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Barbed Wire & Babushkas: A River Odyssey Across Siberia
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Virgin Books (2005-01-06)
ISBN: 0753509385
EAN: 9780753509388
Dewy Decimal #: 910
Paperback: 270 pages
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Customer Reviews
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Barbed Wire and Babushkas
Rating  (5)
Date: 2005-07-31
9 out of 9 customers found this reveiw helpful
I'm wondering if John from Salisbury has been reading the same book as the rest of us? I bought this little gem on the basis of the other favourable reviews and found it both enthralling and entertaining. The author manages to write with eloquence and humour about a region relatively untouched by tourism, giving a fascinating insight into its people and culture. Bill Bryson-esque with perhaps a more youthful and gritty edge, Sir Ranulph Fiennes' endorsement seems to sum up this book perfectly. It will appeal not just to fans of travel writing but anyone who enjoys a good read, and certainly no-one I have lent it to subsequently has been able to put it down. If the aim of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust is to help travellers "gain a better understanding the lives and cultures of people overseas", then all credit to the author for taking this ethos one step further and sharing his insights so generously and articulately with the rest of us.
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Two lads in some boats: A river oddity across Siberia
Rating  (2)
Date: 2005-05-11
5 out of 10 customers found this reveiw helpful
I read this along with the rest of my book club and have to admit to being somewhat disappointed. The situation seemed promising enough - daring duo go to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for backing for river adventure from Mongolia to the Pacific; 4,400 km of uncharted waters to negotiate with the weather closing in and Sino-Russian border tensions running high - but, for me, it all falls a bit flat. What we get is two pleasant enough lads 'going with the (relatively fast) flow', getting into the occasional amusing scrape between extended 'runs ashore' and taking in the local hospitality. The social and cultural observation redeems it a little - even if this too is a bit predictable - but it nonetheless comes across as something of a student lark. Hardly the stuff of Ranulph Fiennes and even makes Bill Bryson's Walk in the Woods look adventurous. An enjoyable, easy going read but unlikely to give you too many earth-shaking insights into life in Siberia. If I was the Winston Churchill Trust, I'd be tempted to ask for my money back.
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Excellent read
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-05-04
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
Once I picked up this book, I could not put it down and in fact, read it in one evening. Grogan's account of canoeing down the Black Dragon (or Amur to the Russians) river is a hilarious tale, which I would recommend to any reader who loves travel writing.
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Review
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-04-08
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
An excellent book suitable for any reader. A friend, who saw the author talk at Stamford's bookstore in London, recommended it to me. Well-written and amusing on every page, Paul captures the pace of life on the river, along with the generosity and kindness of the people he meets. Interesting to see how he is received by the Russian military, sometimes with that same generosity, sometimes with indifference, sometimes with hostility - it's not known what's round the next bend. I enjoyed this book, as did my mother! It will leave you wanting to pack up your job and fulfil that long held dream.
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Fabulous read!
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-03-16
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book is inspired - had me laughing out loud! It was as if I shared the experiences with Paul and Rich, apart from the blisters, sore muscles, and weather! A great read that will inspire you to go an an adventure of your own.
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Retail Price: £7.99
Amazon.com's Price:£0.01
That's 100% Off!
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