REVIEWS

Lynda Boyle-Ronaldson

Although I have only read the first few chapters I am thoroughly enjoying this book. Simon’s style of writing is very descriptive and one is drawn into his story in the first few pages.

He is very honest in his account of the things he has seen and done. He draws the reader in giving a warmth and enjoyability that makes you want to read more of his adventures. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this book now that I’ve returned from my less exotic and exciting travels!

Thank you Viking team for introducing me to his written works.

Hilary Hayward

This was a fantastic book that I can imagine would appeal to many people.

Learning about Simon 's early life and schooling makes this an ideal read for someone in secondary school. When you find something that fits you, your life can be transformed.

Once he started on his journeys it felt like there were many more books waiting to be written. All the anecdotes about behind the scenes.

Left you with many issues to think about.

Thank you Viking for getting me to read something outside my usual range.

Ann Livings

I have always found Simon Reeves' adventurous travel programmes captivating and inspiring. I love his style of presenting and the way he goes about meeting such diverse people and is not afraid to explore difficult subjects

It is fascinating to see these areas of the world on his programmes. Until now I knew nothing of his background and this book was so interesting and seems to come from the heart. His life is an inspirational story of how to succeed in the face of adversity and a lesson in not giving up, working hard and believing that something better must be around the corner. It is also humbling to hear of the lives of Eastern Europeans who have so little and face a daily struggle in areas we know so little about.

The book is not just a travelogue or an autobiography but rather an account of the struggles of humanity.

Katherine Petty

Thank you for sending me a copy of Simon Reeve’s Step by Step for me to review. I presume it was a random choice as it’s not one I would have chosen to read but I appreciate the gift nonetheless. Having lived abroad for many years I am not familiar with Simon Reeve as a TV personality or journalist. As he confesses himself in this book he left school with minimal qualifications & knows very little about English, it’s a pity he didn’t do an A level in it before he wrote this as the grammar is infuriatingly bad, so many full stops/periods and too many sentences begging with And or But!

It’s described as a travel book & starts as such, quite dramatically, then suddenly changes course into his autobiography which lasts for a few chapters then merges into his career break, thanks to his supposedly awful father. Considering his squandering of any education his luck continues into the prize travel job that dominates the remainder of the book, ironically thanks to the fame from his first, most important book, the New Jackals, after the twin tower destruction. While it is full of travels to rarely seen before places the reader is only given glimpses of these countries with either sparse detail or too much personal information as if it can’t decide whether it’s biographical or travelogue. Perhaps Reeve is assuming that the reader has seen all his shows & these are the bits that were cut the result being that I was left unsympathetic to his scant reasons for an unhappy or unfortunate childhood & unsatisfied with the travel accounts.

Laura Radford

I have been a fan of Simon Reeve’s travel programmes since he began and really enjoyed his ‘Stans’ series and the various Equator and Tropics programmes he has done, so when I saw he had written a book I was intrigued.

The book is as much about some of his interesting travel experiences as it is his childhood. I was quite shocked to read he had been quite a naughty child, and even carried a knife at one point!

The strained relationship he had with his father comes out in the book and how it was a difficult time for him growing up. And also then when his father was sick, he talks about how the family came together through it all. A really quite heart-warming moment.

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to find out more about some of the unique experiences Simon had whilst recording his TV programmes, particularly his experience with Malaria, which is horrific to say the least. And also for those who want to learn a bit more about him as a person. From what I have read he seems to be a very humble, caring man who has certainly been shaped by his life experiences and the people he has met during his many travels. The book is well written and easy to read.