Rating: 
Summary: A bit tedious
Review: A not very original contribution to the now quite vast literature on postmodern, global society written by a world-weary globetrotter. That's not to say that there no interesting observations made in Iyer's essay-like chapters, but there are no marked aspects of "The Global Soul" that make it stand out from other books of the same genre. Iyer's tendency to whine about just about every place he visits becomes almost incessant and tends to detract from any relevant criticisms or observations he's trying to get across. Even more annoying are his frequent lamentations about his own lot - basically he seems to be trying get his readers to feel sorry for him because he has a job that gives him the opportunity to travel all around the world, frequently. However, it seems that despite some of the obvious drawbacks like jetlag and occasional feelings of alienation, most people would find such a lifestyle enviable. Generally though, Iyer's book deals with a class of rootless travellers who by no means come even close to representing a significant portion of the world's population, even if the poorer, so-called Third World is excluded. He as much as acknowledges this in his chapter about Hong Kong, when he admits that he largely failed to discuss the Chinese, who make up 6 million of the city's 6.2 million people. Perhaps the best chapter is the last, in which he talks about his new-found home in a provincial Japanese city. Quite telling is his statement that he is drawn to Japan because of its "ability to draw a strict line around itself - to sustain an unbending sense of within and without..." In other words, Iyer, the rootless 'global soul' living in a post-national world, finds the well-ordered nation-state that Japan represents appealing. Perhaps this can be taken as a metaphor for the world as a whole, since it may not be as borderless and populated by 'rootless souls' as our popular culture would have us believe.
Rating:
Summary: howd this one get slip past the editors...
Review: and go straight to the printing press? if this work had been reduced to 120 pages, it might have been a nice, light read on this not so new phenomenon. but iyer's writing, strictly devoid of literariness, is like listening to an unrestrained bore who doesnt even know that he repeats things. the topics he brings up are good, but he doesnt add any depth to them. he fancies himself so world weary that he barely searches for anything in the cities he goes to beyond what reflects his own idea of himself. atlanta is soulless cuz he thinks so, ignoring southern hospitality. toronto is exciting and the new multiculti center, not exposing the boring character of canadian cities, and forgetting that everything he says about toronto has already been happening for a much longer time in new york.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, Interesting and Colourful
Review: Awesome Book! As I read the Global Soul, I felt as if my attitudes towards the globe were being reshaped and broadened at a rapid pace that I found helpful and enjoyable. It was almost as if the molecules in my brain were being given music to dance by. Iyer can write in a way that keeps the reader interested and challenged. I was engaged in the book from the very first page. As I read the Global Soul, I found myself intrigued by the fast-paced insights that Iyer shares with his readers. He has the ability to view his experiences in the world with a disarming innocence that is open-minded and wise. He blends insights with quotes and references from the worlds great thinkers. His perspectives are rounded and compassionate, while being revealing and helpful. I highly recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Rambling and disjointed
Review: I am disappointed with this latest book of Pico Iyer. He is a fine writer and has the ability to picture scenes and behavior superbly. But one comes away from Global Soul confused and unfulfilled. Pico rambles and meanders all over the place and the flow from one issue to the next is unclear to say the least. I was drawn to this book not only by Pico's past work but also its title. At the end however, one feels Pico has succumbed to jet lag and is lost in some mall, never to reach home. Better luck next time.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't I read this in another of Iyer's books?
Review: I don't understand the glowing reviews Iyer gets. He yammers on about the same things in the same ways in all his books. So the world is getting smaller. So people are moving around more. This is an incredibly superficial exercise in the kind of witless navel-gazing that contemporary travel writing has become.
Rating:
Summary: a good topic poorly explored
Review: I found this book to be a bit of a disappointment, all the more disappointing for its promise. I share Iyer's conviction that the Global Soul phenomenon is real and important - who among us can say that our personalities do not have some component of Global Soul? - and yet I found Iyer's meditations on it to be frustratingly unfocused. I had read a chapter from this book when it appeared, in a different form, in Harper's a few years back: it was sharp, cogent, witty, interesting, well-observed, and memorable. But freed from the editorial constraints that come with writing for Harper's, the material seems to gain flab; it loses its direction. The book reads something like a few years' worth of notes shaped into memoir form - the notes are interesting, but the subject, at least to my mind, demands something more, an argument, a conclusion, a point, anything beyond just impressions. Iyer comes off as neither a critic of globalism nor a proponent of it - strange, considering that this phenomenon often inspires strong opinions. I'd even settle for ambiguity - I'm a big fan of messy human ambiguity in response to complex topics, and a strong shot of it would do wonders for this book. Instead, Iyer is content to observe and remark in a mannered fashion, dropping the names of the many countries and cultures he crosses paths with as though they were celebrities: exactly the last thing that discourse on this topic needs more of.
Rating: 
Summary: Struck by Disconnect - Customer v. Editorial Reviews
Review: I had already begun reading this book (have read only a/b the first 50 pages), when I logged on to Amazon, with a view to e-mailing a friend a link to the book. Started browsing through the editorial and customer reviews -- all the editorial reviews v. positive, but majority of the customer reviews quite negative.My bias is gen. towards the customers (and esp. in this case, since they seem to be more actual travellers, vs. editors who merely review travel writing). Yet, and I find this odd, I actually like what I've read so far (caveat: haven't read it all), though I would agree, to a degree, with some of the negative comments. Perhaps it's because I can relate. Work in finance. Born & raised in Bombay, studied in the US, lived in China learning Mandarin, now in Toronto and a soon-to-be Canadian citizen. No family, no strong ties to anywhere. Perhaps some those readers who dislike the book can't relate. Some of the comments I agree with. There is repetition. Tone can sometimes be "whiny", as a few readers note. Iyer should pick up some language skills - I can feel at ease in Bombay or Beijing in large part because I have speak both Hindi and Mandarin. Other criticisms I don't agree with. E.g., some have commented that Iyer's "global soul" relates to a v. small number of people. Well, that's the going-in position. The book is made of observations about being raised, living and working in multiple cultures/geographies. By definition, it's not going to be relevant for most of the 6 bn + people on the planet. They're not the target audience.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Effort, But Meaningless
Review: I heard Iyer interviewed on The Nation (Canadian radio? or PRI?) and rushed to buy this book. He sounded a bit stuffy on air, but made a few interesting comments where my interest was piqued. The drivel he puts on paper in this book was a diappointment. I travel quite extensively, and could appreciate some of the observations, though these thoughts made me consider the ease of this writing style. My personal diary entries are more observant, in my opinion - but I lack a previous publication and an agent. I then reflected further on the radio interview and concluded that I was simply tired from a 13 hour drive at the time, and almost any talk radio was superior to talking to my dog, head hanging out the window. Next time I hear Iyer, I'll close the window and talk to my dog.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Effort, But Meaningless
Review: I heard Iyer interviewed on The Nation (Canadian radio? or PRI?) and rushed to buy this book. He sounded a bit stuffy on air, but made a few interesting comments where my interest was piqued. The drivel he puts on paper in this book was a diappointment. I travel quite extensively, and could appreciate some of the observations, though these thoughts made me consider the ease of this writing style. My personal diary entries are more observant, in my opinion - but I lack a previous publication and an agent. I then reflected further on the radio interview and concluded that I was simply tired from a 13 hour drive at the time, and almost any talk radio was superior to talking to my dog, head hanging out the window. Next time I hear Iyer, I'll close the window and talk to my dog.
Rating:
Summary: Smart, humane , edgy and I couldn't stop reading
Review: I love this book. I'm sending it to all my relatives who, like the author, are modern post-ethnics with no true sense of ethnic allegiance. His insights are quite droll: a person with no deep national loyalty may be staunchly loyal to one airline. And some huge portion of all airmiles are earned on the ground! He captures the absurd, the sad, the hopeful aspects of being a bourgeois post-ethnic in today's climate. I take my hat off to this man for writing a book that can be said to speak for an entire generation. That may sound audacious but those are the feelings he inspires in one reader! The book is not only about travel. You can be a reluctant traveller (like me) and still enjoy his narrative. The great thing about this book -- it can be read out of order. I read the Toronto chapter first. I read the Empire chapter next. I read the first chapter last. It works. This is a book I will re-read. It has some errors, which other reviews here have rightly pointed out, but in total it's a...good read and its insights are substantial.
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