What do you think?
Rate this book
The Slow Road to Deadhorse
Starting in the pastel skies of the Florida Keys, join award-winning author, tech entrepreneur and British immigrant-to-America James Anthony as he meanders the backroads of North America.
He travels through offbeat towns, dust bowls, tallgrass prairies, and mountain passes, all the way to the Arctic Ocean, arriving just before freeze-up.
Dodging burly wildlife keen to take a bite out of him, he meets the quirky, good-hearted folk of North America’s backwaters, learning how Britain influenced the continent’s history, much of it painfully unsavoury.
Passionate, poignant, humorous, and insightful, The Slow Road to Deadhorse chronicles an Englishman’s ultimate North American road trip. Tally-ho!
He travels through offbeat towns, dust bowls, tallgrass prairies, and mountain passes, all the way to the Arctic Ocean, arriving just before freeze-up.
Dodging burly wildlife keen to take a bite out of him, he meets the quirky, good-hearted folk of North America’s backwaters, learning how Britain influenced the continent’s history, much of it painfully unsavoury.
Passionate, poignant, humorous, and insightful, The Slow Road to Deadhorse chronicles an Englishman’s ultimate North American road trip. Tally-ho!
260 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2021
17 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
James Anthony
6 books5 followersJames Anthony is an award-winning, multi-genre author from London, England. With a keen eye, sharp wit, and poetic irreverence, he retold all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets in modern verse, published by Penguin Random House in 2018. Described by Stephen Fry as 'a dazzling success,' he continues to retell the Bard's greatest plays in his popular 'Shakespeare Retold' series. When not tackling the Bard, Anthony is an offbeat travel writer, documenting his trips in his 'Slow Road' series, earning him the moniker the English Bill Bryson.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 26, 2023
Great read. A journey through American history and culture. Amusing and light hearted whilst touching some serious subjects. Makes me want to go on a road trip!
January 18, 2022
I really enjoyed The Slow Road to Deadhorse and this was for many reasons. Firstly, I love travel books, where writers share their first-hand experiences of their trips, stop-offs and stays and you get a lot of that here. Secondly, sharing a window on the world is always stimulating, seeing where people have been and hearing those places described, providing insight but also ideas for future forays into exploration. Finally, James Anthony's recount of his rather epic journey on his own (!) was particularly well-written with anecdotes and humour as well as history and encounters with Americans on the way from Florida to Deadhorse.
I think one of the things that really comes out of this book is the catharsis that James Anthony finds while he crosses the vastness of the States; the distraction in the distraction. There is a sense that he is a little lost from other events in his life and that the reason he has chosen to embark on such an adventure is a way of him re-finding himself and building confidence. Gaining perspective and reflecting on the way that his life has unfolded mean that this is more than just a travelogue. Brief encounters with a variety of different Americans provide Anthony with the chance to dwell on his feelings, his impressions, his assumptions, his expectations. There is nothing like travel to alter and shift your perspective and Anthony's book illustrates this.
He is also very good at bringing the people who he meets to life, with recounts of his dialogue with them, and the generosity of strangers is something that comes out very strongly. I liked the places that he sought out on his trip which were not the highly commercialised normal hotspots and there is an overriding sense that this is a real America, full of characters and people just finding their way from day to day, interspersed with discussions of its history, culture and progression, but nothing too controversial or analytical.
One of the greatest appreciations that a reader gets from this book, especially as Anthony nears his goal the further north he travels, is the wilderness and wildlife that America has to offer and what a privilege it is to be able to experience this.
All in all, I flew through this book: there was so much to enjoy from the way it was written to what was included. A gem.
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC.
I think one of the things that really comes out of this book is the catharsis that James Anthony finds while he crosses the vastness of the States; the distraction in the distraction. There is a sense that he is a little lost from other events in his life and that the reason he has chosen to embark on such an adventure is a way of him re-finding himself and building confidence. Gaining perspective and reflecting on the way that his life has unfolded mean that this is more than just a travelogue. Brief encounters with a variety of different Americans provide Anthony with the chance to dwell on his feelings, his impressions, his assumptions, his expectations. There is nothing like travel to alter and shift your perspective and Anthony's book illustrates this.
He is also very good at bringing the people who he meets to life, with recounts of his dialogue with them, and the generosity of strangers is something that comes out very strongly. I liked the places that he sought out on his trip which were not the highly commercialised normal hotspots and there is an overriding sense that this is a real America, full of characters and people just finding their way from day to day, interspersed with discussions of its history, culture and progression, but nothing too controversial or analytical.
One of the greatest appreciations that a reader gets from this book, especially as Anthony nears his goal the further north he travels, is the wilderness and wildlife that America has to offer and what a privilege it is to be able to experience this.
All in all, I flew through this book: there was so much to enjoy from the way it was written to what was included. A gem.
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC.
January 16, 2022
Modern times travel masterpiece. James Anthony has done today with The Slow Road to Deadhorse what Steinbeck did in 1962 with Travels with Charley; capture the majesty of a cross-continent road trip from Florida to Alaska. Through the point of view of a British transplant, Anthony takes the reader along for the ride through not only the continental USA, but also incorporating the times and people encountered along the way. James Anthony's "The Slow Road to Deadhorse" will reconnect the reader with that underlying urge to jump in the car and explorer from sea to shining sea.
June 23, 2022
Well written and instantly appealing, this engaging travelogue matches curious characters and off-beat history, with the author’s learnings from business life.
A nicely done awareness-of-life story of discovery, at a gentle pace - packed with delightful anecdotes and experiences, which draw you into his journey so you feel you are on the road with him on his enjoyably whimsical route through the American and Canadian backwaters.
A nicely done awareness-of-life story of discovery, at a gentle pace - packed with delightful anecdotes and experiences, which draw you into his journey so you feel you are on the road with him on his enjoyably whimsical route through the American and Canadian backwaters.
June 4, 2024
A travelogue by an Englishman expat in the US from Key West to the tip of Florida. It's good, but nothing more than that. The stereotypes in the South miss the mark. There were a few factual errors that weren't corrected. There were times I had to re-read passages as there was missing content. Strangely, there was no map besides an online link which isn't useful for an airplane ride. Still, a good ride and story.
May 7, 2022
This is a very good read about the people of modern America. Clearly the author was influenced by Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie, and I enjoyed it very much. So many travelogues are just about the trip: but here the the areas have been properly researched and thought about, so it brings life to the various people he meets along the way. Recommended.
April 20, 2023
I’m not sure why I had trouble getting any traction with this memoir. It’s the type of book I usually love - facts, observations, history, food, people met on the road - it’s all there but it just didn’t mesh for me.
I am keeping the book though in hopes that I’ll re-read it someday and enjoy it more.
I am keeping the book though in hopes that I’ll re-read it someday and enjoy it more.
May 15, 2023
If you have enjoyed any of Bill Bryson's travel writing, you are likely to enjoy James Anthony's road trip across North America. It was fascinating to see my native US through the eyes of the author who is from the UK.
This would be an excellent choice as an audiobook for a road trip of your own!
This would be an excellent choice as an audiobook for a road trip of your own!
August 18, 2022
Love the premise of this travelogue and enjoyed it at first, but it kind of fizzled out in the end.
February 26, 2023
A really good blend of thoughtfulness and humor.
May 16, 2023
Another great entry for one of my favorite genres: American Road Trip Lit
October 30, 2024
A good, fun read.
September 14, 2023
I really enjoyed James’ journey. I found him to be very informative on the history of different places which offered a deeper meaning to the book than just travelling between places. As someone who has huge interest in American road trips, I found myself following along and noting down places I would like to include on my own travels.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews