The Places in Between

By: Rory Stewart

Narrated by: Rory Stewart

In January 2002, Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan, surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. By day, he passed through mountains covered in nine feet of snow, hamlets burned and emptied by the Taliban, and communities thriving amid the remains of medieval civilizations. By night he slept on villagers' floors, shared their meals, and listened to their stories of the recent and ancient past. Along the way Stewart met heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Taliban commanders, and foreign-aid workers. He was also adopted by an unexpected companion: a retired fighting mastiff he named Babur in honor of Afghanistan's first Mughal emperor, in whose footsteps the pair was following. Through these encounters, by turns touching, confounding, surprising, and funny, Stewart makes tangible the forces of tradition, ideology, and allegiance that shape life in the map's countless "places in between".©2006 Rory Stewart (P)2006 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"An engrossing, surprising, and often deeply moving portrait of the land and the peoples who inhabit it." (Booklist)
"The well-oiled apparatus of his writing mimics a dispassionate camera shutter in its precision." (Publishers Weekly)
"If, finally, you're determined to do something as recklessly stupid as walk across a war zone, your surest bet to quash all the inevitable criticism is to write a flat-out masterpiece. Stewart did. Stewart has." (The New York Times)

Fascinating

For me, this book was an eye-opener. Fascinating story, well told by the author.

Fantastic!

What did you love best about The Places in Between?

Rory Stewart embarked on a truly interesting endeavor with humility and courage. His storytelling is inspiring and thoughtful. The story is made all the better by his narration. You can hear his feelings and attitudes about his experience through his tone and patient cadence.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rory Stewart; Babur a close second.

Which character – as performed by Rory Stewart – was your favorite?

n/a

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The idea of a catchy tag line for this book insults the very nature of it!

Unique travel story

Very interesting story about a man walking across Afghanistan in late 2001 2002. Would love to hear about his experiences in other countries.

crazy scot crosses Afganistan!

This story is almost hard to believe. How he made it to the end of his journey is beyond me. The author offers lots of very interesting insights and observations that leave you with much to think on. I feel that I have a better understanding of the "climate" in that area culturally after reading the book.

Great Book to Hear Stories from Afghanistan

As someone who became acquainted with Rory through The Rest is Politics it was fascinating to hear of his stories traveling through Afghanistan.

Stupendous travel log

This work is worth its word count in gold. Rory’s journey through Afghanistan is fascinating and otherworldly to the average American. The lawlessness of 2003 Afghanistan as well as the brutal environments turn a walk into an odyssey. The narration is excellent and I would consider this one to have very high replay value.

Overmodulated

An incredible story beset by a mic with too much gain. Every time he tells a story about someone who shouts (and he gets shouted at a lot in his walk across Afghanistan during the war) the audio is distorted.

The Noble dog, Babylon

Rory has, with his old mastiff, that famous pluck and resilience, of the great explorers. He has poets heart, a philosopher’ mind and a warrior’s spirit. How dare the English fail to make him leader of parlament.

A Captivating Story

This book recounts Rory Stewart's experiences walking across Afghanistan. Stewart has a subtle, understated style, and his reading perfectly matches the tone of his book. I was totally absorbed by the tale, learning of his travails as he traveled from one poor village to another, totally depending on the kindness of strangers. He gives a very even-handed account of Afghans, and a glimpse of the almost alien (to most Westerners) culture the people are steeped in. Along the way he points out that unless actual people are engaged, any effort to introduce Western values and structures are merely another imposition on the people. His story is so engaging that I could almost imagine myself walking along with him, looking at the stark landscape, and encountering the people eking out a living in it. I definitely recommend this book.

Extraordinary

Extraordinary in the telling.
I’m dumb struck by its humanity.
Thank you, Rory Stewart, for reading it yourself.