Full Circle
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Having gone round the world and down the poles in Around the World in 80 Days and Pole to Pole, it seems fitting that Michael Palin should complete his travel odyssey for the BBC by completing Full Circle, the book which describes his journey through the 18 countries which border the Pacific Rim, and which make a rough circle of 11,000 miles in diameter. The result is a journey which, even by Palin's standards, is truly epic.
Pole to Pole represents what is probably Palin's most ambitious piece of travel writing to date, as he gradually begins to piece together a common Pacific culture, as he travels through Russia, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and South America. Often the sheer scope of the journey becomes overwhelming and slightly impressionistic, but as ever Palin's wit and wonder at his discoveries and encounters is unflagging, from the wonders of the ancient civilisations of Asia to the startling modernity and squalor of Latin America. It's all enough to turn you into a Buddhist, and, in Full Circle, Palin comes as close to conversion as it's possible for an old Python. --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Michael Palin's account of his anti-clockwise circumnavigation of the world's largest ocean, the Pacific.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Michael Palin's "Full Circle" trip involved traveling all of the way around the Pacific Ocean. He (and his film crew) started at the Bering Strait in Alaska and then traveled down the Asian side of the Pacific, crossed over to Cape Horn, and traveled up through South and North America, returning to Alaska.
The trip covered 50,000 miles through 17 countries in ten months. Specifically, these countries were visited: USA (Alaska), Russia (Siberia), Japan, S. Korea (entry to N. Korea was denied), China, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, USA (California and Washington), Canada (British Columbia) and back to Alaska again.
This trip, like the other ones done by Michael Palin for the BBC, was filmed for viewing as a television mini-series. (This version is available on DVD.) Afterwards, Michael Palin and Basil Pao (the stills photographer in the filming crew) created this book as an alternative record of the trip.
The book is richly illustrated with Basil Pao's beautiful photographs. Michael Palin's text is wonderful because he has a way of finding interesting places and people and of describing them with warmth and humor.
The diversity of the many countries and places is amazing. Artic wilderness, tropics, deserts, cramped cities, huge rivers, high mountains, etc., etc. There are many high points along the way, the most exciting being when Michael Palin had to lasso a camel while standing in the back of a pickup truck that was going over bumps and around bends at break-neck speed!
At the same time, Michael Palin does not shy back from visiting and describing the thought-provoking places along his journey. The Russian Gulag in Siberia, Hiroshima and the remembrance of the atomic bomb, the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and the border between Mexico and the United States are all discussed with unusual insight.
This book easily deserves five stars. Except for the audio version, that is.
The nice thing about the audio version is that Michael Palin reads the book himself, and he does a great job as a reader. But the audio version does not include Basil Pao's beautiful photographs, of course, and worst of all, it's abridged. My dislike of abridged audio books results in me giving the audio book version only three stars.
Rennie Petersen
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
yet another great book from mr palin. i have read his previous books ,pole to pole,sahara,himalayas and around the world in 80 days. this book is on par with his previous books. well worth reading whether you are a seasoned traveller or just want a good book to read. i read this book in a couple of days.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The companion to the TV series of the same name does not add much that was not seen on the screen. In fact despite the many glossy photos, the atmosphere which was ably captured on television has not been transferred to print. The book takes the form of a diary of the former Python's travels around the Pacific Rim, and details his and the crew's experiences. The TV series worked well as it highlighted the cultural diversity of the area and the spectacular, but these are elements which can not be converted to book form without a far more in depth commentary which was not possible for an author who typically spent two days in each city. I would recommend buying the video rather than the book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good, but not great!
Though "Full Circle" is certainly a very readable book, you feel quite early on that something is missing. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Foxdog
Palin's Pacific Rim Travels
I've read most of Michael Palin's travel books. I enjoy his mix of facts, opinion and humour. I suspect that because of advancing years,he, like me. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jim Seaside
Going through the motions
Michael Palin's adventures without doubt have caputured people's imagination. Most of the time Michael Palin seems to be enjoying himself in hi own idiosyncraitic way. Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2003 by J. Maher
Skimmed the surface, did not delve the depths.
Half way through the book, i realised that he was on day 87 of the trip, and I could not recall any notable incidents or memorable moments. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2003
Not in his usual spirit of adventure
I'm a bit saddened about the way Palin has diverted from the intensity of adventure he shared with us in his first travel diary "Around The World In 80 Days". Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2000
Stupendous!!!
This was an extremely good book. It was extremely well writen and very comical. Michael Palin does it again.
Published on 21 Jan 2000
Fascinating
Full Circle opened my eyes to the activities surrounding the Pacific Rim. Although I had seen the series, the book took me back to the places visited with vivid descriptions and... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 1999
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