Yes, I love reading. Especially about travel (and food, of course). Even when I don’t immediately get immersed in the story of a book I will usually keep reading: To find out if it gets better and sometimes simply to finish it (I’ve come so far, I may as well).
At times I will be completely captivated a few pages on. At other times, upon finishing the book, I will wonder what all those people praising it had found in it that I couldn’t.
Or if they ever read it at all.
Here are
7 travel-related books I didn’t enjoy nearly as much as they were hyped
On the Road
“Get your life together” was all I wanted to scream at the main character of this novel. I could not get into the mood for it, I suppose, and let myself get carried along. However, I would like to see the film they recently made of this novel.
Eat. Pray. Love.
The main character has it all – and gives it up to travel. So far, so good. However, she keeps complaining. No matter what happens to her, she finds fault with it. I gave my copy to a friend and her dog ate it. I wasn’t at all upset about it.
The Glass Palace
Besides the brilliant Shantaram, another one of the books everyone seemed to be reading when I was travelling. Especially in Nepal, copies of it were abundant. I wasn’t captivated.
The God of Small Things
The story of twins growing up in India. Rushdie does it better.
In Patagonia
This could have been a case of “wrong time for the right book” because I absolutely loved his “Songlines”. I could not at all relate to the author’s sheer endless musings and descriptions.
Long Way Round
Two guys set off for an amazing adventure – with a backup truck (which – in my humble opinion – lessens the “adventure” part of it). Still, they are whining constantly about everything and missing their significant others. Which is nice in a way, except that it’s not since they get to meet along the way anyways.
The Alchemist
THE backpackers’ bible. If you haven’t read it, you have never travelled (or so I was told). I finally got it at a book exchange in Vang Vieng, Laos, by which time I had travelled for the better part of half a year. If you haven’t found out what this book talks about by that time you better take the next flight out and home. I couldn’t find anything revealing or much thought-provoking in this book. Also, I tend to find Coelho’s stories to ramble on endlessly before coming to the point and his style more than slightly self-congratulating (and therefore off-putting).
Which travel-related books did not live up to your expectations?
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