Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World

( 11 )

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$12.99

NOOK Book

——

$12.99

Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World (eBook) Pub. Date: 4/6/2010 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
$0.01

$13.98

Paperback

$0.01

$13.98

Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World Pub. Date: 4/6/2010 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

In Grounded, Seth Stevenson returns us to a more romantic time, when travel meant making connections in remote transit stations and wading through the chaos that most modern long-haul travelers float thirty-five thousand feet above. With his girlfriend, Rebecca, as traveling companion and expert navigatrix, Stevenson circumnavigates the world without once taking to the air. He bunks on cargo freighters, cruise ships, and ferries. He rides on rickshaws, motorscooters, and buses. He drives a car through the Australian outback, pedals a bicycle through Vietnam, and rattles across Russia on the endless tracks of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

As he discovers, staying low to the ground awards the traveler a profound understanding of both the stunning vastness and the surprising intimacy of the globe. In this sensational travelogue, each step of the journey is an adventure—full of unexpected revelations in every new port, down every dirt road, and around each bend in the railroad tracks.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Stevenson, the travel columnist for Slate, and his lady friend, Rebecca, set out to create their own amazing journey by planning a trip around the world without getting on an airplane. Sounds positively Phileas Foggish, doesn't it? But that's the delight of the book. Just as Jules Verne's fictional Fogg encountered setbacks that forced him to make snap decisions in order to complete his 80-day trip, Stevenson and Rebecca are reminded constantly that airplane travel—as lousy as it might be—is still the fastest way to get from point A to point B. Stevenson's writing is full of charm and humor, and he knows just the right phrase to use when he believes his Estonian ferry is destined for Davy Jones's Locker. VERDICT In an age when everything has to be done yesterday, it's nice to know that there are still people wandering the globe who feel that getting somewhere could be more than half the fun. A delightful purchase for the travel collections of public libraries, and a visit from Stevenson and Rebecca would make for one heck of a program.—Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA

Kirkus Reviews

An anemic travelogue from a Slate contributor. To counteract their ennui, Stevenson and his girlfriend decided to travel the globe without the use of air travel. The conceit begins auspiciously but descends quickly into superficiality. Early on, a thick Atlantic fog enshrouds the cargo freighter on which he's billeted, leaving the author literally sense-deprived. This is boredom made manifest, but Stevenson deftly sketches a redolent scene of wet fog falling against his face and waves slapping the ship's hull. One evocative sentence, well-timed and piercing, accomplishes what the book as a whole fails to-awakening an almost physical sense of wonder amid monotony. The majority of the narrative reads like a glorified blog, characterized by thin characterizations, superficial observations and glib conclusions. Stevenson is an undisciplined tour guide, prone to snarky parenthetical jabs and unwilling to treat those he meets as fully formed individuals. English-speaking foreigners speak in a belittling dialect when the author bothers to record their dialogue-he eschews interviews for impressions-and even his girlfriend is underdeveloped. The author recounts a journey through a cartoon-bright, noisy and flat, with one flat image continually replaced by the next one. Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia to Antwerp to Tallinn to Fushiki to Beijing to Hanoi to Bangkok to Singapore to Brisbane to Los Angeles-small wonder that at the book's conclusion, Stevenson is back where he began, in an apartment lease, back at the same bars and restaurants, stupefied by routine and comfort. He never really left. A limitless world squeezed through a limited scope. Disappointing. First serial to Slate. Agent: ZoePagnamenta/Zoe Pagnamenta Agency

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781594484421
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Publication date: 4/6/2010
Pages: 288
Sales rank: 458,441
Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.10 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

Seth Stevenson, is a contributing writer for Slate. His work has appeared in the New York Times, New York magazine, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and other publications. He is the winner of the 2005 Online Journalism Award for commentary.

Introduction: Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia 1

Chapter 1 Philadelphia to Antwerp 17

Chapter 2 Antwerp to Tallinn 47

Chapter 3 Tallinn to Fushiki 75

Chapter 4 Fushiki to Beijing 113

Chapter 5 Beijing to Hanoi 137

Chapter 6 Hanoi to Bangkok 159

Chapter 7 Bangkok to Singapore 191

Chapter 8 Singapore to Brisbane 215

Chapter 9 Brisbane to Los Angeles 235

Chapter 10 Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., and Points Beyond… 261

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5

( 11 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(6)

4 Star

(4)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

MikeS

Posted May 11, 2010

The tip of travel

Other than the works of Bill Bryson, I tend to get bored while reading a travel tome. They tend to weigh me down with facts. It is fascinating to find that 3000 people a day visit a certain site, that the site was controlled by six different nations throughout its history, etc., but when that same approach is used chapter after chapter, stop after stop, my attention departs to regions elsewhere. The author, a contributor to an on-line magazine, wrote this book in the style of an article for a, you guessed it, magazine. In its brevity lies its strength. The book isn't brief, it is fluid, moving from highlight to highlight with nary a detour into the realm of ponderous fact. It keeps the reader traveling from one interesting description to the next. It doesn't bog down in over-philosophizing the art of travel, the state of the world or the future of the species. It relates the peaks and depressions of travel without overmining the depths. There is humor, analysis, assessment, without verbosity or becoming overbearing. It presents travel as it is, with perspective not pathos. Overall it provides an enjoyable literary journey.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Lone_Star_Hoosier

Posted May 5, 2010

I Also Recommend:

A travel book for the 21st century: Bryson should watch his back

With "Grounded," Seth Stevenson, a frequent contributor to the online magazine, Slate, with focuses on travel and advertising criticism, has written a fascinating, exuberant travelogue, and you should read it. I wouldn't say he has ascended to the highest ranks of travel writing, yet. But with this book, he shows great potential, and I look forward to see his development over the next few years. Bill Bryson should start watching his back!

Mr. Stevenson's book details a trip that for most of us is the greatest fantasy of all -- quitting your job and taking a leisurely trip around the world, without (with a few notable exceptions) any set deadlines or agendas. With his girlfriend at his side, he takes some very un-glamorous modes of ground transport areound the globe: container ships (who knew you could book a berth on a container ship?), ferry boats, the Trans-Siberian Railroad, bicycles in Vietnam, a rental car across the Outback, etc.

Mr. Stevensons's self-deprecating style makes this a great read. I couldn't put it down.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted April 6, 2010

Charming and informative must buy for travel fans

Fascinating chronicle of a young couple traveling around the world without flying. Taking a freighter across the Atlantic, the Transsiberian Railroad across Russia, driving through Australia, a cruise back home across the Pacific, provide the backdrops for interesting stories and anecdotes. This book may provide the inspiration for your next trip.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted March 29, 2012

Wrong way

U were attacked by badgers and foxes.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted February 18, 2012

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted August 17, 2010

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted September 14, 2010

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted April 16, 2010

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted January 22, 2011

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted December 7, 2010

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted May 6, 2012

No text was provided for this review.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble

Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World

Pick Up in Store

Available on NOOK devices and apps