Book #22 for 2024: Walk the Lines by Mark Mason
Re-read of a book that I reviewed several years back under my old username. I enjoyed reading this one again; liked the humorous accounts Mark Mason gave of things he witnessed on his journeys, as well as mentioning all the people he interviewed, and going into detail about the history of different areas. I imagined him walking these lines while dictating things to himself to make sure he didn't forget them.
A lot of time well spent, and as he points out, you don't realise how London fits together until you avoid the tube.
Walk the Lines: The London Underground, Overground by Mark Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mark Mason's book charts his efforts at walking along the routes taken by the London Underground lines. During the book he talks about everything he sees, including notes about the geography of the areas he visits and random things that he observes on the way, as well as including fascinating historical facts (plus some very geeky ones regarding individual stations), plus he talks about various people he interviews on the way, such as the actor who voiced the "Mind the Gap" announcement heard often at the London underground station platforms.
While this book is something that most people will either love or hate, depending on whether they are interested in the subject matter, I enjoyed this enormously. Mark Mason's writing displays a sense of humour similar to that of Bill Bryson, except without the surrealism, and you almost get a sense of being on his journey with him. While I felt a bit disappointed at a few moments when it felt like the book rushed past areas with barely any comment, walks through other areas of London were covered in a lot of detail, and I could imagine him walking around with a notebook, constantly jotting stuff down that he wanted to put into the book. The chapter where he and a friend did the "Circle Line pub crawl" was one of the most entertaining of all.
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A lot of time well spent, and as he points out, you don't realise how London fits together until you avoid the tube.
Walk the Lines: The London Underground, Overground by Mark Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mark Mason's book charts his efforts at walking along the routes taken by the London Underground lines. During the book he talks about everything he sees, including notes about the geography of the areas he visits and random things that he observes on the way, as well as including fascinating historical facts (plus some very geeky ones regarding individual stations), plus he talks about various people he interviews on the way, such as the actor who voiced the "Mind the Gap" announcement heard often at the London underground station platforms.
While this book is something that most people will either love or hate, depending on whether they are interested in the subject matter, I enjoyed this enormously. Mark Mason's writing displays a sense of humour similar to that of Bill Bryson, except without the surrealism, and you almost get a sense of being on his journey with him. While I felt a bit disappointed at a few moments when it felt like the book rushed past areas with barely any comment, walks through other areas of London were covered in a lot of detail, and I could imagine him walking around with a notebook, constantly jotting stuff down that he wanted to put into the book. The chapter where he and a friend did the "Circle Line pub crawl" was one of the most entertaining of all.
View all my reviews