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lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
I am taking a break from this long travelogue of Twain's journeys in Europe and the holy land. to be continued at some point, I hope.
encounterswiththemoon's review against another edition
4.0
In his chronicling of the “Great Pleasure Excursion”, Twain shares the emotions, adventures & lessons he experienced during the voyage which saw him travel across Europe & The Holy Land in 1867. Though what the reader might find within the pages of this book might often come as a cultural shock linguistically, nothing is more humbling than recognizing familiar locations we see presented to us through screens & those become available to us through the quick jaunt in an aeroplane.
This book was one that deserves all the praise which has been bestowed upon it. I found every chapter & page to be filled with interesting information, opinions & reflections. Twain is renowned for being a fantastic writer & his entries on personal experiences are no exception. Every instance in which I had to pause in my reading saw myself actively longing to return to the journey across time & through spaces coexistent between our two worlds.
The aspect of this book that I found to be the most interesting was Twain’s descriptions of landscapes; cities & towns. It’s incredible to note that, though so much time has elapsed since the writing & publication of this book took place, the people & places esteemed throughout have remained much as they were. Of course, humanity has experienced many a great change in our societies & lives but, the way that Twain describes his first jaunts in unknown places; seeing the pyramids, & walking around water that runs smoothly to this day; all made me feel as though his earnest experiences could have been my own.
I don’t know that this needs to be said but, I shall say it nonetheless; some of Twain’s points of view—his opinions on citizens of specific nations—are harsh, often bordering on uncouth. This voyage did, after all, take place in 1867. It is not unfounded for people of such a time to view anyone unlike themselves through a less-than-rose-coloured lens. That being said, the terminology did not take away from the overall experience which can be deduced from reading this book, nor did it take away from the quality of what was being written.
If you find yourself seeking a journey as an innocent abroad; or if you have the time to dedicate to a boat ride across the ocean; I would suggest you read this book. I appreciate & recognize the weight of its importance as a classic piece of literature.
This book was one that deserves all the praise which has been bestowed upon it. I found every chapter & page to be filled with interesting information, opinions & reflections. Twain is renowned for being a fantastic writer & his entries on personal experiences are no exception. Every instance in which I had to pause in my reading saw myself actively longing to return to the journey across time & through spaces coexistent between our two worlds.
The aspect of this book that I found to be the most interesting was Twain’s descriptions of landscapes; cities & towns. It’s incredible to note that, though so much time has elapsed since the writing & publication of this book took place, the people & places esteemed throughout have remained much as they were. Of course, humanity has experienced many a great change in our societies & lives but, the way that Twain describes his first jaunts in unknown places; seeing the pyramids, & walking around water that runs smoothly to this day; all made me feel as though his earnest experiences could have been my own.
I don’t know that this needs to be said but, I shall say it nonetheless; some of Twain’s points of view—his opinions on citizens of specific nations—are harsh, often bordering on uncouth. This voyage did, after all, take place in 1867. It is not unfounded for people of such a time to view anyone unlike themselves through a less-than-rose-coloured lens. That being said, the terminology did not take away from the overall experience which can be deduced from reading this book, nor did it take away from the quality of what was being written.
If you find yourself seeking a journey as an innocent abroad; or if you have the time to dedicate to a boat ride across the ocean; I would suggest you read this book. I appreciate & recognize the weight of its importance as a classic piece of literature.
sleepyboi2988's review against another edition
3.0
Easy to see why this is a classic. Goes a long way to show the people you meet travelling have been a fixture for a while (The know it all who gets everything wrong, the fortune hunters who would destroy a site or monument just to take a piece home, etc).
Twain has a real knack for describing human interactions and relationships (Even his own), this is where the book excels, his writing when it came to those often had me in stitches, his writing on the actual sites or locations was often severely dry by contrast.
All in all, I would encourage people to read it, it is a classic, but expect some long dry slogs in between those superior wordsmith human condition back and forth's that Twain is just so good at.
Twain has a real knack for describing human interactions and relationships (Even his own), this is where the book excels, his writing when it came to those often had me in stitches, his writing on the actual sites or locations was often severely dry by contrast.
All in all, I would encourage people to read it, it is a classic, but expect some long dry slogs in between those superior wordsmith human condition back and forth's that Twain is just so good at.
doctormabuse's review against another edition
4.0
Mark Twain describes his travels on a luxury cruise that takes him and a couple hundred other Americans from New York across the Atlantic to the Azores, Gibraltar, Morocco, Marseille, Paris, much of Italy, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine in 1867. It is fascinating to hear about an American traveler's experience at such a time when the world was industrializing and probably already as different from the 18th century as it was different from our world in the 21st century today.
Twain takes in the hallowed sights and sites along the "grand tour" of Western Europe and the near Middle East with a wry and usually hilariously cynical skepticism. Rather than recount how extraordinarily beautiful the art of the old masters is, Twain instead typically comments on the way that tourists take in that art--almost always using the stock observations of the guidebooks. Twain never holds back and freely describes the uglier, chintzier, seedier, and more unpleasant experiences that a traveler would have faced, be they underhanded tour guides, fraudulent histories offered at sites, bad food, awful weather, shameful behavior from fellow American tourists, or otherwise.
This is the first pre 20th century travel writing that I have read, but I suspect that Twain's is among the most readable, in large part because he seeks to parody the stodgy cliches of other travel writing popular of the time. It offers a fascinating insight into the way people lived in urban and rural places from a perspective that is unique and historical, but familiar (as an American). This does not mean Twain's work is without fault. Despite many instances where Twain works to dispel prejudices (his preface even includes a famous epigraph about the power of travel to give one empathy and dispel racism), Twain expresses ugly attitudes towards "the Turk" and "Mohammedans", perhaps consistent with his general anti-religious sentiments, but frustratingly ignorant nonetheless.
Twain takes in the hallowed sights and sites along the "grand tour" of Western Europe and the near Middle East with a wry and usually hilariously cynical skepticism. Rather than recount how extraordinarily beautiful the art of the old masters is, Twain instead typically comments on the way that tourists take in that art--almost always using the stock observations of the guidebooks. Twain never holds back and freely describes the uglier, chintzier, seedier, and more unpleasant experiences that a traveler would have faced, be they underhanded tour guides, fraudulent histories offered at sites, bad food, awful weather, shameful behavior from fellow American tourists, or otherwise.
This is the first pre 20th century travel writing that I have read, but I suspect that Twain's is among the most readable, in large part because he seeks to parody the stodgy cliches of other travel writing popular of the time. It offers a fascinating insight into the way people lived in urban and rural places from a perspective that is unique and historical, but familiar (as an American). This does not mean Twain's work is without fault. Despite many instances where Twain works to dispel prejudices (his preface even includes a famous epigraph about the power of travel to give one empathy and dispel racism), Twain expresses ugly attitudes towards "the Turk" and "Mohammedans", perhaps consistent with his general anti-religious sentiments, but frustratingly ignorant nonetheless.
bfraynt's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Mark Twain is a hilarious person, and he skewers both American travelers, as well as the people in the countries they are traveling in, rather mercilessly. There were many times reading this book that I was laughing out loud. The Holy Land section of the book was a bit disappointing, but I think that's what it felt like to him as well. I also cringed a little bit at some of the racism in the book, although given the time period in which the book was written, Mark Twain was probably quite "enlightened" for a Protestant white man. Overall, very enjoyable and an interesting historical piece, given that Mark Twain was part of the first generation of middle class Americans to go traveling abroad.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
Mark Twain is so freaking funny. Sure, you have to wade through his 19th c. prejudices, but sometimes, I think he is making fun of his own prejudice and American bluster. The narrative feels like a real trip. It starts slow feeling like it is taking forever to get to the destination. Then, things are new and wonderful. Later, things come faster and all seem to meld together into the same thing. Then, you really begin not care anymore about what you are looking at. Finally, you are just ready to get home. I definitely recommend.
owenscar's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this travelogue of Europe and the Middle East. Mark Twain has a suttle wit and it was refreshing.
rwhitney22's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0