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Among the Russians

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About this listen

 Among the Russians is a marvellous account of a solitary journey by car from St. Petersburg and the Baltic States south to Georgia and Armenia. A gifted writer and intrepid traveller, Thubron grapples with the complexities of Russian identity and relays his extraordinary journey in characteristically lyrical style. This is an enthralling and revealing account of the habits and idiosyncrasies of a fascinating nation, along with a sharp and insightful social commentary on Russian life.© Colin Thubron; (P) Random House Russia Travel Writing & Commentary

Critic reviews

"A magnificent achievement." (Nikolai Tolstoy, The Times)
All stars
Most relevant
The first and the best of his Russian travels. The timing - when the country was beginning to emerge from decades of secrecy and prohibition for outsiders - makes for fascinating reading.

His reflections on the character of Russians as every bit as normal as anyone else and the constant lurking presence of the State are as relevant today as 40 years ago. The faith and pride in their country that many of his acquaintances show despite their country's actions are also reflected in today's reluctance or inability to acknowledge Russia's cruel and bloody invasion of a peaceful neighbour.

At the time of writing we could hope for a bright new future for Russia. Now that hope is deferred for generations we look back on a time which seemed innocent, and this likely explains much of the book's appeal.

The best of Thubron's books in Russia

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As usual Colin Thubron has written a great travel book. This is shorter than some of the others but still up to the usual high quality.

Great wee travel book

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As always, Colin draws you in with the people and their intimate stories, confessions who almost sounds wrong to hear. A land truly full of possibilities yet a layer of sadness. You get to see a true, flawed, yet beautiful country, with people who can make a grey world be full of colors.

A travelers guide through Russia.

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Really need an unabridged version of this. It’s a fantastic book, would be good to hear it in its entirety.

Great, but….

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listening to these words you feel like you were a part of the adventure.

Such an honor

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