Rating: 
Summary: Fiction/Non-Fiction
Review: At several points in the reading of this "tale of surrvival", I began to question it's having been purported to be a "non-ficrional" account of escape from a Siberian prison camp. It seemed a way to "perfect" narration, with all the bases covered:prison toruture, good guards/bad guards, a young female who joins the group along the way (no mention of any lustful interest in this person from any of these men who had not even seen a female for years etc.) When in the tale, they chose to go directly through the Gobi desert, instead of skirting it, I became suspicious. When little mention was made of the parched thirst they would most surely have experienced, I became even more suspicious. I decided to go to Amazon and see what other readers had to say. I was most pleased to read that I am not alone in my view. This is a complete fictional tale of woe. Shame on the publisher for putting this out as a "non-fictional piece. Do not waste your time on this outright attempt at deception.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read, is it true?
Review: I enjoyed the book very much, but questioned some of the claims.
If true it is amazing, but find it hard to believe these men could always agree during this ordeal. Never did one man think to quit, stay put, or change direction? They hadn't seen a woman for months if not years and they all looked at her as a daughter? If fiction got the best of the writer, I would like to hear the real story. Enjoy this book, lets hope it's the real thing.
Rating: 
Summary: Still A Quandry?
Review: I just finished reading this remarkable book. It is either one of the greatest stories ever written or one of the greatest literary hoaxes of all time, and it really bugs me that I can't find an answer to this quandry. I've read ALL of Amazon's reader reviews, so I've seen the extensive SPECULATION on this question. Has anyone come up with any HARD FACTS to prove or disprove the story? It seems that there has been sufficient time since its initial publication in 1956 for its supporters and distracters to have marshalled and published their evidence. Where is it?
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational and astounding
Review: Wow....I hardly have the words to describe how much I admire this book, and more so, the people we meet during the "walk". This is a true life Odyssey, and Rawicz is our Oddyseus. From a cursory glance at the outline of the book one may think this is simply an "adventure", but it is so much more than that. The courage, fearlessness, ingenuity and determination of Rawicz and his compadres should be a shining example to anyone who is looking for heroes in these compromised times. I couldn't put it down after I started.....highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An incredibly important story
Review: I read _The_Long_Walk_ when I was in high school. A girl friend had a copy with the front cover ripped off, and missing the first page of the first chapter. Back then, I was the Angry Young Man you've encountered so often. I could not stop talking about the book with anyone and everyone I met. My admiration for Mr. Rawicz and his companions cannot be overstated. He is a hero, a person whose endurance, integrity, decency, determination, and grace are exemplary. He is enshrined in the hall of my heroes alongside George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Sergeant York, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Ghandi, Almanzo Wilder, Cap Garland, and any other fundamentally good, decent, and determined people you can think of. This is a must-read book. It is possibly one of the most important stories ever told, if only because of its total honesty and utter truth, in the face of horrific circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: spell bound
Review: I found this book at a thrift shop a few years ago and once I started reading it,could NOT put it down.It is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read.I was sad,happy,mad and at times downright scared.It is a keeper.I was so happy to learn it was back in print.
Rating:
Summary: an astounding story
Review: this is a story like no other. it is almost impossible to comprehend. how do you stay alive in the desert as well as the snow-covered mountains of south asia? how do you keep walking after you have been without water for several days? you may or may not find the answer in this book but you will definitely be intrigued and entertained.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book & work to prove validity
Review: An excellent story; I could not put it down. I read a large excerpt from the original (1956) publication of this story a while back, and this new reprinting is great - with interesting new information from the author (who is still alive and answers his mail). I, too, was skeptical about the crossing of the Gobi with such little water, but I've since learned (through a group of others on the web who are working to prove the validity of this story) that there were certain things omitted from this story. One of the most significant was the fact that they apparently used their jackets to collect rainwater from the few storms that happened their way while crossing. Why such an important detail would be omitted is beyond me, but that added piece of info. certainly makes it seem more plausible. A group of us devoted readers of this story are doing research to try to validate the story, and some interesting facts have been uncovered thus far. Those who are interested in learning more and joining the endeavor can search yahoo groups for The Long Walk (or TLW 1941). There are a lot of other people who were as moved by this story as I was, and are now working to prove out its reality and perhaps uncover the final missing pieces in the story. Again, an excellent book, and I give this new version two thumbs up. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Tell me the old, old story
Review: This book enjoyed a great vogue when it was first published in the U.K. However, it wasn't long before it was exposed as a work of fiction, notably by Peter Fleming, Ian's explorer brother, in an article in "The Spectator". Fleming knew much of the area well, and the only detail from his critique I can recall after 40 years was the striking omission by Rawicz of his having crossed a road in the Gobi desert, lined with telegraph poles, and carring regular traffic.
Gripping yarn, pity about the facts.
Rating:
Summary: Great book; website under way to try to validate story...
Review: I've re-read this story several times, and I still can't put it down each time. I'll agree that some of the areas are very difficult - if not impossible - to believe (especially surviving the desert trek), but I've wanted to give Mr. Rawicz the benefit of the doubt. His story seems sincere enough, and I figured that there had to be some significant details left out (probably by the editors), so I started doing some digging. I learned that Mr. Rawicz is still living in England, and answers his mail. I've met - through the internet - a good group of others who are interested in finding out more about this story, particularly to confirm the validity of these events. Some have already been in touch with Mr. Rawicz, and have filled me in on some of the missing details - such as collecting rainwater in their jackets during the few rainstorms they received in the desert. There is talk of turning this into a movie, and if this story can be confirmed to be true or at least possible, I believe it should be made into a motion picture. To help in this effort and to search for verifying information, we've started building a website to share what information we have so far, and to ask for help from those who could contribute to the research in any way (even if it's a disputing point - for which we've also set up a newsgroup linked through the website).
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