Customer Reviews
The missing link? - By: PZE, 02 May 2008 
I enjoyed the book, for Stewart's eye to detail & his ability to convey so well the challenges facing the people of Afghanistan. As someone who has worked occasionallyin Afghanistan (and with much less insight than Stewart), I felt that he really captured the realities of Afghanistanin 2002 & it made me wonder how much the same region has changed today, if at all. Stewart has an impressive knowledge of Islamic history & culture & uses it well to provide understanding of the people & the book is worth reading just for that.
Other reviewers have commented on his prose, & it has a simpleness to it, but lacks real depth, it has a repetitive quality, not unlike the steps he took on his journey. The missing link is his reason for the journey. Of course there doesn't have to be reason, but compared to many other travel writers his lack of sharing about who he is, why he does what he does, means the prose takes you along as if watching a travel documentary, rather than making you feel as if you are there experiencing every step.
Excellent writing that leaves the reader wanting more - By: Seb M, 29 Jul 2007 
This is a good book. I wouldn't put itin my top ten, but it's left me thinking that Stewart's other book will make it to my top ten.
The problem isn't Stewart's writing by any means. He has an incredible ability to characterise people & places with minute but not superfluous detail. He feels & breathes where he visits with a passion that is apparentin every sentence. His writing style is educated, intellectual & involved without being academic. It is a good read.
The problem is the material. This wasn't a reconstructive journey, or one inspired by lust, death or politics. There is history - but one gets the impression Stewart wanted to immerse himselfin Afghanistan before he found out the history. And the walk just doesn't give him enough time to immerse himselfin any single place.
He has such a gift at reporting on people that giving most characters & places only a page or two scarcely does justice to the potential of this book. And then...well...the sequence of eventsin most towns appears to be the same: struggle to get accommodated, get questioned, avoid the sharks, be treated without deference.
Stewart does bringin culture - particularly with regards to the Hazara: but I wish this was more of a guide - not literally - but with a little more third person narrative about the people, a little more history than observation. This would have given the reader more to bite off at each interlude - a full education, & a sense of familiarity. Alternatively, a more pacey, less educated style might have brought the reader into the sense of danger without interrupting the tension to detail the tribal hierarchies of the region.
Alternating between an abbreviated history of the people & the tension of a walk through hostile territory didn't do it for me. If this had been any old book, I'd have just moved on to another one half way through: but I stuck with it & became frustrated because Stewart writes so well.
All this said, the book would be highly enjoyable to somebody who already understands Afghanistan & for whom the brief histories were a soothing stroke of the traveller's spine, an allusion to familiarity rather than their entire knowledge of Afghanistan.
This book describes a walk that I would love to have done. And as someone incapable of writing I amin no position to critique a book this good so harshly. I just wish he had given us something more. It's cheeky to ask - but a few minor additions would have gone a long way to easing the reader into relating to the places visited.
Stewart has the gift, & the walk had the potential. This should have been an amazing book but for the simple omissions of pictures of the journey, coloured route maps, coloured terrain & ethnic maps; pictures of the Baburs, & some standlone chapter introductions...
Nevertheless, I'm afraid to say I'd have to recommend you at least start the book & form your own opinion; because if you enjoy the writing of genuine adventurers, this is the best writing I've found this Millenium.
Informative and Entertaining - By: Ethan Cooper, 18 Dec 2006 
Rory Stewart layers his narrativein THE PLACES IN BETWEEN so that every event & impression has numerous interpretations, as well as a rich undercurrent of contradiction. Rory achieves this layering primarily through continual reference to three narrative presences.
First, there is Rory himself, an informed westerner familiar with Afghan culture, history, & religion, who is on what the Afghans view as an odd & dangerous quest to walk across their country. This presence is the vulnerable, but by no means helpless, European traveler.
Next, there is Babur, an unwanted semi-domesticated mastiff that becomes Rory's companion for most of his journey. Here, the relationship is the key, with Rory, the Westerner, developing an affectionate dependence on Babur, his dog. Butin Afghanistan, such a dog is valued for its ability to fight & to make money for its wagering owner. It's more complicated than this. But, the presence of Babur enables Rory to explore the tension between his Western expectations & the gladiatorial expectations that have arisenin impoverished Afghanistan, which has been brutalized by 25 years of continuing warfare.
Finally, there is Babur, a king & warrior who fought with his army across Afghanistanin the early 1500s. This Babur left an elegant narrative poem describing his adventures as he passed through a succession of cultures, some wealthy, where there were generous social customs & a diversity of religions.
See how it works? At any timein the narrative, there is the informed & resourceful Rory, Babur the dog & shabby warrior, & Babur, the king, warrior, & cultural historian. Thanks to this technique, Rory Stewart always has lots to say as he makes his fascinating journey from Herat to Kabul.
Two quick final points:
First, the implicit question posed by this book is: Does our nation buildingin Afghanistan stand a chance? Based on Rory's narrative, I'd say there is no foundationin remote central Afghanistan for the creation of,in the words of the UN Assistance mission, "a centralized, broad-based, multi-ethnic government committed to democracy, human rights, & the rule of law." Instead, let's first try something practical, like re-supplying the country with sheep, which have been lost over 25 years of war or slaughtered by the Taliban.
Second, the lawless fragmentation & continual warfarein Afghanistan is a tragedy from multiple perspectives. But one is that this chaos has enabled the plunder of the country's archeological heritage. Everyone, read Rory's amazing chapters on the Minaret of Jam. You'll see why artifacts from lost civilizationsin Central Asia are now available at auctionin Paris.
THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR JOURNEY MR STEWART - By: Heather Marshall Negahdar, 28 Nov 2006 "Someonein Kabul told me a crazy Scotsman walked from Herat to Kabul right after the fall of the Taliban"
Thanks for the book. For it was indeed a journey of great spirit & determination. Mr. Stewart was well prepared for this trip with vitamins & various medications he knew would be necessary to successfully complete this challenge; ibuprofen, antibiotics, just name it & he had it; sharing with the villagers he met on his way when they saw what he had & begged him.
Well written, well told. I was truly impressed with how hospitable the people of Afghanistan were; those whom he encountered & offered him rest & meals & at times water to wash with, at their various humble abodes where he was invited to stay for the night. Even through they understood little English, Mr. Stewart was able to communicate to them by speaking Persian. I love reading about anythingin the Eastern & Asian side of the world, so I was with him all the way. I felt like I was alongside him as he climbed those steep slopes & when he walked on the flat valleys. I drank tea with Mr. Stewart from glass cups, ate stale bread with him & soup, & enjoyed the rest at the end of the day, sleeping on a carpet or just on the floor.
The attention given to him was enormous as he persevered onwards. My main concern was just before he got to Kabul when he had to travel through the deep powdery snow which was known to cause frostbite, making it necessary to amputate limbs for somein the past. I held my breath as he & his dog companion Babur made it out of the snow covered mountains, & alas into another bright day. God bless you Rory Stewart. I will soon be starting Prince of the Marshes, which sounds like another winner; but to those of you out there looking for a Christmas gift or other, buy The Places In Between first, for you won't be disappointed. An excellent gift, especially for travellers!!!
Reviewed by Heather Marshall Negahdar (SUGAR-CANE 25/11/06)
Astounding story of a journey that leaves more questions than answers - By: C. Foster, 09 Sep 2006 I read this book after reading "Occupational Hazards" by the same author.
Especially at the start of the narrative, I found myself wanting to know more about the author's walks across Iran & Pakistan.
Many of his journeys between villages seemed to be superhuman feats of endurance & I simply don't understand why he didn't die of hypothermia on many occasions.
Mr Stewart is obviously an exceptional manin many ways, but this does give rise to many more questions than his book answers:
What drove him to undertake this astounding walk?
Where did he learn so much about Muslim culture(s), mores & languages of the regions he passed through? He gives as an explanation that he "picked up" Farsi by listening to conversationsin Iranian villages(!)
Bluntly, this sounds an unlikely full explanation & the fact that he felt it necessary to give this reason suggests that there is more to Mr Stewart than meets the eye.
There are many other, similar, questions that arise & few are answered over the course of the book.
This could well be deliberate.
As with his other book, I can only give the highest praise for this work, but there are many gaps & unanswered questions.
Finally, although he studiously attempts to avoid giving personal opinions (as opposed to insights), there are occasions when one feels that Mr Stewart has an agenda - although I suspect he would be dissapointed to think that a reader thinks this is the case.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anybody, whatever book you normally enjoy.
