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| Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar | 
 enlarge | Author: Paul Theroux
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $28.00
Buy New: $17.48
You Save: $10.52 (38%)
New (41) Used (17) Collectible (3) from $13.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 1527
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 0618418873
Dewey Decimal Number: 915.04425092
EAN: 9780618418879
ASIN: 0618418873
Publication Date: August 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW: NEVER READ...!!!!.(may have faint shelf wear from bookstore)..ALL ORDERS SHIP SAME OR NEXT BUSINESS DAY, FREE POSTAL DELIVERY CONFIRMATION FOR U.S. ORDERS, TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE !!!!
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| Customer Reviews:
Sixty plus, well off, and he still travels like a college kid August 28, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Throughout this latest Theroux book I kept asking myself, why does he do it? Why does he punish himself with decrepit trains, filthy toilets, near poisonous food, crummy hotels, lonliness, a constant stream of strangers met on the way and never seen again? He is an old man, presumably well to do, perhaps really rich, who needs all that punishment? Obviously he does. This travel book (though like all of his books it is not a travel guide, no hotel recommendations, no must do restaurants or sights) simply is fascinating reading, although by now, having written 41 books, 17 of them travel books, there is a certain sameness that is I guess unavoidable. The names and places change but the experiences remain the same.
Still, he never bores. And while this may be his last travel book (he hints so) it is a terrific one with which to exit the stage. JDP
 A Sentimental and an Unsentimental Journey September 1, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
A love "Ghost Train'. I love that some places did not change in 33 years. I love that, as a man of a certain age, he spent somewhat less time in bars and more time with nature. I love that he found people he had met 33 years ago. I love that the people were so happy to see him again.
I fantisize that I am reading 'Ghost Train', I look up and there he is sitting across from me on the train.
And, I love that he supports Barack Obama. Fired Up!
Theroux only gets better September 10, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a travel book that revisits the settings of the Great Railway Bazaar. Although he constantly refers to the earlier book, you don't need to have read it to enjoy this one. It might actually be just as interesting to read this first and then read the Great Railway Bazaar.
Theroux has always been my favorite travel writer, but I am happy to say that he is only getting better. Maybe with age he is getting a little less cynical, a little more sentimental and empathetic with the locals in these far off places. As always good descriptions, a lot of interesting references to books and history. His best travel book.
Star Traveler September 14, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Probably will be enjoyed best by those who have read Paul Theroux's previous book "On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar." I have not, but have read a few of his other travel books, such as "Dark Star Safari." He is an educated traveler, not an idle tourist.
The author's style is to be highly descriptive of the minor sights and sounds of the actual hard movement across space, usually by seedy but interesting trains, with a focus on conversations with particular people (some famous, like Arthur C. Clarke; most not) along the way. Mr. Theroux expresses strong personal opinions on many subjects, for example opposition to U.S. policy--now in Iraq, then in Vietnam and Cambodia. He also seems fixated on the dark side of sexual practices in a number of the countries he visits (for example, those of Thailand, Singapore, and Japan.)
All in all, a book for most serious readers on their own long voyages.
theroux gets older September 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Mr. Theroux is over 65 but still doing the hard road. He is cranky as usual but more erudite, in other words he refers to Larkin, Buddhism, etc. I didnt agree with all his perceptions, especially concerning Romania where I have spent some time. I liked the Romanians and thought Bucharest a very interesting city, and Transylvania has some beautiful landscapes, but then he only spent few hours there. However, I also thought he was very good on India, where I have also travelled. He has been criticized for being egocentric in this book and, of course, he has his quirks, but he is a great writer, especially of travel literature, and as he himself would say, writers are a bit mad (or they wouldnt be writers).
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