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The Amur River

Between Russia and China
3.97 goodreads logo

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( 1,503 ratings, 220 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Amur River by Colin Thubron explores the journey along one of the world's great rivers, which flows from the mountains of Mongolia through Siberia to the Pacific. Blending historical insights with personal reflections, the narrative captures the river's cultural and geopolitical significance, highlighting the landscapes and diverse communities along its banks. Thubron's account weaves exploration with the complex histories of the regions the river touches.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate evocative travel narratives that delve into the culture and landscapes of remote places. The author takes you on a journey through rarely explored territories, offering insights into the complex history and diverse peoples along the way. If you're interested in immersive adventures and the beauty of untamed nature, this book could capture your imagination.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Follow our greatest travel writer (and rusty Mandarin speaker) along the far eastern river that separates Russia from China, the two great ex-Communist giants, taking in Mongolia, Siberia, and the Sea of Japan.

The Amur River is described as "Thubron on top form. Richly detailed, immaculately written and full of insights and encounters that bring a complex corner of the world to life" by Michael Palin.

"A masterpiece," says William Dalrymple, while Antony Beevor calls it "unforgettable."

As read on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week


A dramatic and ambitious new journey from our greatest travel writer.

Rising in the Mongolian mountains and flowing through Siberia to the Pacific, the Amur River forms the tense border between Russia and China. This is the most densely fortified frontier on Earth.

In his eightieth year, Colin Thubron takes a dramatic and often treacherous journey from the Amur's secret source to its giant mouth, covering almost 3,000 miles. Harassed by injury and arrest from the local police, he makes his way along both the Russian and Chinese shores. By the time he reaches the river's desolate end, a whole, pivotal world has come alive.


"An epic journey along a frozen, fraught frontier... Fascinating," says The Times.

"This book is a triumph," claims the Daily Telegraph.

A Financial Times, Sunday Telegraph, and Spectator Book of the Year.

Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award 2022

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Renowned as a literary masterpiece, The Amur River by Colin Thubron is celebrated for cementing his stature as a premier prose writer. The book offers a captivating journey, rich with fascinating insights, political perspectives, and perceptive observations. Thubron's nuanced sensitivity in portraying landscapes and people is widely praised, marking this work as a significant achievement in travel writing.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529110890

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 September 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 219g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Colin Thubron is an acknowledged master of travel writing, and the winner of many prizes and awards. His first writing was about the Middle East - Damascus, Lebanon and Cyprus. In 1982 he travelled into the Soviet Union in an ancient Morris Marina, pursued by the KGB, a journey he recorded in Among the Russians. From these early experiences developed his classic travel books- Behind the Wall (winner of the Hawthornden Prize and the Thomas Cook Travel Award), The Lost Heart of Asia, In Siberia (Prix Bouvier) and Shadow of the Silk Road. His most recent book is To a Mountain in Tibet (all available in Vintage). Colin Thubron was President of the Royal Society of Literature from 2010 to 2017.

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