listeners say about The Geography of Bliss
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. L. Tucker
- 06-26-16
as a fellow Grump I'm a fan of this book.
I've listened to this book multiple times and seem to get something new out of it each time. I really appreciate the author's performance of his own work. Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Pyle
- 04-01-21
Wonderful listen, but...
Minor frustration: chapters in audiobook don't match chapters being read
Otherwise, I loved listening to this snapshot of how many other cultures define and pursue happiness. Both gave insight to other countries views and my own countries influence on my happiness
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carrie Me
- 08-23-23
Such a fun listen
I loved this listen. I’m so glad the author narrates his own book bc he sounds just as I pictured he would in my mind. This is a delightful listen, while also being interesting and absolutely full of cultural insights.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Heizenberg
- 11-20-10
Fantastic
What a great read. The Geography of Bliss is a really fun book covering several exciting travel destinations. Eric is a great narrator and provides some interesting and often amusing insights to different cultures around the world. Lots of ideas for future travel plans!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 04-26-16
Excellent and Insightful
I can't imagine anything you could read that would shed more insight on what constitutes happiness or the search for it. Author Weiner has done his global homework here. From New Delhi to North Carolina, Weiner searches to find commonalities about what makes us happy. What he finds could possibly make us all, well, happier.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- E
- 09-11-18
Happiness is socially constructed
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which was written in NPR Story Corp fashion. The audio narration by the author created the sense that I was in each of the countries he visited.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lee Horton
- 09-12-15
amusing geography
and amusing but insightful introduction to countries that I had little knowledge of. Weiner is able to grasp the significance in the insignificant aspects of life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jeffrey Lyons
- 04-04-18
Nothing preachy in this book. Awesome!
The author isn't trying to convince you of anything. Just reporting the facts. Well done
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kem
- 09-04-17
Write Don't Read
The story would have held my interest more if the reader had been better. His voice was whiny and boring. Too many times I turned it off because I could not stand another moment of his voice. Tell Eric to stick to writing and let someone else do the reading!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chris Bushnell
- 07-31-16
it was enjoyable read... nice before sleep book
it says right in the title... a grumpy guide. while I did not mind the husband enjoyed it less then i. he likes things upbeat and nice, so if you are strong in your beliefs enjoy the world and different points of view and how the rest of the world lives you should enjoy this read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful