A SLOW BOAT TO MOSCOW by John Webber

This is a delightful account of two trips to Russia, both since the collapse of the Soviet Union and therefore of particular interest to someone like myself who has only visited the country before the changes.
The first trip, which provides the title of the book. begins with a river cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow. John has a sharp eye for pictures and there are plenty of lovely architectural photographs. He also has a keen eye for human quirks and personality and the writer’s skill to portray these. The whole book has many amusing accounts of his encounters with Russians.
He went as a non-Russian speaker armed with a phrase book and seems to have managed very well even when tempted off tour to explore. I was very gratified to find that he accurately transliterates Russian phrases in the conversations so that the reader can get the full flavour of his encounters. For the duration of part one, John was subject to the strictures of the coach company and was whisked past fascinating glimpses of places that called to him, such a Tolstoy’s Moscow house and the Novodevichii monastery, where he was allowed a paltry five minutes to take photos.

So, therefore, he just had to return under his own steam. Thus we get a second chance with him, to see inside a lot more interesting sites and to meet more Russian characters en route. I was amused to read that he guessed Peter the Great was not very tall [on seeing his somewhat less than spacious cabin]; he was, in fact, 6'8".
Altogether it is an enchanting book and worth reading for the sheer enjoyment of the writing and the chance to peer at the new emerging Russia, especially as the end of the cold war does not seem to have done much for improving the attitude of the West to Russia. I would also recommend to anyone setting out to visit that intriguing land, on a tour or independently, to take John’s book along for reference on the way. It will help you not to miss things that you really shouldn’t.

Daphni Percival 2009