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On the Plain of Snakes

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On the Plain of Snakes

By: Paul Theroux
Narrated by: Joseph Balderrama
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About this listen

The master of contemporary travel writing, Paul Theroux, immerses himself in the beautiful and troubled heart of modern Mexico.

Nogales is a border town caught between Mexico and the United States of America. A 40-foot steel fence runs through its centre, separating the prosperous US side from the impoverished Mexican side. It is a fascinating site of tension, now more than ever, as the town fills with hopeful border crossers and the deportees who have been caught and brought back. And it is here that Paul Theroux will begin his journey into the culturally rich but troubled heart of modern Mexico.

Moving through the deserts just south of the Arizona border, Theroux finds a place brimming with charm, yet visibly marked by both the US border patrol looming to the north and mounting discord from within. Attending local language and culinary schools, driving through the country and meeting its people, Paul Theroux gets under the skin of Mexico.

From the writer praised for his 'curiosity and affection for humanity in all its forms' (New York Times Book Review), On the Plain of Snakes is an urgent and mesmerising exploration of a region in conflict.

©2019 Paul Theroux (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd North America Travel Writing & Commentary Latin American Mexico

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I found this to be an excellent book, with depth, as well as being interesting, educational and entertaining. It is quite eye-opening and some of it quite shocking.

It is the first book I have read from this author and was impressed, so will be looking at his other books now.

A an insightful and open open narrative of a journey in modern Mexico

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Not just crisscrossing the border in his Massachussets car, Paul Theroux ventures south to Chiapas where he encounters trans people Muxes and writes about discrimination in Mexican society. Then he meets with masked subcomandante Marcos, leader of the Zapatista uprising and is invited to make a speech.

A brave book

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Really gripping story and descriptions, Paul Theroux is a wonderful travel writer and takes time to understand and explain something about the places he visits. I did not want this book to end.

Lovely narration and pronunciation of Mexican names and languages

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A wonderful journey and very well read. A master of travel and scrivening. An inspiration.

A Sublime piece of work

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Great performer, lovely voice. But why do you treat commas like full stops (periods)? long pauses between listed items made for confusing listening. but still great.

Great voice but strange pauses

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Really wasn’t able to get into unfortunately, just felt like I was listening to someone’s diary but with a lot of information that didn’t feel captivating eg had lunch here spoke to this random dude…also in the beginning he says how he won’t talk about how dangerous Mexico is and then goes on to talk about it how dangerous Mexico is. Maybe it gets better as the book goes on…

Didn’t get into

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This is the first book by Paul Theroux that has bored me. I had it on audio. The first section on the border was very long and seemed more about Mr T’s desire for open borders than Mexico. I skipped some of this as it was all a bit “ and here’s another sad story to persuade you I am right”. The second section was better but I felt the book was going round in circles so have abandoned it. More editing needed and less lecturing.

Too long and repetitive

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