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Short Breaks in Mordor: Dawns and Departures of a Scribbler's Life [Kindle Edition]

Peter Hitchens (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
Kindle Price: £5.30 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
 
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  • Length: 440 pages (estimated)
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Book Description

A compendium of in-depth reports from all over the World, including Iran, North Korea, Bhutan, Japan, Pakistan, Israel, Africa Turkey and China

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 662 KB
  • Print Length: 440 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00L1AWJA2
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray:
  • Word Wise: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #60,219 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A nice work to dive into in bite sized pieces for ... 30 Jun. 2014
By T. Kaplan
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
A nice work to dive into in bite sized pieces for a quick dose of mind expansion. The analysis of the speed, breadth and power of the development of Shanghai was particularly frightening.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 30 Jun. 2014
By Vaclav Havel
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful collection of articles. Hitchens' writing is clear and lucid, and the articles are both interesting and informative.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating foreign correspondence from a fantastic writer 29 Jun. 2014
By Ben Kelly
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This a fine collection of writing from the most misunderstood and wilfully misrepresented journalist in Britain. Peter Hitchens offers a captivating insight into some of the most curious, interesting and dangerous locations in the world. He really makes you think and feel as if you are broadening your horizons simply by sharing his intriguing perspective on the places he has visited, the people he has met and the things he has seen. I highly recommend this, from North Korea, to Burma, India and Iran, this is a though provoking collection of travel writing that had me turn the pages late into the night.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Travels and travails 4 July 2014
By S Sims
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Peter Hitchens is one of the most intelligent and readable commentators currently writing. Other journalists parrot the received view; his independence of mind and clear-sighted approach to politics and culture are refreshing. He is sceptical but never cynical; sees the problems of the present without wallowing in nostalgia for the past; and is frequently proved correct in his predictions about the future.

This book is a collection of his travel writing, though if that phrase conjures visions of Bill Bryson or Paul Theroux, forget it: Mr Hitchens is interested more in the intersection of totalitarian government and the people who have to endure it. He has also been a working journalist all his professional life, and the essays in this book were mainly written for newspapers of magazines: it's fascinating to compare two pieces on the same place designed for different outlets.

I can't recommend this book highly enough: it's an engrossing read, and a book which turns many of one's preconceptions (though by no means all) upside down.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars He calls himself 'the hated Peter Hitchens' 12 Aug. 2014
By Rod Drake
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
He calls himself 'the hated Peter Hitchens', because of the bile directed at

him from both sides of the political spectrum: From the left, for his perceived

conservative views, such as his hard-line opposition to drugs, traditional Anglican

Christianity and support for family and moral values; from the right, for his

distaste for the faux-conservative party of David Cameron ('Useless Tories')

and his refusal to hold the knee-jerk right-wing opinions they think he should

have. But his latest book, Short Breaks in Mordor, causes me to wonder whether

Hitchens-hatred could be more subtly driven by a subliminal aversion to his

determination to puncture the complacency of Westerners and to deflate their

delusions of permanent First World status.

The 'Mordor' of the title refers of course to the evil empire of Sauron from 'Lord

of the Rings'. 'Mordor' is one of those words, like 'Dickensian', which serves

as a cultural cue; in utilising it, the author conveys in one word the awfulness

(perceived or real) of the destinations he visits. Among these are Iran, North

Korea, Ceuta, Venezuela, Burma, South Africa, Belarus, Russia, Shanghai,

Bhutan, India, Baghdad, Cairo, Detroit, Turkey, Uzbekistan, China, Gaza, Cuba

and Congo. They are places you probably do not want to visit, and Hitchens went

so you don't have to.

Some of these essays come as a surprise to those of us spoon-fed and lapping

up the lazy and shallow perspectives of our media and governments. The

Iran which Hitchens describes is not the dour, oppressive place it is generally

portrayed to be. Read more ›
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent travelogues 5 July 2014
By ILOVEMYIPAD
Format:Kindle Edition
Excellent group of travelogues written from the perspective of a journalist rather than a holidaymaker. Having spent some time in Moscow during the Yeltsin & Gorbachov years it was good to read Peter Hitchens description of the change in that city since the fall of communism.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth a read 30 Jun. 2014
By Steve Ovett
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fascinating to read original, well-written accounts of such interesting countries. I also felt that I learned a lot from reading it. My only complaints are that I would have liked to have been able to read a physical copy and it also gave me serious wander lust...
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Misunderstood Man 24 July 2014
By J. D. Aspinall
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Let's talk about something important. I'm sure there are many who think Peter Hitchens is the devil incarnate. They are probably wrong about that. I urged a colleague of mine to read some of Mr Hitchens's stuff and he refused. 'I can't stand him - the right-wing so and so!" That wasn't exactly what he said, but it'll do.

I had taken some time to explain that Hitchens doesn't think what many think he thinks. My colleague included. I pointed out that Hitchens isn't in the least right-wing. (The look I got for that stays with me still.) Hitchens is an example of what Norman Mailer used to describe himself as: a 'left-conservative.'

I will make a confession. I used to have a generalisation about Peter Hitchens. I used to think: 'Hitchens disapproves of everything.' That was as wrong as I got, and it was a few years ago. Now, however, I've seen and heard many things written and said about him by thoughtful individuals. I decided my generalisation wasn't all that bad and I long ago chose to forgive myself.

I told my colleague that taking Hitchens's measure, by reading his books, columns and blog postings did repay the effort; indeed, doing so might make such a person a little more privileged than they were before doing it.

Privilege is what comes to mind with `Short Breaks in Mordor.'

Consider the writing about Iran and the reports from normal Iranians who are, actually, quite fond of the West and would only side with their government if attacked by the West; or consider the normal Iranians cracking dirty jokes about their dear leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. It's not what one might expect. Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars ... and his descriptions of places and people are very good. The book...
The author writes well and his descriptions of places and people are very good. The book is now a bit dated as many of the events described have moved on considerably since the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by donald macdonald
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
Excellent insight of world events and situations giving a better understanding which goes against much of the main stream propaganda. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bobb
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Absolutely fantastic and deserving of a wider audience than it has received.
Published 4 months ago by Jbloggs
4.0 out of 5 stars Good for people new to his writing
Much of the content will be familiar to Hitchens obsessives such as myself as the ebook consists mostly of articles already published recently for magazines and the Mail on... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alex
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb writing, fanstastic insight from Peter
A superb read, excellent writing, a collection of intriguing articles that give great insight to life in countries that differ in so many ways to Britain.
Published 5 months ago by ForzaGT
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
brilliantly written and hugely enjoyable
Published 5 months ago by pyoung
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant e-book.
As ever, Peter Hitchens delivers a brilliant read.

Side note - it is ridiculous that PH can't get a publisher these days but Russell "Revolution" Brand can. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. J. Wentworth
5.0 out of 5 stars Travel yourself terrifying
Short Breaks in Mordor is a scary and thoughtful book about the author's observations and reflections on some of the world's trouble spots, forgotten backwaters and places about... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stephen Francis Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
An excellent read, giving a new perspective on conditions in and prospects for many foreign countries.
Published 6 months ago by The Dook
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book
This was a real eye-opener of a book for me. Peter Hitchens details his travels to the kind of places that many of us will never have been, and are probably unlikely to visit. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Neil E.
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