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The Old Patagonian Express
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
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Summary
The Old Patagonian Express tells of Paul Theroux's train journey down the length of North and South America. Beginning on Boston's subway, he depicts a voyage from ice-bound Massachusetts to the arid plateau of Argentina's most southerly tip.
Shivering and sweating by turns as the temperature and altitude rise and plummet, he describes the people he encountered - the tedious Mr Thornberry in Limón and reading to the legendary blind writer, Jorge Luis Borges, in Buenos Aires.
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What listeners say about The Old Patagonian Express
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- Terry clark
- 09-04-18
Unique travel experience
A unique travel experience that is so vibrant and vivid its as if your there.
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- John
- 01-02-21
Wonderful romantic tale of a great train journey
I wish I had made this journey through North and South America before privatisation when the trains were still running as a joined up system but having come late to the party the next best thing is this book. You accompany the author on a beautifully recounted tale of the ups and downs of an adventure that - although it has a clear destination - has many uncertainties along the way. The narrator does justice to the book but there are some occasional issues with the recording. However these seem to belong to the time the book was written and for me they simply bring the tale to life. I particularly enjoyed his intelligent account of Buenos Aires’ culture and his literary conversations with Jorge Luis Borges.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tim R
- 04-02-24
Great concept for travel book
Would have liked a bit more attempt at variety from the narrator in his Spanish accents which often sounded more like Chinese. But he did a good job of picking up Paul Theroux's humour and at times snide tone. The book is refreshingly honest in its depiction of the troubles and strife involved in travelling.
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- Helliemoo
- 18-08-24
Splendid
Paints a vivid picture of the ever changing landscape and gives a real insight into a towns and cities and everyday lives of a continent I’ll probably never get to see for myself. But now I feel like I’ve been
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- Eviey
- 23-02-20
Awful reader
No complaint about the book, its a good read but every sentence you can hear the reader clicking his lips together and it is relentlessly annoying.
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2 people found this helpful
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- michael stone
- 01-02-18
mispronounciation
Shame the narrator can't read English must be because he's American. You'll end up grinding your teeth and baffled to the meanings of some simple sentences.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mrs Brooks
- 04-02-20
I gave up!
Maybe I am a bit too young for the style that this books is written in.
I was hoping for something Michael Palinesque and this book is not.
I made it to chapter 5 before I gave it up.
I found each chapter to be repetitive, with similar descriptions of people and places. At times the descriptions of the girls he came across could be at best lecherous and at worst salacious and bawdy. I'm not a prude but in this day and age, to read about a man 'noticing' every working girl or attractive woman he comes across is boring.
Wasn't the kind of travel writing I was hoping for.
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2 people found this helpful