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23rd out of 23 books
—
4 voters
Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle
Braving hunger, heat exhaustion, unbearable terrain and cultures largely untouched by civilization, Dervla Murphy chronicles her determined trip through nine countries, through snow and ice in the mountains and miles of barren land in the scorching desert. With indomitable spirit and her special brand of Irish understatement and wit Murphy revels in the unpredictability of...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
April 3rd 1987
by Overlook TP
(first published 1965)
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I actually read a 1965 edition of this book, so I don't know if it has been edited in the intervening years or just reprinted.
This is a fascinating story of a woman's bicycle ride from Ireland to India. It glosses over the European journey (despite beginning in the dead of winter) and focuses on her time in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Despite many dire warnings about traveling in Muslim countries in the 60s, she went on and embraced their culture and hospitality.
There's a fair amount of "p...more
This is a fascinating story of a woman's bicycle ride from Ireland to India. It glosses over the European journey (despite beginning in the dead of winter) and focuses on her time in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Despite many dire warnings about traveling in Muslim countries in the 60s, she went on and embraced their culture and hospitality.
There's a fair amount of "p...more
I really can't believe this woman. She goes on this crazy trip from Europe to India on a bicycle (leaving in the middle of winter), meets all sorts of sweet people (and a few jerks), lives on clover for days and nearly starves to death, gets sick and sunburnt multiple times, deals with nasty insects and bad sanitation and wild animals and human beaurocracies, climbs up and down mountains and drags her bike along (sometimes on her back) when the roads get bad, falls in and out of love with the cu...more
"On my tenth birthday a bicycle and an atlas coincided as presents and a few days later I decided to cycle to India."
So begins Dervla Murphy's first published book. Astonishingly, 21 years after making this decision, she did cycle from Ireland to India via Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and this book is the record of that journey.
The chapters about Afghanistan are the highlight -- she loves the country so much that she describes herself as "Afghanatical". This is in 1963, before the hippie tra...more
So begins Dervla Murphy's first published book. Astonishingly, 21 years after making this decision, she did cycle from Ireland to India via Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and this book is the record of that journey.
The chapters about Afghanistan are the highlight -- she loves the country so much that she describes herself as "Afghanatical". This is in 1963, before the hippie tra...more
Finished....oh thank goodness! I'm so glad that I'm done this book. The only thing that kept me pushing through was the fact that I was reading it for a class.
I thought that Dervla's adventures were interesting, and that she was incredibly eager to get into the craziest situations, but I'm not a fan of her form of storytelling...at all. I understand it's in diary form, but I would have much preferred the focus to be on the environment, the different things that she describes as being beautiful,...more
I thought that Dervla's adventures were interesting, and that she was incredibly eager to get into the craziest situations, but I'm not a fan of her form of storytelling...at all. I understand it's in diary form, but I would have much preferred the focus to be on the environment, the different things that she describes as being beautiful,...more
This woman has impressed me for decades, and now that she is into her 80s I find that I am still in awe of what she does. Ms. Murphy was the guest speaker at our local bookshop, The Crannog, and her sense of humility, integrity and honesty is quite something. Though her books are sorted on the Travel section, her commitment to values and understanding of human nature are more than mere logs of her journeys. Whenever I look at the on-line edition of CNN and see the ubiquitous lists of "ten best s...more
Finally finished this, which I bought secondhand for my husband a couple of years ago. Exactly as he warned me, this book contains some interesting anecdotes and good descriptions...as well as some rather galling casual racism...it's a product of its time, I guess, but in that respect, it actually seems like more of a throwback than merely dating to the 1960s. Some of the opinions are so ridiculous as to be laughable to me now, but I can imagine that they might not seem so funny to readers who a...more
An all-time favorite, this book is Dervla's story of her travels to India, through Persia (now Iran), Pakistan and Afghanistan, on her bicycle, Roz. It's the first of her travelogues, in which she established her practice of traveling on foot, bicycle or animal (horse or mule) through countries around the world. She documents her encounters with people of many cultures, nature and the animal kingdom, all with humor and insight.
The Recorded Books version of this book, read by Davina Porter, is a
...more
One of the best travel adventure books I have ever read. This woman rides her bicycle from Ireland to India back in 1965. The book has very little to do with bicycles, Ireland or India.
This true story is about this young womans travel adventures in Pakistan and Afghnistan in a time when a woman travelling alone would be most unusual in any country. It also reads like a detailed diary of all the unique families and communities who provided lodging/hospitality in some of the most extreme cultural...more
This true story is about this young womans travel adventures in Pakistan and Afghnistan in a time when a woman travelling alone would be most unusual in any country. It also reads like a detailed diary of all the unique families and communities who provided lodging/hospitality in some of the most extreme cultural...more
Dervla travels to India on a one speed bicycle from Ireland through Yugoslavia, Persia, Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1963.
It is interesting to view these countries through Dervla’s eyes in the 1960’s before they became the dominant news in the last few decades.
This is an uplifting book as Dervla engages with everyone she meets and is full of good humour and wonder for her surroundings. She has a few unpleasant encounters, but they are only worthy of a few sentences and then she continues on undau...more
It is interesting to view these countries through Dervla’s eyes in the 1960’s before they became the dominant news in the last few decades.
This is an uplifting book as Dervla engages with everyone she meets and is full of good humour and wonder for her surroundings. She has a few unpleasant encounters, but they are only worthy of a few sentences and then she continues on undau...more
Here is a witty and good-natured journal of a pretty amazing woman's bicycling trip from Europe through Afghanistan and Pakistan (among other places). The trip's made in 1963, so there is a good slice of interesting Cold War history in the background -- but she squarely places the people and the landscapes firmly in the foreground. It's a bit unsettling to realize how little has changed in 50 years for these places that are now so important to the West once again -- and in other ways, how much.
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A completely engrossing and inspiring read! As a cyclist that loves touring when I'm able, in between day jobs, and dreams of doing more as I grow older, this book really amazed me! Dervla Murphy is an unbelievably lucky woman adventure and a fabulous writer! Particularly fascinating are her shared observations and descriptions about traveling through Iran and Afghanistan In the 60s. Her interactions with the people there and her observations of the beauty to be found in the landscapes were reve...more
I read this book while cycle touring and it did the opposite of inspire me, it humbled me. As I read about her cycling greater distances than me in horrendous conditions on a single speed bike, wearing her bike and gear as a scarf while crossing glaciers, almost starving to death, all I could think was- I am not Dervla Murphy, and I will never be Dervla Murphy. The fact that all of this was done in a time when very different things were expected of a woman made it even more astonishing. She writ...more
I was shocked, but at the same time very amazed to know that this author (woman) has travelled alone by bicyle from Ireland to India in 1963. The book illustrates how the lives of ordinary people in Croatia, Iran, Afghanistan etc were like at that year. For instance, a typist in Croatia who offered the author an overnight accomodation and food.
The author does not explicitly show off, but the readers may quickly realise her personality which is very approacheable. Not many people can achieve thi...more
The author does not explicitly show off, but the readers may quickly realise her personality which is very approacheable. Not many people can achieve thi...more
Why I picked it up: I like endurance stories, and the fact that the emphasis was on cycling made it even more attractive.
What I liked: Murphy has a great straightforward style with a willingness to really engage with the people she travels among. The result is a lot of interesting stories, mostly about Afghanistan and Pakistan (where most of the book is set). It's a book of its time (the 1960s) with discussions of communism, the impact of the Partition, and the growing impact of Westernization o...more
What I liked: Murphy has a great straightforward style with a willingness to really engage with the people she travels among. The result is a lot of interesting stories, mostly about Afghanistan and Pakistan (where most of the book is set). It's a book of its time (the 1960s) with discussions of communism, the impact of the Partition, and the growing impact of Westernization o...more
This really is an amazing book. Definitely in the 'can't put it down but I need a break!' category. Cycling from Ireland to Delhi, India, Dervla Murphy has extraordinary adventures, faces life-threatening hardships, including heat stroke, starvation, weather-related calamities. But has this intensely rich experience of getting to know - really getting to know and love - people from the countries she traveled through. I found this book incredibly humbling and eye-opening, especially in light of c...more
This should be called Full Tilt: Bicycling through Afghanistan and Pakistan. The first 40 or so pages while she is cycling through Europe(in the middle of the worst winter in ages)are sparse and verging on boring. I really did want to hear about her cycling experiences through Yugoslavia and Bulgaria in 1963, but she divulges nearly nothing. Then she enters Afghanistan and everything changes. Dervla loves Afghanistan and the Afghani people and the book becomes full of interesting encounters and...more
Jul 25, 2007
trinainmanila
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who travel but hate being tourists
Intrepid would be an understatement! Dervla Murphy got bitten by various animals, was struck by severe stomach ailments, swam frigid rivers, stumbled upon a corpse, got pelted with stones at least once and sexually assaulted at least twice, got lost along the route of melting glaciers, nearly died of dehydration on top of a mountain! But she cycled all over Iran (still called Persia!) when it was still ruled by the shah and actually saw the giant Buddhas of Bamian before the Taliban blew them t...more
This is the 2nd Dervla Murphy book I've read and somehow I manage to find her extremely annoying whilst really enjoying the adventures she has and the observations she makes. Her constant disapproval of "Western" society gets tiresome and her disposition to believe in "the noble savage" gets old quickly. All that said what she experienced and saw is amazing and Central Asia has a certain fascination for me anyway.
Was very glad to borrow this from my local library.
Was very glad to borrow this from my local library.
This is one rugged lady -- traveling by bicycle through a European winter, into Afghanistan and Pakistan in the early 60s. Her kit consists of a pair of nylon pants (attractive, I'm sure), an extra shirt, and a few spare tires for her bike -- but in listing the stuff she carries she never includes the packs of American cigarettes that she bestows as gifts AND smokes herself. Biking uphill in the Hindu Kush in 104 shadeless degrees, carrying your bike over miles of melting glacier... and stopping...more
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A lone woman's diary of her trip (mostly by bicycle) from Ireland to India in the late 1980's. Dervla Murphy has an easy, captivating way with words (for the most part) and she willingly states her likes and dislikes among the countries & cultures she pedal across. Taken as a whole though, it falls far short of the similar bicycle adventure I read earlier by a husband & wife team. This saga has no wrap up. She just stopped writing abruptly which was most unsatisfying.
Whether you think brave or bonkers, Dervla Murphy followed her dreams to the ends of the earth and lived her life as a true free spirit. There is a lot to learn from her charm, drive, and open-mindedness, and the book has been a real motivator for my own long distance bike trips. Although the writing is at times quaint, it is almost comical in its understated style (a bit like The Worst Journey in the World as if written like The Egg and I). Murphy is however deserving of a place among the 20th...more
This book inspired me to read travel essays and eventually find some of my favorite authors. A MUST-READ for anyone who likes to travel internationally, or enjoys history and the discussion of geopolitics in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Gives interesting contrast to Central Asia 65 years ago to a Single Irish Woman traveling alone on a bicycle and today's political climate.
Full Tilt: From Ireland to India on a Bicycle (1965) - Dervla Murphy
Another amazing biking adventure. Dervla sets off on her bike to ride from Ireland to India -- solo. Astounding! Along the way she travels through Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The story includes danger, wonderful scenery, and the amazing stories of the friends and characters she meets along the way. Charming.
This is Dervla's first book, and the start of a long career of intimate, outspoken, seat of the pa...more
Another amazing biking adventure. Dervla sets off on her bike to ride from Ireland to India -- solo. Astounding! Along the way she travels through Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The story includes danger, wonderful scenery, and the amazing stories of the friends and characters she meets along the way. Charming.
This is Dervla's first book, and the start of a long career of intimate, outspoken, seat of the pa...more
This book was about a single woman in 1963 riding her bike from Ireland to India. This was rather unheard of at the time, especially through a Muslim country. The book is written in journal format. She was keeping a journal and mailing it back to friends in Ireland along the way.
The story was really interesting and I enjoyed reading her account of the countryside, her experiences and the cultural differences. She talked a lot about the people she met. They were all brutally poor and starving, y...more
The story was really interesting and I enjoyed reading her account of the countryside, her experiences and the cultural differences. She talked a lot about the people she met. They were all brutally poor and starving, y...more
I loved this book. The adventure, the nerve of this women to travel alone thru such desolate country. She was smart enough to disguise herself as a man on a few occasions.
My only problem with this book is her reference to some ethnic groups with stereotypical descriptions which can be insulting today and yesterday.
My only problem with this book is her reference to some ethnic groups with stereotypical descriptions which can be insulting today and yesterday.
Loved this especially the fight with wolves. Wish I had Dervlas daring do and her calf muscles.
Mind you its hard not to wonder if she should have done a little more preparation too. Like learning to fix her own bicycle. On the other hand this would have lessened the opportunity for adventure
Mind you its hard not to wonder if she should have done a little more preparation too. Like learning to fix her own bicycle. On the other hand this would have lessened the opportunity for adventure
Mar 18, 2011
Suzanne
marked it as to-read
"Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle" by Dervla Murphy
(E. P. Dutton)
A mad Irishwoman bicycles form Dunkirk to Dehli. Whatever travels you're embarked on, it's easier than this. -- Sarah Jersild
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/...
(E. P. Dutton)
A mad Irishwoman bicycles form Dunkirk to Dehli. Whatever travels you're embarked on, it's easier than this. -- Sarah Jersild
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/...
Full Tilt is a highly individual account by a celebrated travel writer based on the daily diary Murphy kept while riding through Yugoslavia, Persia, Afghanistan, over the Himalayas to Pakistan and into India. IN 1963 BY HERSELF, she rides her bike, awesome story.
Fast-paced travelogue of an often harrowing bicycle trip, primarily focused on the author's time in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Low on technical bike info--a plus or minus depending on your p.o.v.
This was written in the '60s and there are a few things that strike today's reader as a little on the politically incorrect side--although sometimes I found that refreshing. It's not as if we don't all have our prejudices. For instance while Murphy has a lot of love for the countries she visits and the pe...more
This was written in the '60s and there are a few things that strike today's reader as a little on the politically incorrect side--although sometimes I found that refreshing. It's not as if we don't all have our prejudices. For instance while Murphy has a lot of love for the countries she visits and the pe...more
This classic travel writer made me a bit ashamed to admit that my plan to travel the silk road includes more than can be packed in one small bag on a bicycle. Fascinating description of geography and people within the context of the 1960s.
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Murphy grew up in the small town of Lismore, County Waterford, to parents she describes as "Dublin bourgeoisie". Her father was the local librarian and her mother suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. From an early age she wanted to travel; she claims that for her tenth birthday she received an atlas and a bicycle and decided to cycle to India. However, she left school at 14 and spent much of the ne...more
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