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  • Michael Palin: Pole to Pole

  • By: Michael Palin
  • Narrated by: Michael Palin
  • Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,152 ratings)
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Michael Palin: Pole to Pole cover art

Michael Palin: Pole to Pole

By: Michael Palin
Narrated by: Michael Palin
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Summary

In Pole to Pole we join Michael Palin on the second of his epic challenges. Travelling from the North Pole to the South Pole, he experiences every extreme the globe has to offer. As he crosses 16 countries by train, truck, raft, Ski-Doo, barge, balloon, and bicycle, he meets a diverse range of fascinating characters and landscapes while his own endurance is tested to the limit. With his customary aplomb, he plunges himself into the local cultures, starring in a crayfish documentary in Novgorod, attending a baby-rolling ceremony at a Cypriot wedding, and consulting an Mpulugu witch-doctor. He samples the local cuisines, from goat stew in Kigoma to seal lasagne in Tromsø, and the local customs, beating himself with birch twigs in a Finnish sauna and enjoying a mud massage in Odessa. His incredible journey is a delight for anyone interested in our weird, wonderful world.

©1999 Michael Palin (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Michael Palin: Pole to Pole

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not up to the usual Michael Palin standard

I have been working my way back through the Michael Palin travel books and diaries. The actual content is of course excellent. I enjoy his descriptions of his travels. However this specific book was poorer than say Around the world for two reasons. Firstly the sound quality is nowhere near as good as other books in the series. Don't know what the technical issue was but the sound was "grainy", less clear. The second issue is of course more subjective but Michael Palin just sounded a bit more jaded even a bit bored while narrating.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An interesting story with excellent narration

This is a really interesting journey with great narration by the author. Especially intriguing to reflect on the world he travelled through in the early 90s.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I felt I was there ...

Michael Palin has the gift of creating word pictures so the listener can feel he/she was actually there. His words have the ring of authenticity. Nothing is sensationalised, just told like it was. He is not afraid to revel both the light and the dark of himself, which makes him engaging.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and understated

I have time for Michael Palin; understated, ironic and self deprecating with an insightful eye for detail. The travel formula works well but one needs a break between books

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

As much about history as geography

It is astonishing to think that it is 30 years since Michael Palin did his iconic TV series Round the World in 80 Days and Pole to Pole etc that became the blueprint formula for countless celebrities to follow. Listening to this again now the most apparent feature is that the Pole to Pole show was recorded at a time (1991) of enormous world political change and many of the countries that Mr Palin visited were in a state of flux even at the time of his visit. The description of the extremes of the polar regions are the most memorable elements of this remarkable journey. I was travelling through Africa on an overland truck expedition in the opposite direction to Mr Palin at the same time on a life changing adventure and must have passed him at some point. It is great hearing Michael Palin narrate the story of his journey and his affection for the people he meets and the places he visits. They say that travel broadens the mind and Michael Palin must be a very wise man indeed. Five stars.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Worth a listen.

I enjoyed this book narrated by Michael but ‘around the world in 80 days’ has much more of a story to it. Still worth a listen though.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

How travel writing should be...

By now, pretty much everyone knows what they're going to get when they read or listen to a Michael Palin travel book: If you're looking for a normal travel guide, this isn't it. If you're just wanting an audio version of the TV series, this isn't it either. The books delve much deeper into the day to day of the trip than was conveyed on the screen. You find out more about the crew that travel with MP on his travels, and the things that happen off camera. Think of this as the companion piece to the TV series. To get the full effect, you want both, and ideally you'd watch one episode, then read/listen to the chapters/days in the book that go along with it, etc...

As for the narration, MP is of course the only person who could do it. He's not just narrating the book, he's re-living it, and breathing life into the words for you.

I've only marked the "story" rating as a 4, because whilst it's a grwat read/listen, it doesn't *quite* reach the heights that he reached on Round the World and Full Circle....

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An adventure and an unexpected time capsule

Planned as an adventure and the ultimate road trip, the choice to pass through Eastern Europe in 1991 proved momentous as Michael finds himself an accidental witness to the last days of the Soviet Union. A fascinating journey through wildly contrasting geographies and culture, told by Michael Palin himself in his trademark style: that gentle blend of humour, honesty, keen observation and respect for the fascinating people he meets.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Envy?

I always start off these books being envious and end up being grateful that someone has given me all the pleasure without having to undergo the gruelling torment. Wonderful as usual.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining, as you would expect

Listening to this book is equally as entertaining as watching Michael Palin on TV. The scenes are painted with vibrancy and detail, giving the listener a trip From Pole to Pole which is entertaining from beginning to end.

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1 person found this helpful