"The Places in Between" is an important book to read because Afghanistan has been in the news for years, and newspaper reporters have never painted a compelling picture of what the country is really like until now. I truly enjoyed this informative best-selling travel narrative.

Rory Stewart eloquently describes the terrain, the people, and his experiences in a land that is in a time wharp. We get a sense of what it is like to live hundreds of years ago in a place where religion and tradition trumps all.

As Stewart walks across the country, the book almost takes on the rhythm of his feet and body movements, and the reader becomes at one with him.
I highly recommend the audio version of this book because the author's voice adds depth to his words and thoughts.

When you read this you will understand what the cultural heritage is of the Muslim world

Book came quicky and in great condition - better than expected. Plus it was a great book.

An exceptional journal tracking the quest of Rory Stewart to walk across Afghanistan. You become endeared to this man and his simple trek. He of course survives all shapes and sizes of calamities and delivers an unvarnished, plain-spoken account of the war torn people, their history and the current impoverished culture. A deeply personal and insightful account of one intelligent and passionate man's journey.

I have never been to Afghanistan. I have read half a dozen books about it but this is the only one which has given me much of a feel for what the people are like.

Stewart walks from Herat to Kabul a few weeks after the Americans and British 'defeated' the Taliban in the winter of 2001-2. He walks on a route that no-one uses for long distance travel, even in a car or truck, a route which is direct as the crow flies, through many mountainous villages.

The book gives some indication of the different races, languages, and political affiliations, affiliations between regional overlords, those who fought for and against the Russians, for and against the Taliban. Almost everyone lives in bone-numbing poverty, at least by European standards.

Unless I missed something Stewart met precisely three women during this journey, and only talked to one of them. There were probably more but if there were, he doesn't mention them. Afghanistan is evidently a country in which women stay out of sight. Whether or not the Taliban are in power only makes a difference of degree. This is not a matter of much apparent interest to Stewart, but his conversations and interactions with the men he meets are unputdownable. Almost everyone he meets is carrying a Kalashnikov.

It starts slowly but develops a head of steam. Great reading.

I had just finished reading Three Cups of Tea, a much better book, so maybe this one was hurt by the comparison. It came off as a description of the landscape with a few stops in between. I did find the discussions of the different tribal cultures interesting, but they were uninformed by any real empathy. When you stay a night in a village and you ask either no questions or superficial ones, you don't learn much about the people who live there. I also found it quite off-putting that Mr. Stewart expected free hospitality in each village, which included sleeping quarters and food. Many of these people are dirt-poor and this was an arrogant presumption on his part. I would also ask why any sane person would choose winter as a time to walk across Afghanistan. It seems like he thought it would make a better story for his book. For me, what would have made it a better story was some human context, both about what made him want to do this trip and descriptive empathy for the people he met. At the end, I felt I knew his dog better than Mr. Stewart.

Some things don't require explanation. People just do things, perhaps on impulse or some hidden private passion. But partaking in something as daring as walking for twenty months on foot through potentially dangerous territory would, it seems, necessitate some fundamental reason for doing so. But maybe not? In any case, Scottish journalist explorer turned Parliamentary candidate Rory Stewart set out on such a journey in 2001. His bipedal voyage was chronicled in "The Places In Between," which was hailed as a masterpiece and has helped put Stewart into the Academic (he now holds a chair at Harvard) and political spotlight (he is campaigning as a Conservative Party MP). Maybe his walk was inspired merely by the desire to "be somebody?" A sort of distinguishing for the marketplace? Whatever the reasoning behind it, the book's first line provides no illumination: "I'm not good at explaining why I walked across Afghanistan. Perhaps I did it because it was an adventure." He was thankfully good enough at explaining it to Afghans who allowed him to trudge through their volatile war-torn country. Stewart told them that he's retracing the steps of the 16th century Mughal Emperor Babur, that he's writing a book, that he's a history professor, he basically told them whatever he needed to tell them to maintain his quest. Sometimes, and he admits this openly, he lied to secure lodging or to avoid threats. One salient feature about his journey is the amount of tall tales told by Stewart and his companions along the way. One of Stewart's guides tells suspicious visitors that he is an American, and that his metal tipped walking stick can summon American helicopters at a moment's notice. They subsequently leave him alone. At another time a guide tells a host that Stewart is a doctor. More than once Stewart claims that he's an important personal friend of such and such powerful person, which allows him to scramble out of some tough spots. He wisely dodges some questions about his belief in Islam, but when pushed he gives a very Islamic interpretation of Christianity to questioners. This method never gets him in trouble. So apparently a fair amount of truth bending is required for a foreigner to pass through Afghanistan. This isn't surprising considering the state of that country.

Those seeking an ultimate reason for Stewart's journey may remain frustrated throughout the book. They will nonetheless encounter a highly charged and very readable narrative of what must have been a harrowing and perspective-building experience. The trip starts at Herat in western Afghanistan and grinds slowly through rough terrain all the way to Kabul to the far east. Along the way Stewart encounters the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. He meets very few women, veiled or unveiled, and their sighting provides a litmus test for the tolerance of a region. Once he enters a room to see women fly into the shadows. He receives some of the best treatment in places where women appear openly in public. On the last leg of his journey, in Al-Qaeda and Taliban territory, he gets punched in the face and threatened with physical violence. Some amazing landmarks also appear, such as the mysterious Minaret at Jam. He falls down its spiral staircase. People at Jam tell him about excavations, mostly mercenary, in the hills surrounding the minaret. They find antiquities which lead them to believe that Jam was the legendary "Turquoise Mountain." In Chist-e_Sharif he sees the famous hollowed out domes. And at Bamiyan he sees the empty mountain crevices that once held the enormous Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban. Those sites alone were probably worth the trip. In Dahan-e-Rezak he is given a maltreated dog he names Babur and who accompanies him until sickness prompts Stewart to ask Doctors Without Borders officials to drive Babur to Kabul. Stewart eventually catches up with him, but Babur's fate remains uncertain until the epilogue. The walk ends in ravaged Kabul where a local, mistaking him for an Arab, warns him that he just can't walk into Kabul "there are British and American soldiers ahead." He meets up with a well fed Babur in Kabul.

Though "The Places in Between" provides for great travel writing, it does not present a complete or even clear picture of Afghanistan or its people. The book is really about the author's journey. True, those who know nothing about the country will pick up some interesting tidbits, but this isn't an anthropology or an in-depth study in any sense of the word. It's a travelogue, and a highly entertaining one. Those looking for detailed analysis of Afghanistan should look elsewhere. Though he meets many interesting people, Stewart does not see or speak with enough people to consider his story representative of Afghanistan. He spends most of his time walking in unpopulated areas. Also, Stewart himself does not really emerge from the narrative. His focus remains on telling the story of the journey, not on personal introspection, though some of this does appear in smatterings. This somewhat belies the title, which evokes uninhabited landscapes where Stewart did in fact spend most of his time. But ultimately, the book spends more time on "the places" than on the "in betweens." Still, anyone looking for an intriguing story about a lone person in unknown territory will find a good read here. And perhaps we'll hear more about Stewart if he wins the Parliamentary seat and maybe someday he'll either figure out or reveal why he set out on this Quixotic quest.

Mr. Stewart's writing style is not lyrical yet it can be said to be poetic, evoking emotions and images of the country through which he walked. All too often, the only images we have of Afghanistan are of war and repression of women. Walking across Afghanistan shortly after the fall of the Taliban, Mr. Stewart writes of a country re-awakening, full of hope for the future, and marked by the years of war...the changes to the culture, the scars on the land-scape. The book is all the more poignant given the subsequent abandoning of the country by the US to focus on Iraq and the inevitable decline in to chaos again. Mr. Stewart paints a vivid yet un-romanticised pottrait of the people, and changing culture of resilient peoples. ùit is not a book about politics or nation-building, but a bok about people and places...the you and I of another place. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever heard the name Afghanistan on the evening news.

Firstly, once I FINALLY received the product, it was in almost mint condition. So that was definitely a plus.
The downside, however, was that it took almost a month for it to come, no big deal if you're not in a hurry, though, extraordinarily annoying otherwise.

"The Places in Between" is the chronicle of Rory Stewart's journey by foot from Herat to Kabul, accompanied by nothing else but the occasional villager or passing soldier and his local dog, named Babur. This is a fitting name because Stewart, who would later be appointed to an important government post in occupied Iraq (The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq), not only wants to explore the beautiful Afghan landscape but also study the traces of its history in the present. The original Babur was one of the few leaders in Afghan history who had united the whole territory and who considered it central to his empire, and he is particularly interesting because he left an autobiographical text which is remarkable for its honesty, its objectivity, and its insight into the norms of those days. With these two Baburs, knowledge of local language and customs, and a bag full of medication, Rory Stewart sets out to traverse the sublime deserts and snow-capped mountains of central Afghanistan.

The tale is very well written and makes for easy and highly compelling reading. It is a telling fact that he makes his journey, which consists in essence out of endlessly repeated harsh day marches from one village chief's tent to the next, interesting to people who have never even been near the area. Stewart is very nonjudgmental overall, probably in part because he is entirely reliant on the kindness of strangers (who are often as hostile as they are hospitable to travellers) in the classic manner of travel writing. The book sheds some light on the highly complicated chain of political and ethnic conflicts within Afghanistan - almost every Afghan male has fought in at least one, if not more, war in the country. It is clear that loyalties are usually not quite as clear-cut as one would like them to be in order to understand them: very often the same feudal lords who had opposed the Taliban later joined them, and sometimes Iran-supported islamists are the greatest enemies of local chieftains, and so forth. Stewart's book does not really delve into political analysis, but certainly shows 'ad oculos' what the real meaning of politics is in Afghanistan.

All this is not to say that Stewart is necessarily an entirely reliable guide. The American edition of the book indicates that Rick Loomis took pictures of him along the way, but having a cameraman along is not mentioned anywhere. Moreover, it is clear from the facts that Stewart has been in the British Army, knows Dari as well as local politics thoroughly, has been involved with the Kennedy School of Government and finally his later appointment as governor in the occupying government in Iraq, that it is highly likely that he is a spy of some sort. Given this fact, the fact that Stewart was allowed to undertake his trip at all is quite remarkable, and it does seem some strings were pulled to make it possible. Of course, he himself says nothing about this. The result in any case is an insightful and highly readable book that will appeal to anyone interested in Afghanistan.

This book is a fascinating personal perspective of Afghanistan. Stewart allows his readers the opportunity to appreciate the human element of a war torn country as he tells his story of a journey on foot from Herat to Kabul. His insights are a refreshing take on the region and include the historical, political, anthropological, cultural and social strengths of this beautiful country.

I commend Stewart for his resilience and motivations to complete his walking journey through this politically unstable region of the world. This personal journey is an intriguing and inspirational story that will captivate anyone who reads it. This said, it is a book I own multiple copies of and have lent and given to a large number of friends, family and travelers- all of whom have also thoroughly enjoy it.

I originally read this book in 2005 and while it is not the best written book, it clearly paints the picture of the struggles our military faces. I bought it this time to explain to a friend the difficulties with pacifying a nation that is often not unified. With villages so isolated they barely know about the outside world, you begin to see the issues with this country. I completely recommend this book for anyone interested in wanting to better understand the current situation in Afghanistan.

This kid is a total sham. He walked into Afghanistan and that's his claim to authority. He is very well-spoken--great Oxford accent--but he is not well-thought. He is a modern day clone of Neville Chamberlain who had no clue the danger that Hitler posed. Just as Chamberlain (same accent, same fuzzy thinking) apologized for Hitler, Stewart is a total apologist for our aggression in Iraq.

This boy walked into Afghanistan, he does tell many cute vignettes of the people he met, but he's clueless about the big picture. "We have an obligation to Afghanistan, but that doesn't mean a blank check...We'd like to see it more stable than today...but Afghanistan is not the only country we need to deal with..." DUH!!! Save your money!!

This little emperor has no clothes! Get someone like Greg Mortenson. No lovely Oxford accent, but FAR MORE experience and FAR MORE BRAINS.

Scotsman Rory Stewart tells the story of his walk across Afghanistan a few months after the fall of the Taliban. He takes the less travelled route through the mountains, in the wintertime, passing through a number of small villages. Some of the villagers are kind, other are nasty, and some are plain disinterested. Stewart speaks enough of the local language, and with quite a bit of perseverance and luck, he makes it safely to Kabul.

This book is pretty standard travel fare. Stewart tells his story, without too much in the way of commentary, politics or history. He does tell us a little about the Emperor Barbur who made the same trip, also in winter, about 500 years earlier. And, of course, it is impossible not to get a bit of an anthropology lesson on such a trip, but Stewart does not preach or put his views up front. Rather, he tells story of his interesting walk -- the places he sees and the people he meets -- in plain language. Overall, it is a good read.

There are already many fine reviews of this book here, so I'll restrict my comments to the Audiobook. Despite my preference for something I can hold and makes notes on, I decided to listen to an excerpt of this audio prior to purchase. I was immediately taken. The reader (if not the writer himself) does an amazing job with tone and pacing. I wasn't just listening, I was THERE with him, walking side by side. I lent the audiobook to one friend and soon had three others knocking on my office door, forming a queue! That has never happened before. This is an extraordinary listen where the total is not just more than the sum of the parts, but something mesmerizing and unforgettable. Worth considering.

A gorgeously written book about a man who walked across Afghanastan. Wow, I'm amazed by what people do with their lives. The face of war is ugly. America, Russia, and internal factions have torn the very fiber of this Colorful nation. Stephen's account is boldly honest. I would recommend this book to those who want to see/enrich themselves with the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Afghanistan, without judgement. While it's not overly heavy, it might be slightly too heavy if you are looking for happy, light reading.

It was interesting to see the progression of his understanding of the people and culture. It was fascinating to see the importance of "chiefs" and "leaders" in societies where power and might rule. The opinions of Afghans had of the Taliban, Al Queda, and Americans, while not necessarily surprising is incredibly insightful. The importance of the Koran and religion without any time or resources for education is telling.

This book is perfect for those who are looking for the casual read or want to understand better a country that sits prominently in foreign relations. Stewart's account is human, and understanding the country from this vantage is imperative to broadening one's horizon. The lack of information, the confusion, the hardness of the people is often juxtapose with the humanity of a kind face or act.

He sees the nation through his eyes, though. While I suspect his reaction is how most would feel, if one already has strong opinions about this country, I would suspect this book could be a tougher read. That said, it would be an equally wonderful piece for understanding how foreigners react to a broken nation.

I found this book interesting in the beginning. I must say I admire the courage of Mr. Stewart. To walk through Afghanistan during such turbulent times was so risky, perhaps even foolhardy. Clearly he lived to write about it. I just wish the book could have been more interesting for all the trouble he took. The description of his dealings with Ismael Khan in Herat were quite good, and it is very revealing about the strongmen who are in charge outside of Kabul. However, once he gets on his way in his journey to retrace the steps of Babur, the story becomes monotonous. He reaches a village, he requests food and shelter, and is given it because it is a very strict custom in Afghan culture (apparently across all ethnic groups) to treat travelers well. You definitely learn that Afghans do take that responsibility quite seriously, although most of the time very grudgingly, as the same situation happens again and again. You will read about it, again and again. Mr. Stewart gets a dog on the way. He finds some beautiful ruins, one of the highlights of the book. He meets Hazaras, who are more hospitable. He meets Pashtuns, who really aren't all that friendly, which makes sense given the fact that there is a war on and the Taliban is made up of Pashtuns (not saying that all Pashtuns are Taliban). Overall, it got rather boring. I was hoping for more incite into Afghan culture, but it wasn't really there.

Not bad. Perhaps it would have been a little clearer, more sympathetic had it been written from the point of view of his taciturn, adopted native mastiff, Babur.

Not only is this just a great story, it is the closest thing to an interview with the most rural and most isolated part of Afghanistan. This is not a political book about the Afghan war or about policy in Afghanistan. Rather it is a book about Stewart's journey and you cannot hear that story and not hear about the Afghan people. This book is about the entirety of his journey. Yes there are long pieces that feel long and monochromatic, but that was part of his story, and for me it added to the reality of what his undertaking really was.

If you want a strong opinion out of this, or a clear policy, then don't bother. If you want to hear about an incredibly journey presented in humble terms, with a unflinching look at peoples lives, no matter how mundane or seemingly callous towards your pre-held beliefs, than this is the book for you.

A rather remarkable story in today's age. Few young men would have been brave enough to carry out his trek in an area such as Afganistan and its turmoil. After reading his journey and experiences, you will know why no centralized government has been able to control all the countryside. The story of his endurance and deprevatrion are sobering in today's world for a young European man from a background of modern amenities. Excellent reading !!

if you want to understand how typical Afghans view themselves and others, read this book and pass it on

"The Places in Between" is a fantastic read for the Afghanistan noob. Before I read Mr. Stewart's book, I knew little about the history of Afghanistan; his book did not make me an expert, nor does that seem to be the author's intent, but most importantly, it helped to create mental context for future research. It is a thought-provoking account of his personal daily interactions with the various people groups of Afghanistan as he walked (closer to hiking in that terrain) from Herat to Kabul. The personal touch, of course, made the read feel familiar because you felt "present" at each stage of the hike and it lended to a sense of reality, often absent in historical reads.

I have a more clear understanding of the cultural complexity of Afghanistan and the difficulty of establishing political "reach" and influence in a relatively technologically-absent, heteregenous society. Overall, the book was difficult to put down and contained much substance, with little fluff. One critique: I found it difficult to understand British-English dialect. It sporadically translated into his writing, which, for me, created a choppy feeling to the narrative.

My wife kept insisting I should read this book. "No", I say to the wife, "I've already read "Three Cups of Tea" and I don't want to hear any more about some westerner who is trying to help the people of Afghanistan, while those vile Afghani warlords interfere with his do-gooder quest and try to block all the help". "Ah-ha" she replies, "this book is very different. In fact, the author doesn't try to help change the country at all". Hmm, I think, now that might be worth reading about.

And sure enough, the book is fascinating in a kind of perverse way - I kept thinking the author must have actually died somewhere along the way - murdered by some crazed opium warlord, and his body left in a drift of snow on some mountain pass. Perhaps his diary was found by somebody who could read English, and it became a posthumous book for Mr. Stewart. Maybe this happens, maybe this doesn't happen - I'm not giving away any of the book's secrets.

I became convinced that the author is actually a mentally disturbed man who would be just as happy banging his head against a brick wall repeatedly as to do anything the conventional way. Still, even if the man is a nutter, he sure is adventurous, eloquent, and a good writer. His story was so compelling, I felt like I was walking beside him on his journey. It sure was cold, and I got tired of eating dry bread. If you read this book, you will most likely be drawn into his fascinating journey as I was.

My wife kept insisting I read this book. "No", I say to the wife, "I've already read "Three Cups of Tea" and I don't want to hear any more about some westerner who is trying to help the people of Afghanistan, while those vile Afghani warlords interfere with his do-gooder quest and try to block all the help". "Ah-ha" she replies, "this book is very different. In fact, the author doesn't try to help change the country at all". Hmm, I think, now that might be worth reading about.

And sure enough, the book is fascinating in a kind of perverse way - I kept thinking the author must have actually died somewhere along the way - murdered by some crazed opium warlord, and his body left in a drift of snow on some mountain pass. Perhaps his diary was found by somebody who could read English, and it became a posthumous book for Mr. Stewart. I'm not giving away any of the book's secrets.

I became convinced that the author is actually a mentally disturbed man who would be just as happy banging his head against a brick wall repeatedly as to do anything the conventional way. Still, even if the man is a nutter, he sure is adventurous, eloquent, and a good writer. His story was so compelling, I felt like I was walking beside him on his journey. It sure was cold, and I got tired of eating dry bread. If you read this book, you will most likely be drawn into his fascinating journey as I was.

When this book came out it climbed bestseller lists, won awards, and impressed literary reviewers everywhere. I, however, only discovered it recently. When the author was to appear on public television's Bill Moyers Journal one Friday night in 2009, knowing nothing about Afghanistan except what is in the News I decided to read the book ahead of time and develop a better frame of reference. It was apparently a diary written on a journey so I followed along, page by page and day by day across the country. But for all of the intimate details faithfully documented on the road over many weeks there is very little drama, so by book's end I was quite surprised to find that I felt almost as overwhelmed as the author. It seems this wonderful little book had really taken me right across Afghanistan with Mr. Stewart. Now I feel that I do know the country better-the landscape, weather, godawful terrain, and (most importantly) the people. Read this book. Not just because it is entertaining and well-written but because it will help you to truly understand a country that has been terrribly misrepresented by many others.

This is must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the challenges of working/traveling in Afghanistan. Just WITHIN Afghanistan the differences in culture, religion, geography, economics, politics, etc, are brought to the fore in this wonderful book. This book is also one of the most heart-felt books of non-fiction I've ever read. Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game along with Stewart's The Places In Between should be mandatory reading for any Westerner planning to live and work in Afghanistan (and expect to have any success at either).

It is hard to make an interesting book out of such a barren land. Mr. Stewart painted a very good picture. We need more Westerners who are willing to speak Afghan dialects, try to understand their culture, and not impose our values on them. Maybe those who make policy in Washington should have this as required reading!

It's been a year or two since I read this book, but I still find myself thinking about it all the time. I wish everyone would read it. Beautifully written, it illuminates a part of the world that is remote, but central. The title is perfect.

Rory Stewart is not a typical gringo. His Anglo heritage made him stick out like a sore thumb. But his knowledge of the local culture, language, and extreme determination, allowed him to walk the full length of a country torn by war and controlled by feudal warlords. His journey takes place in the middle of winter, and the high mountain passes add to the excitement of this incredible passage. The brief descriptions of history and spectacular geography add detail to a story that I found compelling. Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet

I've long believed that there is a fine line between lunacy and bravery. Considering that it chronicles Rory Stewart's choice to stroll across Afghanistan mere weeks after the fall of the Taliban and in the dead of winter over mountain passes well over 10,000 feet, I felt I had to read what could possibly compel someone to undertake such a journey. Stewart isn't crazy. In fact he's fairly well prepared, he speaks Farsi, and knows the customs and history of the area, some of which he imparts to the reader. Unfortunately, as many other reviewers point out, Stewart doesn't write much about the human aspects of his journey. There is no resolution, no understanding Stewart or what learns or hopes to learn on his journey and not too much written of the people he encounters outside of the basic facts.
Despite its shortcomings I found myself completely engrossed in the book, the journey is fascinating after all, and found it very difficult to put down. So if you have an interest in exotic cultures, enjoy travel or history I think you will enjoy this book.

Lovely book, very readable, hard to put down, actually. Reminds me of the Odyssey when you consider the scrapes the author gets into and how he reasons his way out, although the direction of movement is relentlessly forward and there are no nine-year pauses to live on an island with a hot nymph, as in Odysseus's case.

A lot of the reviews have concentrated on the fact that the author does not blather on endlessly about himself. I think it's actually the opposite. Anyone who enjoys Thesiger, Doughty, or Livingstone will recognize the British (OK, Scottish also) penchant for going to crazy places and then Telling The World about it! This is one of those books that annoys only in that one senses the author is constantly thinking about how neat this is going to seem when I tell people back home. Being cool about near-death experiences is precisely what the author wants us to know about him. Books are rarely pure, though, and I'm glad the author's ego motivated him to write this one.

very interesting book about customs in afghanistan. language is easy to understand for non native english speaker.

A very insightful book. Gives an insight to how people think in Afghanistan and how the country works once you get away from the big cities. I can't believe he survived!

I have not read this book, but my wife has, twice. In her opinion, this book should be assigned reading for Americans, particularly policy makers considering what we can and should do in this barren, mountainous, poor country, a country so different from the United States.

thought it was a very interesting story and provided great insight into the people, culture and traditions of the people who now live in afghanistan. however, i thought some of the verbatim recollection of the conversations were a bit dull and sometimes seemed like a child who wrote ... and he said, then she said and then he said...

A very interesting book, providing some insight into the present-day culture and history of Afghanistan but a good story in its own right. Rory Stewart decides to walk across Afghanistan immediately following the fall of the Taliban, relying on the hospitality of it's residents for food and shelter. He is initially accompanied by two soldiers, one wily, the other friendly but given to frightening outbursts, and also acquires a dog along the way. I felt that the departure of his companions, about halfway through his journey, was something of a loss for the book, after which events start to seem repetitive and I became mired down in unfamiliar names and places. Nonetheless this was clearly an amazing journey, and the depiction of a suffering people who can be both extremely welcoming and extremely dangerous is fascinating and worth the read.

At last- I have been waiting some time to find a book well writen, to the point and intelligent. The experience just illuminates my soul. This man's sensibility speaks to me directly. He carries the wisdom of the places he travels, observes and senses the Earth from a place of true love. No nonsense.

Rory Stewart is a mad man; a certified walking whacko who you just got to love for his sheer audacity in undertaking the damn foolish notion and stunt of walking across Afghanistan shortly after...(wait for it)... 9/11!
The walk is technically for the love of history, in the foot steps of Babur but Stewart makes it more than that. He makes us look at the various people and tribes that make up Afghanistan in a more human and, at times, a more troubling human light.
I loved how he rescued the old dog, named it Babur, and took it along with him. That alone told me more about the man than any book cover notes or publisher's new release.
Buy this book at full price and give Stewart his quarter or so royalty or tell yourself that you're being thrifty and buy a used copy on Amazon. He won't receive a dime of that transaction so if you ever meet him at book signing give him the quarter anyway.
The book- new or used-is good entertainment, wonderfully enlightening and will leave you realizing that this crazy Scot is one of the better boots on the ground travel writers out there.

No one can say that Scottish travel writer Rory Stewart lacks guts: shortly after the fall of the Taliban, he sets out on a harrowing trek across a snow-covered Afghanistan with only a walking stick and a few basic supplies. With steely determination, he crosses a landscape that is treacherous and unforgiving both geographically and politically, following in the footsteps of the 15th-century Mughal emperor Babur. It is an incredible journey few would even imagine undertaking, but he does so with remarkable grit, refusing on principle to travel any way other than on foot.

Unfortunately, as amazing as the story itself is, the book does not make for a very engaging read. Two factors conspire to make the prose dull: 1) the journey is inescapably repetitive because the terrain is barren and the author is numb with exhaustion; 2) Stewart's writing style is sparse in the extreme. It is to his credit that he does not embellish, and his account is realistic and straightforward. However, the reader learns almost nothing about how the journey impacts Stewart, and his descriptions of the people he meets along the way leave much to be desired. In fact, despite the hospitality he receives from these impoverished villagers, Stewart seems to view interacting with them as a nuisance that must simply be tolerated in order to reach his goal. Often, the pages seem to blur together as he moves from one village to another.

However, between the parts that blur together, there are passages that are quite interesting. Stewart includes a good bit of interesting history, including passages from Babur's own writings from his travels. He also provides insights into the political situation in Afghanistan, including the ethnic and religious strife between Pashtuns and Hazaras and the decentralized nature of the country. Although Stewart does not push a political agenda, his description of rural Afghanistan brings into focus just how difficult--if not impossible--it will be to transform the country into a modern, centralized democracy. Most of the people he encounters are thoroughly isolated, living in medieval conditions with feudal, rather than national, loyalties. The book does an excellent job of conveying the harsh and unforgiving conditions in which they live.

In one village, Stewart is given a dog, who accompanies him on the remainder of his trek. Despite his unemotional writing, it is apparent that he becomes quite attached to the dog--whom he names Babur--and this provides the book with rare moments of poignancy. My heart broke for Babur, who was badly abused by his former owners and had to be dragged, sick and hungry, through the snow in hopes of giving him a new life in Scotland.

A fearless ramble into war-stricken Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. Only few could accomplish such a feat as Rory Stewart. The dangers are numerous, but he steps these aside and continues through a country many of us would just rather avoid.

Although I was expecting a livelier, more cohesive and spirited read, Mr. Stewart does give insight to the individuals and landscapes of a highly misunderstood culture and country, both past and present.
Possibly one hurdle to overcome for a "westerner" are the names of the people, towns and regions.
A courageous undertaking.

Rory Stewart's The Places in Between is a riveting account of modern day Afghanistan. By walking from Herat to Kabul in the middle of winter Stewart's journey unwraps the indescribable chaos caused by 25 years of war and western intervention. He does not make excuses for war. Rather his historical notes and cultural insights help to give shape to why western efforts to aid war torn Afghanistan are largely unsuccessful. His authentic account of rural Afghan culture and history illuminates the vunralbility to both Taliban and super power influences.
Stewart does not push a post modern agenda of democracy, human rights, and gender equality--or even "the war on terror". In some respects his writing seems self serving and arrogant. He is not in Afghanistan to help, but rather to complete a self driven mission--to walk across Asia. Yet, because of his drive he is able to communicate to the western world a first person account of areas that are largely untouched by the media. This is what makes his work important.
His writing is humane, respectful to the people that he meets along the way and his prose is often without emotion. It's his deadpan that captivates. His is a journey not many would undertake. Along the way he has many fellow walkers--some armed guards, some local village people, and a dog he names Babur. The incredulity of walking across a land that the world considers deadly shows both his tenacious spirit and his Scottish stubbornness. But readers are thankful that he made such a trek, because his journey helps teach and we are the better for having read it.

I read this book right after having seen "Charlie Wilson's War", so the impact on my knowledge of Afghanistan is probably influenced by the light and ironic interpretation of the movie.
Rory Stewart a journalist and former fellow of the Carr Center for Human Right's Policy has written a diary of his one month journey on foot through Afghanistan.
The many reviews and the apparently great fortune of this book rely on it's subject, Afghanistan, it's timing, right after 9/11, the way the Author traveled, rigorously by foot with the company of a dog.
Let's start from the end. Traveling by foot or trekking is the most primitive and essential type of travel that unites the detailed coverage of the territory (how can we know something better than having walked it down) to the pure joy and hypnotic exercise of walking. Only true walkers can understand this feeling. Rory Stewart is apparently a great walker and in his book he underlines the importance of the way he traveled in many occasions, reversing Machiavelli's "the end justifies the means" with "the means justifies the end". The timing: after 9/11 and the fall of the Taliban was a dangerous and apparently insanely chosen moment, but in reality the displacement of the pre-existing equilibrium consented a "free window" to the penetration of the soul and the soil of the country. The subject: Afghanistan is one of the last places on earth each of us would travel through but at the same time it is the focal point of world politics, the tail of the cold war between Russia and America, the cradle of Islamic integralism that is shattering our deepest national securities (and here I'm talking not only of the US but also of Europe).
The company of a dog named Babur after the emperor that traveled the same route in the Fifteenth Century touches the heart strings of many animal lovers and consent s a digression in the monotony of the trip.
The Author has well studied his travelogue technique and it would be unthinkable that a young Scottsman hadn't read Kipling, Robert Byron, Darlrymple, Newby, Chatwin, Thubron and other English travelers that have visited the same country. From these Authors he draws his well oiled writing technique that guaranties the immediate and enjoyable readability of I repeat a monotonous journey.
The idea of following a previous historical traveler, that in this case is the emperor Babur is not new and the excerpta from the Barburnama are a little to long and sometimes do not make a point.
All together subject, timing, trekking, company and writing technique make an interesting book that appears like a snapshot in time of the unfortunate country of Afghanistan. However we never really manage to touch the soul of the Author or of the country he visited. Its only through the plethora of people and situations described that we can build an idea of the Afghan reality. This unemotional description of reality is probably modern and scientific but leaves me hungering for a more participating traveling companion.
This book was published in fortunate circumstances and this I think is one of the reasons for its great success, but I think it will not stand the test of time or become a classic of travel literature.

A little boring in terms of the story...perhaps that's because I live in Afghanistan now. But the book is probably as realistic as it is boring. However, the description of geography is great. For someone "trapped" in Kabul this is a decent substitute for getting out and seeing it myself.

I work with one of the characters in the book, His Excellency Ismail Khan, former warlord. I find the reputation that Ismail Khan has developed over the years, including the one projected by the book to be fascinating...and trust me, in real life he is absolutely surreal. That's not to mention that he personifies so many ironies of Afghanistan.

I recommend it if you are very interested.

[...]

What Mr. Stewart did was brave, and interesting in theory, but the narrative that emerges is unavoidably monotonous, as the areas he walked through are pretty much the armpit of the world. Blah blah snow blah grudgingly given sleep space in the mosque blah left the next day blah Kalashnikovs blah they threw rocks at my dog again. I was hoping for a much more eventful story as I love travel writing and have been wanting to know more about that part of the world... and it turns out, not surprisingly, that it's primitive and poor and cold and isolated and just not real interesting. And this is not to denigrate Mr. Stewart: on the contrary he should be admired for telling it like it is.

At times I was so bored with this book, but then a gem would strike and egg me on. It was also good background material on the Islamic mentality before coming to Saudi Arabia. And who doesn't love those who put themselves at risk to recount their stories so the rest of us can live adventurously through them, all from our comfy living room couch without even having to obtain a visa?

This goes on the IMHO List for Top 5 most important non-fiction books. It is a fascinating book if you want to vicariously go to a place you would never go to (rural Afghanistan) and do something you would never (in your right mind) want to do, walk across it. But it joins "A Bright Shining Lie," "Cycles of American History," "The Devil Came on Horseback, and "Parting the Waters" as books every American should read.

"A Bright Shining Lie" tells the story of the generation-defining war in Vietnam through the life of someone who believed in it. "Cycles of American History" explains our historical, psychological (schizophrenic!) tension between the private and the public. "Parting the Waters" chronicles the Civil Rights movement, not as some mythologized magic moment, but as a movement of fallible individuals responding to a system of disenfranchisement and terror. "The Devil Came on Horseback" explains Darfur, and how easy can that be?

"The Places in Between" explains a culture that is very, very alien to us. But it does it by introducing us to people, who have had to adapt to a harsh land and a harsher history, but they are still people, just like us. If I were to caveat my glowing review of this book, I might say that it is best if read along with another non-fiction story of great compassion and understanding, "Three Cups of Tea," also about Afghanistan.

The Places In Between is an interesting and well written account that provides in-depth views about Afghanistan's ways of life. This is a book westerners should read if they want to further understand the intricacies of this region and the contradictions between cultural diversity and globalization.

It's amazing that anyone would even attempt this... walking across Afganistan in the winter with a war going on. It is quite staggering, how many different ways he could die... war casualty, fights with officials, accidents, frostbite/exposure, starvation, food poisoning...

The desolate landscape is hard to envision, although the photos helped. How does one step forward in 4 feet of snow? Temperatures are cited well below zero at night, so besides unease provoked by well armed people he's sleeping with, how does he sleep with undoubtedly cold wet feet?

The descriptions do not bring the walk, the towns or the people alive. Abdul Haq was the only character drawn in a memorable way. Stewart comes to know others, be they guards, hosts or aid workers that surely had a story, but there is dirth of text about them. Some things mentioned in passing crave more desciption, such as the soldiers with eyeliner or how his food is prepared. Not only are women nearly absent from the text, their absence is not discussed by Stewart.

The book disappoints not by what is in the text, but how much more should be there. A few of the drawings and quotes from historic texts helped elaborate, but most appeared to be filler.

Perhaps it's not fair to to Rory Stewart that I had just finished reading Paul Theroux's Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown, about an equally dangerous journey before reading his book. Theroux is a master in travelogue writer. While The Places In Between, is highly readable, is not up to the Theroux standards for this kind of writing.

For me, this is a 3 star book, but I'm giving it 4 stars because of what the author accomplished, more than what he wrote about it.

It's amazing that anyone would even attempt this... walking across Afganistan in the winter with a war going on. It is quite staggering, how many different ways he could die... war casualty, fights with officials, accidents, frostbite/exposure, starvation, food poisoning...

The desolate landscape is hard to envision, although the photos helped. How does one step forward in 4 feet of snow? Temperatures are cited well below zero at night, so besides unease provoked by well armed people he's sleeping with, how does he sleep with undoubtedly cold wet feet?

The descriptions do not bring the walk, the towns or the people alive. Abdul Haq was the only character drawn in a memorable way. There are others, one being Dr. Paende, that were interesting despite the dirth of text about them. Some things, mentioned in passing crave more desciption, such as the soldiers with eyeliner or the work of the aid workers. Not only are women nearly absent from the text, their absences is not discussed by Stewart.

The book disappoints not by what is in the text, but how much more should be there. A few of the drawings and quotes from historic texts helped elaborate, but most appeared to be filler.

Perhaps it's not fair to to Rory Stewart that I had just finished reading Paul Theroux's Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown, about an equally dangerous journey before reading his book. Theroux is a master in travelogue writer. While The Places In Between, is highly readable, is not up to the Theroux standards for this kind of writing.

For me, this is a 3 star book, but I'm giving it 4 stars because of what the author accomplished, more than what he wrote about it.

It's amazing that anyone would even attempt this... walking across Afganistan in the winter with a war going on. It is quite staggering, how many different ways he could die... war casualty, fights with officials, accidents, frostbite/exposure, starvation, food poisoning...

The desolate landscape is hard to envision, although the photos helped. How does one step forward in 4 feet of snow? Temperatures are cited well below zero at night, so besides unease provoked by well armed people he's sleeping with, how does he sleep with undoubtedly cold wet feet?

The descriptions do not bring the walk, the towns or the people alive. Not only are women nearly absent from the text, their absences is not discussed by Stewart. Abdul Haq was the only character drawn in a memorable way. There others, one being Dr. Paende, that were interesting despite the dirth of text about them. Although a few of the drawings and quotes from historic texts helped elaborate, most appeared to be filler.

Perhaps it's not fair to this young author that I had read Paul Theroux's Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown, about an equally dangerous journey. Theroux is a master in travelogue. The Places In Between, while highly readable, is not up to the Theroux standards for this kind of writing.

For me, this is a 3 star book, but I'm giving it 4 stars because of what the author accomplished, more than what he wrote about it.

This is an extraordinary book. How many people do you know who would set off alone on foot across Afghanistan just after 9/11 armed with a stick? I had just read Three Cups of Tea so it was not unlikely for me to gravitate to this book, after seeing Rory on a CNN interview. What I did not expect was the sheer grit of the book and the man. This is not a comfortable book to read. It's a highly uncomfortable book to read. This is no walk in the park. This is a journey with a very brave determined soul to delve into the culture of Afghanistan at a critical time in its history (though, honestly, when did Afghanistan not have a critical time in its history?) who does not take the easy way through. Indeed, he opts for a seldom seen path from west to east during winter. The overarching takeaway from this book is the stunning realization of how fractured and compartmentalized and decentralized Afghanistan is as a nation. Juxtapose our current American "plan" to make sense of the country and one realizes the abject absurdity of the endeavor. What has taken years to split apart (indeed, was it ever a cohesive body, ever? I doubt it) will take generations to bring together. There is no there there. Sad reality. Instead we see citizens fighting and hating each other, killing each other, randomly switching sides depending on who is paying them this month. It's a heartbreaking tragedy, a nightmare reality. And dangerous as all get out. The rare kindnesses shown one savors. The rest is a rigid suffering unlike anything I personally have ever read. The biggest heart might well belong to the mastiff and even that ends badly. In spite of this I believe anyone interested in the international affairs of the US of A owes it to themselves to read this book and ensure anyone in policy-making positions reads it as well. It's a wake up call from someone who paid the price to educate us. Thanks, Rory. I'm sorry about Babur.