Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World

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Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, Robert Uhlig

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Pages: 320 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0743499344

Pub: Atria Books

Pub date: 2005-11

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 205387

Editorial Review:

Long Way Round is the tale of a remarkable journey taken (on motorbike) by two men. The fact that those men are figures with notable film connections (Ewan McGregor is one of Britain's most successful actors, Charley Boorman is the son of the celebrated director John Boorman) may be the reason the book got written - and the accompanying television series got made - but so what? This epic trip is conveyed with real élan by its two authors, and there are arguments for preferring the written word over the image: while the latter may convey the exhilaration of the journey more directly, the book is infinitely more subtle in presenting the mindset of its two (often-beleaguered) travellers. Their co-writer Robert Uhlig has cannily conveyed the similar (but at the same time, very different) personalities of the two men, and it's one of the pleasures of the book.
McGregor, for whom motorbikes are as important as his acting career, was gazing at a map of the world when it occurred to him that it was possible to ride by bike all the way round the world (with just a smidgen of cheating around the Bering Strait), and he suggested over a meal with best friend and fellow thesp Charley Boorman, that the pair might chase their shadows from London to New York, across the Pacific to Alaska and other far-flung parts.

Needless to say, catastrophe matches the adventure at every turn, and encounters with gun-toting Ukrainians, Mongolian Nomads and (most dangerous of all) ruthless paparazzi add to the stress levels. But the 20,000 miles covered by the pair, however arduous for them, makes for a highly diverting experience for the reader. Now how do they follow this? Motorbikes are not built for lunar excursions… --Barry Forshaw

Reader Reviews:

brilliant (0/0 people found this helpful)

I picked up this book to take on holiday. It's gripping reading and I managed to get through the whole thing comfortably in a week. The 350 or so pages have fairly large text.

The book documents their trials and tribulations whilst travelling east around the world from london through europe, asia, and north america to new york and does so in great detail. It made me feel like I was almost there with them experiencing some of the joys and sadness.

A lot of the book focuses on the scenery, people who they meet along the way, and various border, bike and language issues.

For me, the stories are well written within and the two differing and alternating views of the journey make the read much more interesting.

extremely enjoyable book, which i am sure i will read again!

This Book Changed My Life (0/1 people found this helpful)

That may seem a little over the top, but this book was recommended to me by a friend to take with me on a 2 month gap year trip to Outer Mongolia. I'd watched some of the series but mainly just the episode in Mongolia to see what the country is like. I never really paid much attention to Ewan and Charley and the rest of the team. This book, coupled with the complete desertness of spending a winter in a nomadic family in the middle of nowhere changed my ways of thinking forever. My favourite paragraph being where Ewan comes to the point that as you travel 'the landscapes change and peoples faces change, but essentially we're all the same, we all need something to eat and somewhere to sleep and if people like George Bush saw this then the world might not be in the state its in today.'

If you want to read a travel book with a difference this is the book for you. (0/0 people found this helpful)

A spiritual uplifting read that you don't even have to be into bikes to be able to enjoy.
This book is about two friends doing what they love the most, whilst meeting people and places, which have so little, yet are able to share so much.
Everyone has dreams but not everyone is brave enough to live them. These two were brave enough and has have shown us all that impossible is nothing.
The book made me feel like wanting to give up everything and go and do what they did.
During each chapter Evan and Charley both take turns speaking about their journey and both have their own style, which helps to bring balance to the book.
I enjoyed reading Evan's parts the most as he really digs deeps into his emotional state.
In one chapter he says something along the lines of "We are all the same around the world, we all love family, we all want food and we all want somewhere to sleep at night, I couldn't agree more with him.
The part of the journey I enjoyed reading the most about was when they travelled between Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia. They meet so many different people in such barren places but despite all the troubles they come across they managed to overcome them because everyone they meet was so willing to give a hand.

A brilliant read !! (1/1 people found this helpful)

Oh, I enjoyed this book so much!!

I am a huge bike fanatic so when I got this book I was made up!
I decided I wouldn't watch the TV series - I didn't feel I needed to having read this.

Once I started reading it I found I was getting home from the pub early just so I could read some more.. & when I was at the pub I was telling people all about Ewan & Charley's adventure. It is so well written & makes you feel like you're actually there with them.

Though they had both discussed this years ago it was a completely new adventure to them, on their BMW GS's. I bet KTM are kicking themselves now, after all the success BMW have have enjoyed since this.

I will probably never have the money, or the time, to go on one of these adventures so to follow these guys - by reading this - was a real joy.

Not that adventurous then... (2/4 people found this helpful)

Oh dear. I'd put off reading this book for some time as I have to admit to not being a huge fan of Ewan McGregor, but still I thought I'd give it a go hopefully with an open mind. Oh dear. The whole venture seemed like a good idea, taking off on a couple of bikes, just you and a mate, for a few months of enjoyable riding through some fascinating places. Well that's what I thought they were doing...turned out there were three on three bikes (the third being a cameraman), two support vehicles with a couple of producers, various fixers and even at one point a doctor! And then to have the gall to whinge and whine about the media attention, how the essential spirit of the trip was compromised by the numbers of people involved, I mean really! Surely Mr McGregor has the funds to buy a couple of bikes and slope off quietly with a mate for a while, but of course then there wouldn't be any media attention to soothe the ego - so they chose to make money out of the venture and therefore complicate it, and then whinge about it to boot. Get over yourselves!! I see they've repeated the formula with another trip across Africa, plainly they needed to make some more cash. I don't think I'll bother reading that one and looking at the reviews here it hasn't gone down too well generally. By the way I do know what I'm talking about as I rode from London to Cape Town, just me and a mate on two bikes with little cash, had a fantastic time and didn't burst into tears once...

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