
Off the Rails
A Train Trip Through Life
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Narrated by:
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Edoardo Ballerini
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By:
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Beppe Severgnini
About this listen
In this witty and entertaining collection of travel tales, an acclaimed journalist explores his obsession with trains - and what his rail journeys have taught him about culture and identity.
"I've gone around the world in installments. Every trip has been a revelation. I've watched regions, nations, and continents change moods and I've met more people on trains than in 40 years of airplane flights. Every train trip has been a spectacle. Trains are stages, cafés, bazaars. The only talk show that will never go off the air...."
Beppe Severgnini has spent his life traveling the world, and not just because he's a journalist; he's a passionate, unflagging train buff. Off the Rails recounts some of his favorite trips across Europe, Australia, Asia, and the United States, each journey bringing listeners not only to a different place but to a different time, from his honeymoon on the Trans-Siberian Express (in a four-person compartment!), to a winding journey from Russia to Turkey during the last summer of communism, to a recent coast-to-coast trip with his son from Washington, D.C., to Washington State.
Off the Rails is the perfect getaway for anyone with a touch of wanderlust, who dreams of escape or just likes to laugh. Filled with memorable characters and perceptive observations, it demonstrates - hilariously - what unites us.
With the world in chaos and life in perpetual fast-forward, it's always the right time to hop on board with Beppe Severgnini and meet your charming, hapless, quarrelsome, romantic, shifty, quirky, endearing neighbors.
©2019 Beppe Severgnini (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about Off the Rails
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- deipnosophist
- 02-27-19
Brilliant Travel Narrative
Americans always seemed to be entertained by what foreigners think of them. In this case, so am I. Severgnini has a great perspective and balances banal observations with larger ideas nicely. You get the sense that he plays the quiet observer, but is undoubtedly extroverted enough to engage strangers in conversation. Ballerini is also great with a smooth voice that is never annoying.
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