This is the kind of bike travel book I was looking for
I have read several bike-travel books. Some seemed distanced and with a false sense of profesionalism to them. Marg's book is an honest and truly revealing look at her journey.
Everything I felt lacking in the writing of Anne Mustoe I found in Marg Archibald. She was honest, candid and very personal in the introspection, adventures, people and places along the way. I felt like I learned something as well as saw a snippet of her life and my own in the course of the book.
Let alone the fact that she wonderfully describes the trip itself, which a bunch of writers of this genre neglect. Everythign from the little struggles and physical triumphs to the wicked vistas and feeling what it's liek to be there.
As I'm sure you've read from the product explaination she was at a turning point in her life, and grabbed life by the horns and went off on a life changing journey out in the world and very much into herself.
She is wonderfully candid about her failings in relationships and her need to change things in her life, which I'm sure a lot of us can relate to.
It is really refeshing to see that she has made these changes since her trip in 97. She has gone on to publish three other books that I know of about cycle-travel in Ontario and Southern Alberta.
This is a wonderful book for the seasoned cyclist, I could relate to the rhythm and new identity that comes from a huge cycling trip; a person interested in introspection; or just a damn good story.
The book is easy to read and is organized in digestable journal entries. A campy and informal way of looking at the journey, no illusions of gandeur here.
Although it is hard to find at times, I would certainly recommend this book as a great trip on it's own or as a hand in planning one.
[She has offered to help ambitious people thinking about making a trek of their own]
So shell out and dig in.
A disappointment
I was disappointed at the outset with the quality of the writing. But I pushed forward hoping that the story itself would be redeeming. I did find her occasional discussions of her philosophical approach to travel to be of interest. But overall, this book did not flow, and did not hold my interest. After about 35 pages, I decided that I did not want to spend my time pushing through this book. I agree with another reviewer who commented that this book needed an editor. That was apparent after reading only a couple of pages. If I could do it over, I wouldn't buy this book. It does have a nice title and cover though. Marg Archibald probably has a great story to tell, but this book was not an effective vehicle in my opinion.
A Great Travelogue
Whether one enjoys this book depends on what one is looking for. I found it to be a great travelogue and a lot of fun to read, with the author detailing her journey across various regions of Europe and Asia. I've read other bicycle-touring books that seem to be focused as much on technical information and problems as the journey. If that's the type of book one likes, this isn't it. There is very little technical in the book; it focuses on the journey. There's a little 'new age' style where the author speaks with her ancestors but it really doesn't shade the book as a whole. I found it charming. The most enjoyable aspect of this book, as opposed to so many other bicycling books, is that this author obviously was no jock trying to race against time, or anything else. She was in her middle age, as I am. She certainly didn't impress me as a world athlete, just a fairly ordinary person on a fairly extra-ordinary journey! Easy, fun, and pleasant reading, recommended for all ages.
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