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About 1/3 the book was quotes and research from other writers, explorers, etc. Tedious details and statistics of local organizations were another 1/3. The rest was Theroux's usual pessimistic comments and observations. Angola is NOT a place anyone should think of visiting.
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Renowned travel writer Paul Theroux returns for one last trip through Africa, where he worked as a young man as a Peace Corp teacher and where he traveled in middle age as described in Dark Star Safari. Theroux is a highly critical and cynical observer, but it is clear he has a special attachment to Africa and his observations, while unromantic, seem quite fair in most cases. He finds a great deal of frustration, unfulfilled promise and personal danger in this trip, but concedes that optimism is
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When Paul Theroux says it’s his last train ride, I feel sad. I’ve traveled with Theroux across the east side of Africa, across Asia, and now down the west side of Africa. This was not a happy trip for him. He seemed to grow more and more morose as he stopped in various cities across Africa. The poverty, the filth, the despair of the people...all these worked together to bring Theroux’s mood down lower and lower with every stop. Finally, he cut the trip short and went home. It’s possible he may n
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