In Xanadu

By: William Dalrymple

Narrated by: Michael Maloney

Here is William Dalrymple's highly praised and greatly entertaining account of his 1986 trip made while a student at Cambridge, which retraced Marco Polo's route across land from Jerusalem to Xanadu. With him, he took a phial of Holy Oil, 600 pounds and Laura until Lahore, and Louisa from there to Xanadu.©1995 CSA Word (P)1995 CSA Word

So much fun!

The narrator makes the story— which is a perfect blend of the exotic and the real. Ive always been fascinated by the Silk Road and Dalrymple’s re-creation of Marco Polo’s journey is irresistibly interesting.

I found it was read v fast and I could not adjust

Wonderful story that would be nice in full. Read too fast in places. Memorable moment - riding on top of coal trucks. Just too awful to imagine and the lovely homage in the end. The reader had nice voice.

Witty and well read

Witty writing and energetic audio performance that matches the spirit of the young adventurous protagonist. Recommend!

A young, immature, British lad's travelogue

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A better story. A less condescending attitude towards locals from this clearly arrogant British traveler. Fewer contrived moments & situations, clearly designed to give this rather boring journey some excitement.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Probably something from Ha-Joon Chang.

What aspect of Michael Maloney’s performance would you have changed?

The narrator & main character of the story is rather dorkey, eager, and annoying. The actor conveyed that perfectly, as there were many moments I thought him guilty of the faults of this book.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from In Xanadu?

None.

Any additional comments?

This is a travelogue written by a white British traveler clearly unable to to blend or integrate into the Middle-Eastern and Asian cultures he crosses. The result is a very distant and superficial look at locals. If you are looking to learn how locals would behave, or what they would say, towards a white British traveler...this would be the book for you. Just don't expect any deep or meaningful insights into these societies.