Customer Reviews

Round Ireland in Low Gear

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked up this book at the library while researching my Irish background: my great-grandpa was born in Aghagower, a little village in Co. Mayo at the foot of Croagh Patrick, which Newby climbs in the course of his travels. But that chapter so amused me that I ended up reading the whole book and enjoying it immensely. Newby and his wife are ideal travelers, willing to try just about anything and to find delight and humor in the unlikeliest circumstances. As a British "outsider," Newby's perspective on Ireland is unsentimental -- especially compared with American visitors, who are inclined to gush or to see the whole country through glasses tinted by "The Quiet Man" and "Danny Boy." But Newby lacks the prejudices and stereotypes that often slant British travelers' views of the Irish, so his encounters with the locals are straightforward and non-condescending. I'm glad that the book has been reissued with improved maps -- the originals were maddeningly vague, especially if one had a yen to emulate any of Newby's travels. This book inspired me to do some bicycle touring in Ireland myself (well, maybe next year), and I'm pleased to see that it's back in print.

Those who have given this work low scores are doing it a serious injustice. It is definitely not an example of perky, predictably upbeat travel writing, but is instead a thoughtful, moody, highly literate and contemplative treatment of a deliberately oddball adventure -- to bicycle through Ireland, at the age of 66, in the chill of winter.

It may be that those who have rated this work poorly are fans of Irish tourism who picked it up expecting it to validate their enthusiasm in a predictable way, and were blindsided when it turned out to be something completely different. But it is far above the norm for travel writing.

The author and his wife both have a great, dry sense of humor, and Newby deftly captures the character of all kinds of amusing types they come in contact with. He is known for his thoughtful travel literature -- in the New York Review of Books recently, Larry McMurty revealed that he has been re-reading one of Newby's other travelogues, 'Slowly Down the Ganges', more or less continuously since it was published in 1964.

Unfortunately, I've had to force myself to read this book. I feel the summary on the back cover is misleading in stating, "Woven into the narrative is a wealth of information about Irish history and custom ...." It should state, "Woven into the wealth of information about Irish history and custom ... are his adventures." This reads more like a history book than a narrative of his adventures. I found myself skimming over the pages trying to find sections about his actual adventures. If you really like history, this book is for you. Niall Williams and Christine Breen's trilogy of their new life in Ireland is far better than this book.

reading a bad book. I'm quite certain that's why so many Amazon readers' reviews are positive.

I don't mind admitting I wasted my time on this book. Perhaps the steady menu of snarky comments about the people and the weather can pass for wit. Perhaps not.

The thing I can't seem to fathom is if Newby dislikes bicycles so much then why did he bother?

The author and his wife, sexagenarians both, took four tours of Ireland in one year in the 1980s, mainly by bicycle. The author has no inclination to conceal his rather acerbic personality, so you may find yourself rooting for the trucks early on. But keep reading, there's many a worthwhile nugget awaiting, and it's easy enough to discard the refuse. By page 291, when the author or his editors or the Lonely Planet reprinters get the spelling of "fuchsia" right on the fourth attempt, you will feel that anything is possible. So when the author cuts short his description of the final leg, decides not to undertake a planned trip to Northern Ireland, and leaves the book in its present rather untrim state, you're apt to feel a considerable sadness.

The maps provided by Lonely Planet add value to this edition.

can't help but agree with another reviewer and concur that this book neither inspires nor stimulates, an unexpected experience with Eric Newby's writing. The occasional and unwelcome slide into condescension displayed might well be a reflection of the author's mood. I suspect this might have resulted from an almost unbelievably bad choice of travel timing for a book of this nature. Ireland, in winter, on a bicycle? As gloomy a metereological prospect as the literary result. Try Tony Hawkes' 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' for an infinitely more enjoyable read.

I've enjoyed all of Eric Newby's books, and I found this one just as entertaining and amusing as his others. But given the Irish weather this is not the kind of book that makes you want to replicate what the author suffered through. I'm just glad he did it and wrote about it so I don't have to. I'm a travel writer myself so I know that miserable experiences often make for the best writing afterwards. 'It'll make good copy' is something writers tell each other when things are tough. In that case, Eric Newby must have been telling himself that, all the way round Ireland.

I found this book very disappointing. It is neither a travel book or a history book. Eric Newby's positive approach to life and adventure seems to be missing in this book and I found his attitude towards the people, the weather, the condition of B&B's, the roads and the food very condescending. His complaints about his bicycle sounded to me like a bad workman blaming his tools. Even if you have 21 gears you still need the skills to use them. Why oh why does he complain about the weather when he chooses to cycle around the westernmost outpost of Europe in Winter? Want a good cycling book? Then try Miles from Nowhere with a sympathetic author who gets into more serious scrapes and comes out of them with better grace and humor than the Newbys.

Eric Newby is one of those writers that once you stumble upon him, you look for everything else he has written. This book was a hoot, plus it is one of best historical accounts of Ireland I have ever read. Just to accomplish riding a bike around this island at the age of 70+ is a feat unto itself.
I'm a bike rider, mostly off road, but after reading this I intend to get to Ireland some day and follow his route. I will do it in a more welcoming season though. How anyone could have done what he did is a testament to this man's moxie! Read his "Love and War in the Apennines". While in a prision of war camp, you will find out how he met Wanda, the woman who would later become his wife and travel companion. From 1942 until 1945 he was held prisoner of war near Parma, Italy. During a brief escape he was hidden by a Slovenian family.
The description of the country is amazing. A great non-fictionional story not to be missed. A different style of travel writer who leaves behind many books for us to daydream of places we have never seen.

I've enjoyed all the Newby travel books I've read, but I'll confess I was a little disappointed with this adventure. The classic Newby formula of amusing misadventures, historical anecdotes, and of course lots of colourful characters is on tour in Ireland. Eric and Wanda Newby make the almost unbelievable decision to cycle round large parts of Ireland in the winter. There are some brilliant descriptions of the weather, the people and the countryside. However I think the book suffered from too much detail, it seemed like every crossroad or country path they wandered down was described in almost painful detail.

A good travel book captures my interest and attention by drawing me in, making me want to go there, to experience the place. The prospect of wet and sometimes miserable rides put a huge damper on the whole experience of the adventure.

There is a lot to enjoy in this book, perhaps too much. Just don't book your winter flight before reading this book.