Rating: 
Summary: Suspended disbelief
Review: I really enjoyed this book, struggling along with Rawicz on his journey -in the comfort of my armchair, cozy and safe at home. That is, until I read about his sighting Yeti towards the end, and then I groaned, "Oh no, why did he have to put this in?", which is why I took away one star. Of course some of the story must be distorted because it wasn't until years later that it was written and some of it must have had details aimed at selling thrown in, but I was really glad I read it, in contrast to some books I regret having wasted time on.
Rating: 
Summary: Anyone want to investigate this???
Review: If true, then like all the others here, I give it 5-stars. If it is nothing more than a tall-tale, it gets only 1-star (It is not a great piece of prose in and of itself, and decent ghost writers are a dime a dozen.) I too would love to see more verification, but the trail must be cold (excuse the pun) after all these years. Oh well.....
Rating:
Summary: Hard to Put Down
Review: I walked 2,200 miles over mountains carrying a 40-lb backpack in about 6 months during my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I can understand why there is some question as to the validity of the events in this amazing story from Rawicz. I can attest that there are some things described in the book that only another person who has walked all those miles would have experienced. But there are also some things that one who has walked miles like that would adamantly question. On my 2200-mile walk, I was always well-fed (by Rawicz's standards, not by American suburbian standards) and had access to water nearly all the time. However, I did run out of water on occasion to the point where I spent a few nights thirsty and thinking of nothing but getting to water the next day, and I could not fathom the length of time Rawicz claims to pass during his Gobi crossing without water. I do think it is completely feasible that he walked all that way and over those mountains, but perhaps there was some exageration in the number of days between water. See "Follow the River" as another based-on-fact book about a woman who walked under similar conditions from Indian captivity in Ohio back to her early American Virginia settlement. Questions of truthfulness aside, this book is an excellent read. Good, period-true writing style (see older adventure books like "South" for that "removed" style) and lots of amazing things to ponder, such as the Yeti sighting.
Rating: 
Summary: when you have to do it.....
Review: It would seem those who review this story as "unbelievable" have never found themselves in a situation they MUST endure...for example, the situation in which labouring women find themselves.....where one must reach deep inside for the strenth and courage to continue....when one's desire to live outstrips the tempation to give up. For other"unbelievable" examples, I would refer them to the myriad of Holocaust survivors, those of the ill-fated ship Endurance, or of southeast asian boat refugees. Perhaps if these reviewers found themselves in a similar situation, they would discover their own "unbelievable" resources.
Rating: 
Summary: TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE
Review: Although I throughly enjoyed reading this book it is a totally unrealistic story. Highly conditioned atheletes in world class shape cannot survive a desert without water, so there is no way half starved prisoners can last 8 days without water.
Rating:
Summary: Facts, Facts, Facts
Review: I read this book eagerly, given the fact that the book jacket described Rawicz's journey as "Homeric." Though he may have travelled as far as Odysseus, he certainly doesn't possess the literary skills of a Homer, even with the help of a ghost writer. The Long Walk was a plainly told tale of extraordinary endurance. In fact, I agree with one reviewer who found the tale so extraordinary as to be unbelievable. I might be willing to accept the truth of Rawicz's story had there been some introduction or some verifiable historical facts within the tale itself. Unfortunately, my edition had none of this and the result was fairly implausible. I could easily catalogue the story's absurdities: the fact that the Polish officers all died along the way, leaving only Rawicz and a few untraceable companions at the end; the claims that the party walked for days with no food or no water (read _In the Heart of the Sea_ or _Endurance_ for a more plausible survival tales, and you'll realize how difficult this is); the idea that the party traversed some of the most daunting territory on the earth in handmade fur garments (?!). Even if his story is true, Rawicz never bothers to analyze his experience, or mull over what it might mean. He and his companions managed to reach the relatively hospitable Mongolia and encountered dozens of boats heading for China, yet still chose to walk not only through the Gobi desert but over the Himalayas, with tragic consequences. Without some thoughts about the meaning of the experience and about his post-war life, Rawicz's tale is hardly more interesting than the map that marks his party's estimated route through the wilds of Asia.
Rating:
Summary: What a fairy tale!
Review: If this had been written simply as a novel I could have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, everything was entirely too fantastic to be believed. I think the con artist who wrote this book found a quick way to gain some attention and a few dollars to pad his wallet. And the character, Mr. Smith! Give me a break. Knowing the readership would be mainly English-speaking, he chose a name impossible to trace. Back up the book with some facts and I will gladly change my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: The Long Walk, incredible journey
Review: I subscribe to a magazine, National Geographic Adventure, which rated the 100 best all time adventure books 1-100. The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz was rated #53 on the list but was reviewed by Sebastian Junger whose own book "The Perfect Storm" was rated #30. The Junger review raised by curiosity and I purchased it. I was not disappointed. The account was a gripping page turner and I was sad when it was over in 48 hours. Rawicz, the Polish author had settled in England after the war and I emailed an English Friend of mine to suggest the book to him. He replied that not only had he read the book years earlier, he had written Rawicz who sent him a pleasant letter with sketches he had done of the Abominable Snowmen he observed while crossing the Himalayas. I was very pleased with this book and look forward to continuing on the National Geographic Adventure list
Rating:
Summary: Sorry - but when it was over I didn't believe it
Review: I truly wished that I could believe this was a true story. Somewhere buried inside this tale is a lot of truth. Certainly the horrors of WWII and the Soviet gulags are all terribly true enough.There is just too much to take. I did a search to try to corroborate this story and could find nothing anywhere that interviews the other members or corroborates this in any way. I hope that they do make a movie out of this story since that will force enough attention to try to verify this story one way or the other. I can only hope that it is corroborated and the "real" story is the victim of an overzealous and not very competent ghost writer.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible trek to freedom
Review: We owe a great debt to Slavomir Rawicz for sharing his remarkable story with us. His escape from the horrible Soviet prison camp in northern Siberia and subsequent trek to freedom is a great tribute to the human spirit to be free. I was especially touched by the bonding of those few other prisoners that joined him in this effort. Although different nationalities, they came together as a cohesive group, determined to get along and reach their goal. What they endured and how they survived is a tale that ranks right up there with the great adventure stories throughout history. This is a welcome addition to any library.
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