- Paperback: 268 pages
- Publisher: ARCADIA BOOKS (8 Jan 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1906413029
- ISBN-13: 978-1906413026
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 352,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
All Gone to Look for America
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
At the age of 52 and with a shoestring budget, Peter Millar set about rediscovering the United States by following the last traces of the technological wonder that created the country in the first place - the railroad. On a rail network ravaged and reduced he managed to cross the continent in slow motion, talking to people and taking in their stories and concerns while watching the vast landscape unfold. Wry, witty, intelligent and always observant, this ''inland empire'' should appeal to modern Britons keen to get beneath the skin of this influential nation.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well done Peter Millar ! The Northern Irishman gives a thoroughly engrossing , witty , and informative account of travel across America in that much maligned - and often overlooked -form of slow transport : the Amtrak train . However , its not an rail anorak's book at all . He uses the train as a means to an end to explore the cities , out of the way places , and people across this vast and diverse country - with scenery along the way . And nowhere does it more close up - warts and all - than spending a few weeks travelling by train .
Along the way he vistits NYC , Buffalo / Niagara , Chicago , Seattle , Sacramento , Reno , Salt Lake City , Denver , LA , and New Orleans , among others . His style is perhaps more Paul Theroux than Bill Bryson but I found his style thoroughly engaging with his take on inner city decay , the decline of the rail system and the people who use it , the Mormon church , American beer , the Civil War , and many other sights and people on the way . A rare mix of intelligent writing with a twinkle in the eye . Informative without being boring , opinionated without being arrogant , and amusing without being crass . Perfect !
Can't praise this book highly enough and even has me contemplating about doing a similar journey myself sometime in the future .
Along the way he vistits NYC , Buffalo / Niagara , Chicago , Seattle , Sacramento , Reno , Salt Lake City , Denver , LA , and New Orleans , among others . His style is perhaps more Paul Theroux than Bill Bryson but I found his style thoroughly engaging with his take on inner city decay , the decline of the rail system and the people who use it , the Mormon church , American beer , the Civil War , and many other sights and people on the way . A rare mix of intelligent writing with a twinkle in the eye . Informative without being boring , opinionated without being arrogant , and amusing without being crass . Perfect !
Can't praise this book highly enough and even has me contemplating about doing a similar journey myself sometime in the future .
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book could have been called, 'Places not to visit in America'. However, such is the skill of the author; his discription of so many soulless dying cities is entertaining.
Peter Miller has a genious for describing people. He combines this with the research he has done on the area, and then adds his own often humorous view of the world.
He has inspired me to go to the more unusual places in the USA.
Peter Miller has a genious for describing people. He combines this with the research he has done on the area, and then adds his own often humorous view of the world.
He has inspired me to go to the more unusual places in the USA.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Peter Millar's newest book, All Gone to Look for America, is a primer for anyone who has ever thought of taking Amtrak around the US, or for anyone who would prefer to read about it, without all the legwork. To paraphrase Anthony Burgess's review of Paul Theroux's, The Kingdom by the Sea, `Thanks to Peter Millar for following the Amtrak across America, so I don't have to.' And of course even if we did, we might not uncover the local personalities and peculiar neighborhood lore that Millar unearths as he goes. This is a well researched book with many of its associations coming straight out of the author's own experience as a multi-lingual correspondent for Reuters and his penchant for arcane knowledge of brewing and language and customs. If the book had footnotes it would need often two or three to a sentence, so wide-ranging is the author's command of historical detail.
It is what you read travel books for: Either to visit places you have never been, or to see your own town from the perspective of someone who is `not from these parts'. I not only learned, for example, the correct recipe for Elvis's Peanut Butter and Banana Toast, but I learned that the street I once lived on in Seattle was the original `Skid Row'. Seems more charming, now that I know that.
Mostly, however, Millar's vision of America's city centers is that they don't exist. Many of us have had that disquieting realization before, that we live in a civilization built around automobiles, where there is no concept of foot traffic. In my neighborhood, for instance, there are not even any continuous sidewalks. Oops! It seems an oversight of historic significance, and part of Millar's description is an account of how this came to be a fixture of urban design in the US. Whether or not this situation is easily correctible is one thing, but for those in the urban planning business, or those in the U.S. Department of Transportation who are (or should be) looking for an alternative to the automobile, Peter Millar's book, All Gone to Look for America should be required reading.
It is what you read travel books for: Either to visit places you have never been, or to see your own town from the perspective of someone who is `not from these parts'. I not only learned, for example, the correct recipe for Elvis's Peanut Butter and Banana Toast, but I learned that the street I once lived on in Seattle was the original `Skid Row'. Seems more charming, now that I know that.
Mostly, however, Millar's vision of America's city centers is that they don't exist. Many of us have had that disquieting realization before, that we live in a civilization built around automobiles, where there is no concept of foot traffic. In my neighborhood, for instance, there are not even any continuous sidewalks. Oops! It seems an oversight of historic significance, and part of Millar's description is an account of how this came to be a fixture of urban design in the US. Whether or not this situation is easily correctible is one thing, but for those in the urban planning business, or those in the U.S. Department of Transportation who are (or should be) looking for an alternative to the automobile, Peter Millar's book, All Gone to Look for America should be required reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Right tracks
Peter Millar's background in journalism comes to the fore in this brilliant piece of reportage - not for nothing was he Foreign Correspondent of the Year back in '89. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mark Porter
Not Quite What It says On The Tin
I enjoyed very much the descriptions of American cities and their sights together with the author's experiences of them. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. Stephen D. Wassell
Fantastic. Inspired me to save for my own trip
I've always loved the books of Bill Bryson and decided that I should give someone else a chance to compete - and compete Mr Millar certainly did. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ed Minty
A great travel book
I came across this book by accident but what a great find. Peter Millar sets out on a journey to discover America, by train! Read more
Published 15 months ago by PMuss
Watch your step when detraining ....
I read this after seeing a review in the Times - really hit a chord for me as I did something very similar in 1990/91, using a 45 day Amtrak pass to travel coast to coast starting... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Rob Williams
All Gone to look for America
Thoroughly enjoyed book. Personally very familiar with most places he stopped eg Seattle, Spokane, Sacramento, New York City to name a few but not Malta MN Reno NV New Orleans LA... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Robert D. Barron
Ambling with Amtrak
Having ridden the Amtrak system extensively over the past 11 years I just loved this book and couldn't put it down. Read more
Published 23 months ago by babbage64
Could not put it down
This is a great read. Ive read everything by Bill Bryson and have recently finished Travels with Charley By John Steinback and this is up there with the great travel reads. Read more
Published on 15 May 2009 by Mr. S. Braiden
And He Finds America Too
The author doesn't attempt any Brysonesque humour, but this is nevertheless a clear, well-written and entertaining account of his journey round the USA by rail. Read more
Published on 10 April 2009 by Bad Bear
you've heard the song, now read the book
Each chapter is a self contained story that illuminates sometimes unusual aspects of a very diverse country. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2009 by J. P. Hayward
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