On Foot to the Golden Horn

On Foot to the Golden Horn: A Walk to Istanbul

Book

On Foot to the Golden Horn by Jason Goodwin ☻☻☻☺☺

Review by Anaita Vazifdar, Freelance Writer

Setting:

Eastern Europe

Jason Goodwin and his girlfriend Kate hoist their backpacks and make off across Eastern Europe. Destination: Istanbul, Turkey. Not impressed? Get this – the journey’s on foot! From Poland to Turkey, these hardy adventurers actually WALKED southwards, through villages and towns, forests and plains, occasionally stopping at, but never spending too much time in, the big cities.

The journey is fascinating, but, sadly, the same can’t be said about the book.

Accompanying them on their travels (apart from a friend who eventually decides not to complete the trip) are numerous facts and historical tidbits about the regions they cover. Unfortunately, Goodwin’s narration of these can sometimes be rather prolix and they tend to slow the pace in places.

For someone who’s always dreamed of visiting the countries of Eastern Europe, I jumped at the chance to read what I thought would be a really gripping first-person account of this historically- and culturally-rich region. However, Goodwin paints a rather dismal portrait of these enchanting lands.

The book’s not all bleak and dull though; we get occasional glimpses of Goodwin’s self-deprecating wit and parts of the narrative are written with touches of humor.

The saving grace is in the way he brings out the goodness of the natives on practically every page. Wherever they ventured, our intrepid explorers were welcomed with open arms into homes and hearts by people who provided not just a bed for them to rest their weary heads, but also a part of themselves – their hosts narrated, albeit sometimes merely with gestures and a few words in broken English, tales of their lives, their lands, their longings. And Goodwin has effortlessly woven these little gems into his story.

A point to be noted is that some dialogue is penned verbatim in French and German, with barely any English translation. For those with just a basic knowledge of these languages, this is tolerable, but what of the other readers who know neither of the foreign tongues? Thankfully, nothing of great importance is discussed in those parts of the book, but all the same, I can’t imagine it’s a very nice feeling to not understand what you’re reading!

A word of caution for those expecting to read a lot about Turkey: there is hardly anything at all on their ultimate destination. It leaves you feeling a little cheated to have accompanied them so far and then not experience Istanbul!

The bottom line? Read it without any great expectations and you won’t be disappointed.