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Days and Nights on the Grand Trunk Road: Calcutta to Khyber
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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February 17, 2021Very vivid travelogue of the Grand Trunk Road from India to Pakistan, a standout reading experience. The author describes in memorable detail the vibrant and culturally striking villages and religious and historic sites of the route. I feel that with the attention to immersive description and detail and the author's wry humor, this should be more renowned as a pillar of British travel writing.
April 1, 2026
A pleasant read, from somebody that loves India but isn't afraid to write candidly and without virtue signaling.
The book goes on many tangents, writing about the history surrounding the road, sometimes interesting, sometimes not. Personally I would have preferred him to have focused more on the 1990's India he found himself in - which would have created a better legacy for this book.
I like the fact that the book covers both Pakistan & India, as in most travel literature the two are usually quite separately dealt with. His border crossing was quite something. The final part of the book, dealing with Peshawar (near Afghanistan) is most interesting, as it gives details of a small vibrant American community there, centred around the consulate and a club, even with its own "Kipling society" - this must have substantially altered for the worst (or have been largely disbanded) after September 2001, so, without realising it, the author was documenting something significant.
The book is somewhat dated in parts, as it adopts a totally pessimistic tone about India's future. A future we are now in! Since then, Delhi, and other cities have improved/modernised significantly and large parts of India are at less than replacement level for births - so his low expectations were a bit of a drag (but in all fairness such references were infrequent).
On the flip side, I found his neutral and fair attitude towards the British era quite refreshing (the author is in fact American). He just told it as it was - good and bad - without feeling the need to go all woke and preachy on us just to show how "cool" he was. Instead he chose to tell us the unedited facts, without an agenda - which is rarer than you may think.
I think 4 stars would be giving the book too much praise, and yet 3 stars seems too low - so I think 3.5 is more like it, if that were an option.
The book goes on many tangents, writing about the history surrounding the road, sometimes interesting, sometimes not. Personally I would have preferred him to have focused more on the 1990's India he found himself in - which would have created a better legacy for this book.
I like the fact that the book covers both Pakistan & India, as in most travel literature the two are usually quite separately dealt with. His border crossing was quite something. The final part of the book, dealing with Peshawar (near Afghanistan) is most interesting, as it gives details of a small vibrant American community there, centred around the consulate and a club, even with its own "Kipling society" - this must have substantially altered for the worst (or have been largely disbanded) after September 2001, so, without realising it, the author was documenting something significant.
The book is somewhat dated in parts, as it adopts a totally pessimistic tone about India's future. A future we are now in! Since then, Delhi, and other cities have improved/modernised significantly and large parts of India are at less than replacement level for births - so his low expectations were a bit of a drag (but in all fairness such references were infrequent).
On the flip side, I found his neutral and fair attitude towards the British era quite refreshing (the author is in fact American). He just told it as it was - good and bad - without feeling the need to go all woke and preachy on us just to show how "cool" he was. Instead he chose to tell us the unedited facts, without an agenda - which is rarer than you may think.
I think 4 stars would be giving the book too much praise, and yet 3 stars seems too low - so I think 3.5 is more like it, if that were an option.
April 17, 2013
Enjoyable trip with the author across the major east-west road of the Indian subcontinent. Written in the 1990s but I'm sure some things are still the same nearly 20 years later. You feel like you're actually in the old car with Weller and his driver, dealing with wild truck drivers, heat, dilapidated motels, ancient and recent historical sites, and a wealth of people met along the way.
A phenomenal travelogue that pulls you into the car and takes you along.
A phenomenal travelogue that pulls you into the car and takes you along.
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March 6, 2009This is a travel narrative book that tells about the Grand Trunk Road between Calcutta to the Khyber Pass (india-pakistan) past and future, cultures and every day life. From barefoot pilgrims, gunshops of pathan tribesmen, palaces and the birthplace of Krishna, to all the struggling villages and destinations like Varanasi, Agra, Lahore and Peshawar.
July 15, 2012
Fascinating look at India and Pakistan in 1996 but much still quite relevant today. These countries will continue to impact our country for years. There is also some information on Afghanistan that is interesting too.
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July 19, 2007a fine travel narrative of a modern car trip from calcutta to the khyber pass.
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March 19, 2011An excellently written book with vivid picturesque descriptions of the great GT Road.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews