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Shadow of the Silk Road

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Shadow of the Silk Road

By: Colin Thubron
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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Out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across Northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey, Colin Thubron undertakes a journey along the greatest land route on earth: the Silk Road. Travelling 7,000 miles in eight months, he traces the passage not only of trade and armies, but of ideas, religions and inventions. With a gift for talking to others, and of getting them to talk to him, Thubron meets some fascinating people and encounters some of the world's discontented margins, where the true boundaries are not political borders but the frontiers of tribe, ethnicity, language and religion.©2006 Colin Thubron (P)2007 Isis Publishing Ltd. Asia Middle East Travel Writing & Commentary Iran China Middle Ages Africa Ancient History
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Critic reviews

"He stands awestruck before the oldest piece of paper in the world in a Chinese museum and is quarantined for Sars in the Taklamakan desert as he bears witness to a world that is remote from our own yet unbreakably connected to it."( The Times)
"Thubron doesn't cut corners, he talks to people, he takes risks, he's honest-and so is Jonathan Keeble's reading. He's got a great on-the-road voice."( The Guardian)
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I have never read Colin Thubron and chose this book because I am interested in the silk road rather than a devoted fan of the author. I didn't learn as much about the silk road as I had anticipated, but I was absolutely delighted with the Thubron's narrative and his subtle use of language. His portraits of the people he meets on his journey are detailed and fascinating. The one thing I felt I missed through hearing this rather than reading it was a map of his journey. I sometimes lost track of where we were and had to wait until we crossed a border in order to locate myself again.

Just needs a map

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I really enjoyed listening to Colin’s travel along the Silk Road and would recommend it to you😃

A good listen

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As always Colin writes the intimate and lively stories of people we will never meet. He humanizes and shapes them for us, and each time he moves on its like we’re saying goodbye too. His explanations of the histories of each place he goes is wonderful, and his (mostly) unbiased and human views is refreshing. Colin just seems like a plain up likable guy.

Portraits of people we will never meet.

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An engaging, awe-inspiring read. Simply beautiful prose interwoven with historical background and lively dialogue Realistically, whilst I may never get to travel to any of the places recorded in this book, I now feel as if I have a far more vivid and informed picture of exactly what I am missing. If I could choose anyone as a dinner guest, Mr Thubron, you’d be top of my list!

Awe-inspiring

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Hard to find fault with writing as descriptive, measured and interesting as this. Beautifully read by the correct accent and tone to represent the English author.

The finest travel writer- period

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