Peter Millar (1)

Morocco is located on the northern fringe of the great continent of Africa. It is an Islamic country that is maintaining a fine balance between modern culture and tradition. It is full of exotic places and names, who cannot be seduced by the cities of Marrakech and Casablanca, and the sights and smells of the markets.

Starting from the ancient capital of Marrakech, Millar sets out on a train journey around this colourful country. It has not suffered the same fate as other countries after the Arab spring, and comes across as a liberal state. He immerses himself in the places and the people, travelling from the snake charmers and bustling markets of the medinas, to Fez with its ancient walls, to the sea and the towns that sit opposite Gibraltar and to the Meknes valley where the wines are made.

Millar in this book really brings the country to life. As he travels and meets the people you really get a feel for the country and the warmth and generosity of the people, the blend of traditional and ancient, and the fine line that they tread in this balancing act come across. The main point of reading a travel book is to share the experiences that the author has, and to feed the desire to visit. Millar does that in this book, making Morocco a country that I have always considered visiting, a country that I now really want to see.… (meer)

This is a fascinating account by a journalist of not only his reporting for the Sunday Times of the fall of the Berlin Wall itself and, to a lesser extent, of the fall of communist regimes in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Romania, but also his experiences as a reporter in East Germany from 1981, with the intervention of a period in Moscow in the mid-80s. His writing style is wry and informal, but without disrespecting the serious nature of the subject, covering the lives of citizens of a country subject to constant surveillance and oppression. He got to know some of these people well and made long term friendships with them, reporting on demonstrations against the authorities and celebrating with them at that amazing time in November 1989 when the Wall came tumbling down, almost literally overnight and to the surprise of everyone East and West, after a cock up by East German politburo member Gunter Schwabowski when announcing a liberalisation of the rules for leaving the country; as Millar writes, "I had committed the mistake of assuming that politics and logic would fuel the progress of history, instead of more potent factors: emotion and accident". He also recounts his early journalistic experiences in the late 70s, which being pre-technology and pre-Rupert Murdoch feels like a very different age, one with linotype and rigid demarcation lines between journalists and printers. The examples quoted of his journalistic style come across as evocative and colourful, without being sensationalist, which is a good combination for a serious journalist. A very good read.… (meer)

"...Look out, Dan Brown, make way for Millar." No way. Dan Brown doesn't have to worry. Dan Brown is a story-teller; a page-turner which only provided me with a good story and no belief in what Brown, perhaps, was trying to convince me of. Peter Millar, on the other hand, has a fascinating historical and cultural story to tell. It has, however, been thoroughly side-swiped by a boring "crime" motive. About a third of the way through, I gave up. Read the Epilogue and Author's Note. But the Black Madonna case has intrigued me, so I will look for other books about the same subject.… (meer)