Ugh. What a couple of assholes.

Oh my. Can I say how sadly I was disappointed in this book? I was expecting a travelogue and looked forward to learning about all the countries they traveled thru on their route around the world.

Unfortunately, this was little more than man-chat about bikes, the smoothness (or roughness) of the road, petty arguements, and how much they missed their families. There were a few amusing incidents, but overall so much same same.

An absolutely incredible read for an avid motorcyclist or adventurer. It gave me ideas of roads I want to ride and let me experience so many rides that ill probably never get to otherwise. A must read for two-wheeled adventurers.

Recientemente se me ocurrió ver el documental Long Way Round y me gustó mucho, así que a continuación decidí hacerme también con el libro que le acompaña. En él se cuentan las aventuras que Ewan y Charley vivieron durante su viaje de Londres a Nueva York (pasando por Francia, Bélgica, Alemania, la República Checa, Eslovaquia, Ucrania, Rusia, Kazakstán, Mongolia, Canadá y EEUU) y que se vieron en la pantalla, pero también muchas otras cosas que pasaron detrás de las cámaras. Sobre todo, los dos cuentan mejor la montaña rusa de emociones que fueron experimentando por el camino. Posiblemente la noche que pasaron con los mafiosos ucranianos sea mi parte favorita tanto del documental como del libro

As other reviewers have said, there is a significant amount of the book lent to the two authors describing their feelings and weeping for their families. Personally, I didn't mind this, I felt the authors were being honest about the emotional toil they put themselves through. Remember, these are two actors one a Hollywood star whom have taken upon themselves to attempt around the world trip soloing as much as possible away from the support crew not die hard adventurers.
Having watched the Long Way Round when it was first released, I credit it with getting me into the joy of motorcycling, recently I decided to read the book and was hoping for a detailed account that gave the reader greater insight than the show did. However, I was left wanting, I suspect that this book was very much aimed at the airport lounge / casual customer. It is not taxing to read (although jumps around a bit) but is engaging enough to turn next page. For any die hard LWR/LWD/LWU fans I am not sure you will get much from this than the TV series.

I don't usually take the time to review books here, but this book was so poorly written and annoying to read that on several occasions i wanted to throw it out of a window. The amount of crying and whining that these two grown men did through out their trip, and the amount of pages taken up talking about how much they miss their wives...well...it really loses the essence of what a trip like that is all about. I can see that they attempted to convey some of the emotional trials and tribulation that they went through, but the writing was so poor that they certainly failed at connecting with the reader. Not till the very last pages was it mentioned that Mongolia had been the highlight of their trip but it was certainly lost on me, since the entire chapter on Mongolia was filled with whining how they had to camp outside, how they wished for a hotel, and how they wanted to be "anywhere but there". With almost unlimited resources and money at hand, with all of their fancy gear, well it was exasperating at best to get through. I heard the documentary was better, so perhaps thats a better bet for people.

I honestly can't remember the last time I read a book so quickly. Once I started it, I just couldn't put it down. To be honest, I first picked it up because I have one of those fan photo opportunities with Ewan McGregor coming up in the next few weeks. I am not a big motorcycling enthusiast and the book was not one I would normally read. However, this book turned out to be the highlight of my summer reading stack. In fact, I recently posted on Facebook that this selection will go down as my 2022 "best read." So many things in the book challenged and inspired me. Granted, much of it felt like a reflection of some of my own struggles in personal areas of my life. But the repeated themes of chasing your dreams, determination in the face of obstacles, and the need to "press on" despite any challenge deeply resonated within me. Both authors intimately shared their own personal failings and triumphs throughout the entire journey (an element that was particularly engaging). Even if you have never owned a motorcycle there is something powerful in this book for everyone. Highly recommend and I am already looking forward to the next installment in this series!!!

London to New York
A tale of two dudes on bikes
Friendship and folly

Não sou amante de motos, nem de literatura de viagens.
Contudo, até apreciei estes relatos de uma volta ao mundo de mota e das adversidades que se encontram neste tipo de empreendimento.
Gostei particularmente do pânico de Charley em acampar e de quando lhes foi pedido que provassem testículos.
3,5 estrelas

I'm not into biking, but I am into travel and was fascinated by the travels of McGregor and Boorman, most especially their Asian leg of the journey. The book is written in a style reminiscent of alternating Diary entries and this too was charming and felt genuine . I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so I gave it as a gift to someone else with similar interests.
Unfamiliar words:
pg. 6 hoiked-curved like a hook
pg. 51 tyres-British spelling of TIRE
burghers-an inhabitant of a borough or a town or a member of the middle class : a
prosperous solid citizen
buskers-chiefly British: a person who entertains in a public place for donations
pg. 63 gormless-chiefly British: lacking intelligence : STUPID
pg. 69 naff-British, informal: lacking in style or good taste : vulgar and unfashionable
pg. 73 faff-dialectal, British: to make a fuss over nothing
pg. 89 bivvy-BIVOUAC:a usually temporary encampment under little or no shelter
pg. 93 chivvy-to tease or annoy with persistent petty attacks
pg. 98 rozzers-British: police officer
pg. 139 panniers-one of a pair of packs or baskets hung over the rear wheel of a vehicle (such as a bicycle)
pg. 148 parping- A sound that parps, as of a horn or trumpet.
pg. 149 bun (fight)-a person's buttocks.?
pg. 155 pilchards-a small, edible, commercially valuable marine fish of the herring family
pg. 198 pillion-a seat for a passenger behind a motorcyclist.
pg. 209 gers- British variant of GRASS
pg. 227 nark-British: stool pigeon
pg. 231 tetchy-irritably or peevishly sensitive
pg. 255 fripperies- cast-off clothes

Great story! I really enjoyed the process of the trip and how the authors managed to get through.

Tai viena tokių knygų, kurias skaitydamas užsimanai atsidurti ten, kur pabuvojo tie, kas rašė. Ir tai nėra pačių vietovių nuopelnas, čia nepasakojama apie kažkokias įspūdingas turistų lankomas vietas, priešingai, kalbama apie eilinius pravažiuojamus miestus laikantis trasos, kuri daugeliui pasirodytų net neįdomi. Autoriai paprasčiausiai moka įtraukti savo lengvai skaitomu pasakojimo būdu, viskas užrašyta taip kasdieniškai, kad nesunku įsivaizduoti, o nutik�� nuotykiai ir sutikti žmonės vaizduojami tokie, kokie ir yra. Paprastumas žavi. Smulkmenos ir mažos detalės iš kurių kyla ta gera kelionės filosofija, kai reikia džiaugtis mažais dalykais, mane užburia labiausiai.
Patiks ne tik tiems, kurie domisi motociklais, bet ir tiems, kurie mėgsta skaityti apie svetimus kraštus iš "tamsiosios" pusės, kai pasakojama ne apie tviskančius didmiesčius ir restoranus, kuriuose neva pažįstama šalies kultūra, o apie ilgus ir kartais tuščius kelius, draugystę, nesėkmes ir šypsenas. Namų ilgesį ir būsimų atradimų džiaugsmą, koks aplanko tik kelyje.
Trumpai tariant - labai patiko.