The Last Secrets of the Silk Road: Four Girls Follow Marco Polo Across 5, 000 Miles

Publisher and industry reviews

UK Kirkus review

In 1999, after graduating from Edinburgh University, Alexandra Tolstoy set out on an expedition with three friends. They were to follow the old Silk Route from Merv in Turkmenistan, through Uzbekistan, Kyrgyztan and the Taklamakan Desert to Xian in China. The Last Secrets of the Silk Road is Tolstoy's account of this journey that took her through some of the least known and most beautiful regions in the world on horseback and on camels and brought her together with her (now) husband, the handsome, blue-eyed guide Shamil. While I am certain Tolstoy and her friends had a great adventure crossing this remote territory, unfortunately she does not manage to really engage her reader. Jumping from one topic to the next, she skims the surfaces of geography, history and culture in the matter-of-fact narrative style of a school report. Much attention is given to group politics and at times it sounds like the girls bickered their way through Central Asia. Tolstoy seems only too aware of the fact that her travel companions would eventually read the book and steps carefully through this minefield - giving everyone a little bit of praise and a little bit of criticism in an irritating, even-handed sort of way. Don't get me wrong, Tolstoy's journey along the Silk Route sounds like a great personal achievement. I'm just not sure why I should be reading about it. (Kirkus UK)