Border Crossing On the Road From Peking (Paperback)

~ Rosie Thomas (Author) "The note was scribbled on a travel company's compliments slip, and it was paper-clipped to what looked like a holiday brochure..." (more)
Key Phrases: John Vipond, Land Rover, Lord Montagu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A compelling narrative ... It is a measure of the success of this book that the reader is very nearly as reluctant to turn the last page' INDEPENDENT 'Impressive and pacy' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A thrilling story' SCOTSMAN 'Inspirational and exciting ... brilliantly told' MARIE CLARE 'In December 1996 Rosie Thomas received a cryptic message. You know you want to do it. Just say yes. P. The note was from Phil Bowen, a mountaineer and photographer Thomas had met on a trek to the Everest base camp several months before. Bowen wanted her to drive half way round the world with him in an antique Volvo Amazon, in a recreation of the first ever international motor rally, the 1907 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. Thomas, mother of two and best selling novelist pushing fifty, didn't exactly fit the young, male rally driver stereotype but decided to do it anyway. As a young woman she hadn't travelled: "Travel was dangerous, and demanded a sense of inner strength and adjustment that I didn't possess." Now she felt more confident. "I held all the threads of my life in my own hands now, and if I wasn't going to travel while I was at the peak of my abilities and still had some physical capacity left, then I probably never would." Border Crossing is packed with antique cars, millionaire drivers, and, of course, breakdowns--but at its core this is less a book about rallying than about personal challenges. When Thomas's health breaks down she gets little support from the mostly male crew and doctors. She craves emotional support that Phil can't always give. This travelogue takes a refreshingly frank look at the relations between women, men and cars.' - Kathleen Keefe, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

The first international motor rally from Peking to Paris took place in the summer of 1907. Only five cars were involved and the crews wrote their agreed code of conduct on the back of a menu the night before the start. Their only navigational aids were the sun and telegraph poles. Ninety years later the race was re-enacted when 110 vintage cars gathered in Peking. Their goal was the finishing line in Paris, 45 days and 16,000 kilometres away. In this book, one of the competitors - novelist Rosie Thomas - describes the excitement of the daily time challenge, the strange camaraderie, the test of sleeping outdoors or in flea-pit hotels in foreign lands and her own internal journey, including a near-death experience high in the Himalayas.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Firebird Distributing (September 2, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 0751529532
• ISBN-13: 978-0751529531
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,313,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is Not A Sunday Drive In The Country!!!, April 24, 2005

By	John Baranyai "Book Nerd And Ex High School G... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Border Crossing: On the Road from Peking to Paris (Paperback)

In September 1997 a woman by the name of Rosie Thomas set off in a modified Volvo with her co driver, Phil Bowen to take part in the re enactment of the first ever run International Motor Rally. Ms. Thomas has written this book about her very memorable LONG road trip. Along the way she hankers for a decent glass of wine in "dry" countries, argues with Phil and fantasizes about what kind of guy she would like Phil to be. The reader will cheer the two of them as they continue on their journey.One gem in this book is when Rosie gets to the stage where she can't face another meal of Chinese food and no doubt would like a good old American meal of steak and potatoes!!!You will feel like you are in the car with them on this momentous journey. This is a very well written book about a very long, but never boring journey by car.Well done Rosie and I salute you!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Hell yeah Rosie!!! Great personal journey on the road across forever..., March 31, 2008

By	Kimberly A. Paternoster (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Border Crossing: On the Road from Peking to Paris (Paperback)

Rosie ~ Thanks for a great book from one woman to another. This book NEVER gets boring. Now I only have to thank my dad for lending it to me!!