Shadow of the Silk Road

De: Colin Thubron

Narrado por: Jonathan Keeble

Out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across Northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey, Colin Thubron undertakes a journey along the greatest land route on earth: the Silk Road. Travelling 7,000 miles in eight months, he traces the passage not only of trade and armies, but of ideas, religions and inventions. With a gift for talking to others, and of getting them to talk to him, Thubron meets some fascinating people and encounters some of the world's discontented margins, where the true boundaries are not political borders but the frontiers of tribe, ethnicity, language and religion.©2006 Colin Thubron (P)2007 Isis Publishing Ltd.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"He stands awestruck before the oldest piece of paper in the world in a Chinese museum and is quarantined for Sars in the Taklamakan desert as he bears witness to a world that is remote from our own yet unbreakably connected to it."( The Times)
"Thubron doesn't cut corners, he talks to people, he takes risks, he's honest-and so is Jonathan Keeble's reading. He's got a great on-the-road voice."( The Guardian)

Incredible book

Both poetic and informative this book takes you on a journey you will never forget. Both an ancient and modern history . and gives you an understanding of central Asia like no one has before. I did not want this book to end

Travels through past and present

I found this book to be deep in the history of the regions as well as informative of currents of thinking of now. Highly engaging.

prose meets poetry

I never listen to a book twice. As soon as I finished this book, I listened again and enjoyed it as much the second time. His words are like poetry and his descriptions of the places he visits and people he meets are unbelievably beautiful. I wish Audible would have more of his books.

Central Asia travelogue

This travel journal is an amazing trip in an amazing part of the world. You get a real flavor of the many regions and their inhabitants but the style is somewhat dry. The author makes a point of contrasting what the histories say of various locations and what the reality is now. It can be a bit discouraging and easy to walk away with a hopeless feeling. I read his other book "heart of central asia" and enjoyed it as well. A good book if you are planning to visit the area or just want a better understanding of what we are up against in that region.

A lyrical trip through Central Asia

Beautifully written and narrated, this description of one man's journey in the footsteps of the ancient traders along the Silk Road is full of unforgettable sights, experiences, and characters. I listen to it whenever I want to be transported to another world where familiar human dramas are played against the backdrop of very unfamiliar times and places. It is one of the best expressions of I have found of the meaning that travel can have in the human experience. I wish the author would write another hundred or so books like it.

Want a travelog from a post 9/11 Central Asia?

Then this is the book for you. Thubron tries his best to drown his inner British Imperialist and successfully does so despite dimly heard sputterings from the postcolonial well of thought. He is still an old white man, and sometimes focuses too much on the varieties of pretty girls at least forty years his junior a bit much for even my tastes. Once you get used to that, though, it's like a fascinating narrative told by your favorite, slightly ribald but really rather tame uncle. I recommend this highly to all interested in travel writing, though the parts on Afghanistan (and the Uyghurs) are painful in light of the intervening years of bloodshed and horror.

Breathtaking, at all levels.

This book is wonderful. I have just listened to it for the 2nd time and found it richer and more interesting than the first. The author has good knowledge of the cultures he travels thru, and a very engaging way of writing. He touches on (1) the people he meets along the way, (2) the history of the area itself, and (3) his personal experiences (he can evoke a mental painting of what he sees and hears with a minimum of words - very rich). In addition, the lands he traverses are so mysterious and exotic - he truly made my world seem larger. The readier is tops, with an incredible array of voices and expression. He makes the book come alive. Buy it, listen to it, and take your trip to mysterious parts of our world which are certainly the silk road less traveled.

Some pronunciation issues - but a fun story.

The narrator does an absolutely miserable job with pronunciation of chinese words - if you're familiar with China, you'll find this a bit frustrating and frequently ask yourself where he's talking about. I wouldn't expect perfect mandarin pronunciation, but you could anglicize "xinjiang" as "shin jong" (shin like the part of your leg, jong like in Mahjong). I have no idea how to write the word based on the narrator's pronunciation.
This one isn't nearly as interesting to me as Jim Roger's excellent "Adventure Capitalist" which would have been documented about 3 years earlier, and does also spend a lot of time discussing that portion of the silk road.
The book sends an especially lengthy time covering the China portion of the journey, which think many will appreciate. Last, I personally prefer that the author spend more time talking about places he went and things that he heard, and let the reader decide the emotional impact.
If you're an old china hand who's been dreaming of retracing Marco Polo's journey, I would rate this a 3 or so - you'll probably not get the coverage you're looking for. If, on the other hand, you're looking for an exotic story about a far away locale and dream of one day making this journey with a guide, then this one is 5 stars all the way.

An excellent and informative book

Mr. Thurbron uses words as an artist uses paint to paint a beautiful landscape. I could easily "see" the places and things he was describing and the people he met along the way. The portion of the book on Afghanistan and Iran gives an excellent insight into the world we find ourselves in at the moment...an insight that is quite different than what the common belief is on both sides.

I'm going to listen to it again after I finish this review. My mind wants to wander down the Silk Road again.

An interesting story

I enjoyed this accounting of travel in the Far East. Sort of a travel log yet an experience of different cultures as the author explains his version of China through Iran .