The Great Railway Bazaar

bailed

I was excited to come across this book, plus there was a sequel on the shelf written something like 30 years later, but... The sex. I couldn't handle all the writing about prostitution and fellow travellers talking about their sexual adventures in these countries. I'm sad that I wasted 4 days of reading time before realising it was just going to get worse.

dabbe #allhailthebail! #betterbooksahead 🙌 2mo

32 likes1 comment

Robotswithpersonality

The Great Railway Bazaar | Paul Theroux

pan

Travel Asia by train! Enjoy the way a white writer chooses to detail the many flavours of poverty, squalor, bureaucracy, civil unrest and corruption it has to offer! 🤦🏼‍♂️ The author then seems to be dismayed that things are not messy when he gets to Japan. 🤷🏼‍♂️ The part on Russia seems to devolve into a (really cold)fever dream, but I admit I was skimming towards the very end. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? When he's not being dismissive or appalled Theroux has a way with words. There are occasionally lovely descriptions of passing scenery, he can be flattering about nature, architecture and accommodations, but too often falls into generalizations, regularly unflattering when discussing the people of various countries/places, or those locations themselves, with varying degrees of cultural sensitivity. 8mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Always the question in the back of my head: would any of these places or people be as run down and discouraged en masse without a history of colonialism?
To the author's credit, he does ruminate in detail on the negative effects of the American occupation and subsequent abandonment in the context of the Vietnam War. 8mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Theroux experiences a wide variety of travel partners bouncing between first and second class: his fellow berth occupants/seat mates/dining companions range from a self-identified junkie, supposed cult leaders to engineers and an attorney general. He also interviews locals and gets into discussions with people he meets associated with his lecture tour. I'm just not sure he liked anyone he talked to. 8mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? Part of the information related seems to be practical observations...but it's nearly fifty years out of date at this point, so while it may or may not be interesting historical trivia, it's an aspect of the work that's lost its usefulness. 8mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/7 I got really tired, really quickly of the 'colourful insights' after recognizing that sexual objectification seems to be the main way women enter these accounts, if at all. The author isn't necessarily the one doing the ogling/telling tales of sexual exploits, but he seems happy enough to recount all instances by those (men) around him who do.

I could say this was published in 1975 and it was a product of its time, but I think that serves more as warning to prospective readers than an absolution. 8mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 I'll keep looking for unique travelogues, after a break I might even go looking for another on trains, but I don't think I'll be picking this author back up.

⚠️racism/xenophobia,misogyny, ableism, transphobia (? Managed two different anecdotes joking about sex with women with penises 🙄), black face (in theatre), mention of SA (in erotic art) 8mo

CatMS Paul Theroux is a favorite author of mine but I tend to read his fiction not his travel writing. 8mo

dabbe #fanofthepan! 🤩🤩🤩 8mo

Robotswithpersonality @dabbe Slow roasted. 😏 8mo

dabbe @Robotswithpersonality 🤩😂😍 8mo

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Robotswithpersonality

The Great Railway Bazaar | Paul Theroux

'Love your decor, what do you call this style?'
'Decayed sumptuousness'
🧐

julesG 🤣🤣🤣🤣 8mo

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Robotswithpersonality

The Great Railway Bazaar | Paul Theroux

I have to keep reminding myself this is non-fiction. The writing definitely gives "I'm going on an adventure!" novel vibes.

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erincb82

The Great Railway Bazaar | Paul Theroux

so-so

Some parts were extremely interesting -especially the Vietnam portion as he's writing this just after the end of the war but other parts he just seemed so rude and petty, his intense dislike of the Japanese came through loud and clear.

RanaElizabeth

The Great Railway Bazaar | Paul Theroux

I'm a cheater cheater pumpkin-muffin eater. I posted about this book for a challenge last month and I'm totally just gonna re-post. Partly because I am lazy and work is killing me and partly because seriously, this is a great series.
#planestrainsautomobiles
#noplanesyestrainsnoautomobiles
#photoadaynov16

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RanaElizabeth

The Great Railway Bazaar | Paul Theroux

For a different kind of adventure...how about trains? Theroux did a grand loop, England through Eastern Europe, down to the Middle East and across India, through Southeast Asia, up China into Japan, and finally across Russia and back to England. These two books are the same loop, the first in early 1970's and then again in early 2000's. I highly recommend reading them together, the changes in 30 years are immense.
#fullofadventure
#booktober

Zelma That sounds really interesting! I may have to look into these (I love travel books). 8y

RanaElizabeth @Zelma Theroux does the best travel books, his insights are always good but fair warning, he is sometimes very bitter and angry. But that's half the fun! 8y

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