Details Books To The Pillars of Hercules
| Original Title: | The Pillars of Hercules: A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean |
| ISBN: | 0449910857 (ISBN13: 9780449910856) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Paul Theroux
Paperback | Pages: 509 pages Rating: 3.93 | 4277 Users | 192 Reviews
Describe Regarding Books The Pillars of Hercules
| Title | : | The Pillars of Hercules |
| Author | : | Paul Theroux |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 509 pages |
| Published | : | October 29th 1996 by Ballantine Books (first published 1995) |
| Categories | : | Travel. Nonfiction. Cultural. Greece |
Narration Concering Books The Pillars of Hercules
"DAZZLING."--Time
"[THEROUX'S] WORK IS DISTINGUISHED BY A SPLENDID EYE FOR DETAIL AND THE TELLING GESTURE; a storyteller's sense of pacing and gift for granting closure to the most subtle progression of events; and the graceful use of language. . . . We are delighted, along with Theroux, by the politeness of the Turks, amazed by the mountainous highlands in Syria, touched by the gesture of an Albanian waitress who will not let him pay for his modest meal. . . . The Pillars of Hercules [is] engrossing and enlightening from start (a damning account of tourists annoying the apes of Gibraltar) to finish (an utterly captivating visit with Paul Bowles in Tangier, worth the price of the book all by itself)."
--Chicago Tribune
"ENTERTAINING READING . . . WHEN YOU READ THEROUX, YOU'RE TRULY ON A TRIP."
--The Boston Sunday Globe
"HIS PICARESQUE NARRATIVE IS STUDDED WITH SCENES THAT STICK IN THE MIND. He looks at strangers with a novelist's eye, and his portraits are pleasantly tinged with malice."
--The Washington Post Book World
"THEROUX AT HIS BEST . . . An armchair trip with Theroux is sometimes dark, but always a delight."
--Playboy
"AS SATISFYING AS A GLASS OF COOL WINE ON A DUSTY CALABRIAN AFTERNOON . . . With his effortless writing style, observant eye, and take-no-prisoners approach, Theroux is in top form chronicling this 18-month circuit of the Mediterranean."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Rating Regarding Books The Pillars of Hercules
Ratings: 3.93 From 4277 Users | 192 ReviewsArticle Regarding Books The Pillars of Hercules
I like Theroux. I like his grouchy old man act and I like the books (not a fan of the novels, though). This one is entertaining and informative and well-written. Its also another example of a book written not so long ago at all but which, thanks to the Internet gap, seems to be from another world - the author making phone calls to Honolulu in bars and being amazed at this, for example.Theroux is a cranky old man. I can't say that I would like to travel with him.
I was looking forward to reading this as I have visited many places covered in the authors travels clockwise around the Mediterranean. It also has a terrific write up by those in the know. This is the first book Ive read written by Paul Theroux and I understood he has an excellent reputation. Its not often I fail to finish a book but I gave up after 200 pages. He didnt seem to like anywhere he went his attitude was condescending and superior and at times even derogatory. Nowhere based on tourism
This is another excellent travel book and unusual in its approach as he circumnavigates the Mediterranean, never straying from the coastal route, examining the cultural similarities and differences between all the countries who share one common border - the Middle Sea. The book is very well written, amusing and insightful. Theroux also thoughtfully introduces us to a hefty reading list as he quotes at length from other travel books which have already dealt with each country. A must for any arm
I often find Paul Theroux's books heavy going, and this one is no different. That said, the rather slow pace added a charm to this travelogue -- I found his pace and attitudes as he travelled matched the way I was reading. In the passage where he's on a cruise ship and discusses the tension between the ship feeling like home, and yet the voyage drawing to its end, I found myself feeling the same about his travels. As he travels, he gets grumpy about people and peoples..and you feel the weight of
Why do you bother to read travelogues, Jeff?1. Between working in the adult film industry and a stint for the Royal Canadian Mounties, I traveled extensively as part of my job in international industrial espionage and its always fun to read about places that I only saw at night while wearing a ski mask. Travel tip: A wool ski mask is especially difficult in tropical weather.2. Its always nice to get a unique perspective on a time and place. Theroux traveled around the Mediterranean in the mid-90
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