Travels in the Balkans

When I finished this book, I was stuck thinking what didn't I like about this book - having decided it would sit in the 2-3 star range, albeit closer to 3.

I still can't really put a finger on exactly what made this a ‘middling' read. Definitely the writing was steady and composed - there wasn't a good deal of variation in pace or modulation in excitement levels. Also the author, while obviously passionate about the countries visited, doesn't transmit any of that passion. He is routinely critical of the lack of facilities, and the interactions with people (who to be fair mostly come across as ‘not all that interesting'), and doesn't go out of his way to find a highlight after 3 lowlights. Try as I might, I also am unable to come up with a highlight to end this paragraph. I suspect if I wrote a travel book, it might turn out a bit like this book.

And to the scope - the author makes three trips in 1968 & 69, extensively covering Romania and Bulgaria, while touching briefly on Serbia (a part of Yugoslavia at that time), and crossing on into Turkey on one trip. Two of the trips commenced in Hungary, which also gets a lot of mentions.
This is not a city highlight sort of travel either. The author and his companions on each trip make for the backroads, calling in small towns and villages, mixing with the common folk equally with the village leaders, local politicians, important folk and dignitaries.

There was a lot of information here, including good backgrounds to the politics and traditions, but it was presently so dryly as to make it difficult to absorb, which was a shame, as my knowledge of this part of eastern Europe needed a hand!

Best I also mention the very good, and very helpful fold out map at the front of the book - opens up to about 400x400mm.