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Around India in 80 Trains
Paperback, 243 pages
Published
2012
by Roli books
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Apr 05, 2013
Anoop Pai
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
indian-challenge,
2-to-less-than-3-stars
I grabbed this book as soon as I saw it on display at a book store. I travel by train every weekend back home from Karwar and so Railways have a special place in my life.And so I decided to embark on a journey with Monisha Rajesh and her passportout!
The first half of the journey was not that exciting. The author constantly tries to be witty bombarding with missiles of comparative descriptions rather than putting it in a better way. While there were some which was funny, most of them gave me face...more
The first half of the journey was not that exciting. The author constantly tries to be witty bombarding with missiles of comparative descriptions rather than putting it in a better way. While there were some which was funny, most of them gave me face...more
A beautifully written travelogue that engages you right from the start! Monisha's writing is witty and fresh with a sense of humor that sinks in well, making the entire mood of the book extremely enjoyable to read. The idea of discovering through 80 trains is absolutely innovative and caught my attention as I had never heard of anyone who had undertaken such a journey before!
The book manages to give you a glimpse of different aspects of the country, right from the most important one being the "I...more
The book manages to give you a glimpse of different aspects of the country, right from the most important one being the "I...more
A wonderful read from a new author. For a non-Indian to muster the courage to traverse the length and breath of a country as diverse as India in 80 trains, and to maintain a log-book detailed enough to provide her with enough material to subsequently write a book from them, is commendable. Her observations of the daily ways of life in India, and her own hypothesis on how such diversity, poverty, corruption, growth and 'India-shining' all co-exist, is mostly accurate. Some may argue that it is wi...more
Monisha Rajesh's sojourn of India in 80 trains with a photographer she calls "Passepartout" starts off making you wonder who forced her to travel to India if all she was going to do was sit and crib about the land.
But if you manage to tolerate this a little while, you start seeing the places with her, sit right next to her in the train, listen to all those chatter, feel the rocking motion and start relating to her. And she starts cribbing less, accepting stuff more and observes interesting, int...more
But if you manage to tolerate this a little while, you start seeing the places with her, sit right next to her in the train, listen to all those chatter, feel the rocking motion and start relating to her. And she starts cribbing less, accepting stuff more and observes interesting, int...more
This book was a good, interesting read. I thought it was a very funny and interesting account of travelling in the Indian Railways. The importance given to completing 80 train journeys, exploring the corners of the Indian Railways, discovering special trains, stations, booking centres was fascinating. For me, the best part of the book was its narration of how the community comes to be constituted while travelling in the railways with some fascinating stories of friendship and bonding, despite la...more
I am so glad that I came upon this book. It was suggested to me by some IR friend and I ordered it via flipkart on May 28, the day on which flipkart gave 50% discount to many best sellers(this fact too, known via an IR thread). I only wish I had ordered more books. This is basically non-fictional travellogue of India, wherein Monisha, a British Indian travels the length and breadth of India in 80 trains. It was funny, sarcastic, amazing and true to the core. Initially I felt she was belittling I...more
2 likes · like · see review
A very well written narration of over 40,000 km of train travel all over India, the author has put life into even mundane train journeys and has combined facts and trivia with some interesting anecdotes and characters, interspersed with humour, that makes this book very readable and a treasure trove for fans of the Indian Railways. More than the train journeys per se, the book provides a very objective look into India as a whole along with its umpteen customs and idiosyncracies, which makes it s...more
I had heard of Monisha Rajesh’s book “Around India in 80 Trains” at the Jaipur Literature Festival. This was last month. I was completely taken by it and had to read it. I had heard great things about it from friends, however was not willing to form my opinion before reading it. I have finally gotten around to reading it and the book and the writing left me speechless and sometimes with a strange smile on my face. When books do that to you, you know that you are with a great read. There is no ot...more
I didn't always care particularly for the writer and the protagonist but towards the end I really warmed to her. I found her accounts fairly self engrossed and not that interesting. She didn't conjure much of a feeling of what it's like to be an Indian but I have a very good idea of how she felt about the bloke she was travelling with. Not that I don't think there is a place for tales of her travel companion but I felt it came at the expense of understanding anything about the country.
I felt like I had to slog through it. Sounded like it would be interesting having been to India and loving long train rides but it just was not that interesting to read. I like when I am reading to hit that point where I can't wait to get back to my book, that never came. It was more of looking at my Kindle seeing I was 60, 70, 80% in and thinking I might as well finish it.
2 likes · like · see review
This was bought as a present by a friend who knows I love trains and have a burning desire to visit Indis for the trains. The book has sharpened my desire to go. However, I only score 3 because I wanted more about her relationship with her travelling companion. I also wanted photos and a decent map! In summary, a curate's egg of a book, but well worth the read.
I was hoping for a nice travelogue to satisfy my wanderlust. Unfortunately the book comes up rather short. The content and writing style leave much to be desired. The travel can be made into an informative account of the journey. Instead, the author decides to veer into wry anecdotes about Indian social scene and poverty. Hope for a rewrite
India re-discovered through this book along with beautiful description of this nation's beauty , the corruption in human mind and last but not the least - after decade came across a book which has a proper description of legacy of Indian Railways after independence.I think Railways should use this book for their promotional purpose.
Heartwarming and extremely personal, Monisha Rajesh takes us on an extremely detailed yet fun ride across India, in what is a perfect homage to the "lifeline of the country". Nary a dull moment, for an inside look into what makes the country tick (and what doesn't), look no further and order a copy for yourself.
A light-hearted look at India and Indians by one who is one - sort of - she grew up in the UK, daughter of two doctors, and is apparently also a good journalist. Her train travels make me envious, until i really think about what it would be like! Actually laughed out loud at times.
This book has been disappointing for me - I picked it up expecting to experience places and people from across India. The book somehow does not connect. None of the characters seem to stay on with you, as the author hurtles from place to place. A minor gripe I am sure - I would have so loved a map. But a toast, however, to the spirit of the journey.
May 18, 2013
Gurjot Singh
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who wanna know these journeys closely
Recommended to Gurjot by:
None before i read but many after i had finished
#AroundIndiaIn80Trains Best book ever on train journeys..Must read if you want to get a detailed description about social life that exists inside these trains.....witty and humorous as it happens to be, is likely to leave an everlasting influence on you.....
Almost to the end I wanted to come away being able to recommend this one enthusiastically, but I cannot. I'm with the other reviewers who've said they just couldn't become fully engaged here - the parts, interesting as many were, didn't make a whole "story" for me.
1 like · like · see review
Humorous and very well written, this book sure covers the highs and lows of Indian train journeys! A very entertaining read!
WOW. I picked up this book because William Dalrymple said good things about it. And it was an excellent read. I think I'm up to embarking on a similar journey myself.
One word,Loved it! Recommend it to anybody who loves traveling,especially traveling across India in Trains.
An enjoyable enough travelogue but it never quite gripped me the way I imagined it would. This might be because I didn't really warm to the author until near the end.
Must read !
Here is my take on the book
http://dancingduckling.wordpress.com/...
http://dancingduckling.wordpress.com/...
This book is really entertaining. Monisha Rajesh, has a great sense of humor which is reflected in the way the book is written.
Jun 01, 2013
Manjit Chahal
added it
very detailed view of indian everyday life on railways and quite interesting to know new places and station of IR. good reading material.
An absolute delight! The sheer experience of travelling the length and breadth of India written in a humorous and insightful manner urges you to pack your bags and set off on a journey of your own.
Jun 18, 2013
Tamara
marked it as to-read
Jun 18, 2013
Amit Gawande
is currently reading it
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May 31, 2013 06:29am
May 31, 2013 07:42am