This book reads as though McGregor and Boorman wrote it in their favourite green crayon on the back of a beermat in the bar at the airport's departure lounge. Admittedly these guys aren't authors, but they skimp on details and the story and have a style that is 'tell' rather than 'show'.

It gets a bit grating in places, and although I enjoyed their camaraderie and the trials of riding their bikes, ultimately the book was a disappointment and offered no greater insights than the film.

This book sat on my shelf for years after we watched the TV version when it was originally broadcast. We loved the TV version, but I never felt compelled to read the book until it was chosen as one of our monthly reads by Thought Foundation Book Club. I did enjoy reading the book in the end, but if you are interested in finding out about the journey documented, I recommend watching the TV series over reading the book. In the TV version you get to see the places and people for yourself rather than relying on the descriptions in the book and your imagination, and that made a big difference to my enjoyment of the stories and the people involved.

Having adored the Long Way Round TV series, where actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman biked from London to New York "the long way round", it was only a matter of time before I picked up the book. I met Charley Boorman a few years ago and we swapped travel stories (his were far better than mine!), leaving me in awe of the adventures he and Ewan had been on. So when I found Long Way Round and the Scotland to South Africa adventure Long Way Down in a charity shop for pennies each, there was no excuse for me not to finally read them.

If you haven't seen the series, the book is a dual pov sort of travel diary from Ewan and Charlie as they hop on a pair of donated BMW motorbikes and travel across Europe, Asia and North America to reach New York, crossing 12 countries and 20,000 miles in 119 days. It's meandering, a little self indulgent at times with more than a little navel gazing, but it's also inspiring and uplifting. The guys bicker and argue, clash with their road crew and tv sponsors, but for every breakdown or day of riding on unpaved, dangerous roads completely alone, there's a Mongolian sunset or encounter with locals that makes it worthwhile. An encounter with Eastern European gangsters is simultaneously laugh out loud funny and genuinely a bit scary, while a surprise visit from Ewan's dad on the road enough to make me well up. I skim read the opening chapters which covered the set up and logistics, keen for the guys to get on the road, but the book gives great insight into the effort and physical and emotional toll that the trip took on everyone involved, especially Ewan and Charley. If you're hoping for a juicy read riddled with schadenfreude about a Hollywood A-lister forced to rough it in the wilderness, you'll be sorely disappointed. Both guys dive headfirst into their journey, embracing everything that comes with it, good and bad.

I've been reading this book on and off for nearly three months. It's certainly not unputdownable, more of a lazy Sunday afternoon read that you can dip in and out of. If you're a travel fanatic like me, you should definitely give it a go. Long Way Round is an absolute must read for anyone who dreams of leaving it all behind and chasing their shadow across the world.

wait this was great. not a book i would’ve ever read without being recommended it, but i’m so glad it was. thought i was gonna have to be a big ewan mcgregor and/or motorcycle fan to care at all, but not true! i also accidentally got the illustrated edition on ebay that has w a ton of photographs but i’m honestly glad i did - the photos for sure add to it

A brief bit of escapism for wannabe vagabonds. Authors dreamed up an enviable trip from London to New York, but made a critical mistake that really showed itself in the book. The actors leveraged their fame to incorporate the trip. They had BMW's support with the machines and training, a television deal, a book deal, and all the entourage and accoutrement that comes with those things. It was hard to read these guys complaining about having a support crew when they had the option to do the trip on their own! Apart from that, it was an amusing read of two not terribly well traveled urbanites getting out into "the cud" and well out of their comfort zones. The authors (or editors) wisely spent nearly the whole 300 pages discussing the remotest and least western parts of the journey: Ukraine, Mongolia, and Siberia.

This book is ok. Skip the book and see the series on DVD. Really enjoyed their journey.

Let's do a drinking game. Every time either Ewan or Charley say they miss their family you drink a shot.
Seriously, don't do it, you'll die.
It was a fantastic idea, to go from London to New York the long way round on motorbike, however most of the time they were unable to enjoy it because they were too homesick. Or tired of the journey. Or complaining about camping/not camping. Or complaining about something else.
Then at the last chapter they keep saying how much they will miss being on the road, and we don't understand why, as they seemed to not like being on the road that much.
Anyway, it had some good parts, especially about Mongolia, but it was a boring book to read.

I read this years ago, I think in middle school? My love for Ewan McGregor developed during my obsession with the Star Wars prequel trilogy. lol To be fair I don't remember much, but I think this was my first non-fiction book!

After watching the original documentary in my youth, mainly for the fact that Obi-wan Kenobi was in it... It felt very nostalgic reading this book. It was great seeing another side to this story, the ups and downs told through Ewan and Charlie's introspection about their grueling trip! The book has its ups and downsides but it's allowed me to understand both of their characters a bit more and how they face adversity and I loved that! After finishing, I had felt like I was on that journey with them.

About the authors:
Ewan McGregor, the author. Does that name ring some bells? Yeah, he is the same guy from the movies Star Wars, The Impossible (2012), The Island (2005), Big Fish (2003).

It is claimed that the other author, Charley Boorman, is also an actor. Though I've not noticed in any movie, as I far I could remember, here are a few movies which starred him. Travellers (2011), Deliverance (1972), Excalibur (1981), The Serpent's Kiss (1997).

Plot:
The whole idea of the book is to cirucum-navigate around the world from London to New York.

My take on the book:
This is first of its kind I've ever read. Of course, I was familiar with the word 'circum-navigation' but never read anything like 'circum-navigagting on motorbikes'. To top that, by Ewan McGregor and his actor friend Charley Boorman. It is not very often that you get a chance to see two famous, successful actors of Hollywood, struggling in the muds and potholes with their bikes. I don't know any reason why they would even attempt such a thing.

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are no childhood-friends, as it happens with many. Their love for bikes is the only thing which binds them and makes them good friends..........

To read the whole review, click the link below....
http://booksreviewwala.blogspot.in/20...

These guys set out on an admirable journey: around the world by motorbike. I wish I had been invited. However they spend too much time talking about each other, rather than the landscapes and characters they presumably encounterd. There's way too much discussion of their petty arguments, their longings for home, their fatigue and fear, etc. It reads a bit like a script for an MTV Real World episode. I'm sad to say: skip this book.

The task was a daunting one to begin with. Ride a motorcycle from London to NY, via Siberia. The tales are funny, honest, brutal, generous and insightful. But most of all, they invite you into the private lives of two people who had a crazy dream and never gave up on it (though there are detours) and the team of individuals who filmed these adventures and made them all possible. A great read for those who want to experience the world vicariously through the lens of Charlie and Ewan.