This would be a 5-star book if I didn’t find it so depressing; it left me in a slump for months. So it gets 4-stars. I love this trilogy (this is book 2) about the author’s walking the Silk Road. I feel like I’ve learned so much about each country thanks to the people he meets and the sights he sees, and the gosh awful way he’s treated by corrupt police or religious radicals—at 1 point I just couldn’t take it anymore—I had to tell myself, “He survived to write the trilogy!” I look forward to reading the last book, hopeful that he’s treated far better than in the first two legs of his journey. ( )

I really enjoyed this travelogue/memoir of Ollivier’s journey from the eastern border of Turkey through Iran and Turkmenistan, into Uzbekistan. I love this region of the world so was enthralled with his descriptions of the scenery. But my favorite portions of the book were his interactions with the people.

Ollivier was adamant that he travel the Great Silk Road on foot. I think there were large portions of the route that I would have given in and accepted a ride. But not Ollivier! I was astonished by the distance he traveled each day on foot. Most of the people he encountered along the way were very friendly, kind and hospitable, often inviting him to stay at their homes and providing him free meals. inviting, some not so much. Of course, there were the few who attempted to assert their control over him. I loved the times he pushed back. He also reports numerous instances of local people talking about the need for separation of church and state and the disdain for the mullahs.

The heat was relentless, and oftentimes the places to eat and sleep marked on his maps were inaccurate, resulting in a longer journey on those days. Ollivier provides the reader a good historical narrative of the sites he visits along the way. He also shares some stories about the cultures of the people, describes the wonderful food he partook of, and recounted the day to day life of the people. He also wrote of his frustrations along the way – the loss of his camera, the senseless passport checks (often two or more times at the same location). There were times he really wanted to just give up but somehow he was able to regroup and continue on.

I now need to read OUT OF ISTANBUL which describes his journey through Turkey (one of my favorite places to visit) and am eager for the release of the third book which will take him to Xian, China.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forge Books for the advance copy to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own. ( )