The Places In Between: A vivid account of a death-defying walk across war-torn Afghanistan
£0.90
A moving account of a death-defying walk across war-torn Afghanistan in January 2002 from Rory Stewart, bestselling author of Politics on the Edge and host of the hit podcast The Rest Is Politics.
Caught between hostile nations, warring factions and competing ideologies, at the time Afghanistan was in turmoil following the US invasion. Travelling entirely on foot and following the inaccessible mountainous route once taken by the Mogul Emperor, Babur the Great, Stewart was nearly defeated by the extreme, hostile conditions.
Only with the help of an unexpected companion and the generosity of the people he met on the way did he survive to report back with unique insight on a region closed to the world by twenty-four years of war.
‘With a deft, at time poetic vividness, he describes an awesome landscape . . . His encounters with Afghans are tragic, touching and terrifying – Daily Telegraph
Winner of the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Award and the Spirit of Scotland Award.
Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, and the Scottish Book of the Year Prize.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Picador, New Edit/Cover edition (18 Sept. 2009) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 11118 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 397 pages |
by Amazon Customer
Rory Stewart’s journey across post Taliban Afghanistan ranges from the heroic to the foolhardy. His encounters, scrapes and flirtation with personal danger are recounted with humour, poetry and an obvious love and respect for his subject.
by Miss R Constable
Well written, enjoyable. And I learnt a lot. One to re-read
by Cedward
Marvelous accounts of encounters with Afghans as Rory Stewart walks across the mountains. All during the years after the Taliban were expelled for the first time. Perceptive and compassionate
by annem
This book takes you on a journey…one that few will be able to go on. The journey across Afghanistan in the footsteps of the Emperor Babur shows you the people who live there and their hopes, fears and lives is enthralling. Rory Stewart writes with ease about a trip that is anything but easy.
by ILW
Just bought 2 more copies of this inspirational book by Rory Stewart( the best PM we never had!!) I was overawed by the beauty of the content and style of writing I will give one copy to a friend who spent time in Afghanistan and I am sure he will be as captivated as I was.
by Doris H
He literally walked the talk. A perspective on the cultures & realities of post – Taliban life in this beautiful, benighted country. In the low-key manner of Wilfrid Thesiger & every bit as determined & tough. An outstanding book by an admirable man
by SMC
Book arrived on time in good condition except that a label was stuck across the front cover which was very difficult to remove.
by J. Ward
Rory only came to light as a person to me doing his “The Rest Is Politics” podcast with Alistair Stewart. For all they should be political opposites, they are brilliant together and excellent at explaining in simple terms what it going on on the political and economical front. Rory’s voice is the most calming and reassuring of tones and and I often listen just to calm me to sleep, especially when world news has been alarming. Their united hatred of Boris Johnson (they won’t refer to him as simply ‘Boris’, is quite amusing. Anyway, Rory has simply had the most fascinating life and I wanted to read more about his time in Afghanistan. The only criticism I had of the book was that there were so many names of people who I could not pronounce, therefore making simple mental associations with whilst reading was impossible unless repeated often, so I had to skim read some of it. The dog joining his walk had me hooked. I love the podcast, and hope it goes on forever. It’s always fascinating to see how many different countries the pair of them get to whilst recording it. They certainly travel! Alistair’s occasional references to his depression and his family life are both heartwarming and very honest. I struggled to like him in the Tony Blair days but have really warmed to him on the podcast. They are impressively intelligent gentlemen, and I appreciate the clarity of sound as with many other podcasts there are too many hosts or they laugh far too much for ‘audio only’, making hearing what they are saying difficult, and I don’t like American accents or humour, which discounts many pods for me. Will be reading Alastair’s book(s) in due course, and more of Rorys.