Clara’s Verdict
Bobby Bolton’s Truck It! is the sort of book that makes you want to do something reckless. It is the account of a man from Wigan who, following the collapse of his relationship and then his construction business, announced — as one does, in a pub — that he would drive from Lancashire to Australia. He then proceeded to do exactly that, accompanied by his Labrador Red and eventually by Marie, a French woman he met hiking in the South of France and who appears to have been entirely game for the adventure. It is gloriously, infectiously readable.
About the Audiobook
The narrative covers a truly improbable set of experiences: bribing corrupt Russian policemen, digging out mountain passes in Albania with a spade, being punched at the Kazakh border, surviving a mountain track collapse in Italy, an encounter with the Taliban at a checkpoint, and a terrifying incident on a snow-covered ridge where Bobby narrowly prevents Marie from sliding two hundred metres towards a cliff face. You would think this level of incident would feel implausible, and one reviewer has noted there may be “a bit of artistic licence in some bits” — which seems reasonable given the density of drama. But Bolton writes with enough self-deprecation and specific detail to keep the sceptic broadly satisfied.
What distinguishes this from many adventure travel memoirs is the emotional honesty about the low point that preceded the journey. Bolton does not glamorise rock bottom; he describes the particular misery of losing both a relationship and a business in quick succession with a directness that lends the subsequent adventure its earned weight. The love story with Marie — emerging improbably from a chance meeting on a hiking trail — adds a warm romantic thread that several reviewers have found genuinely moving.
The Narration
Bobby Bolton reads his own book, and this is the only way it could possibly work. His northern voice is unpretentious and warm, his timing comic without effort, and the sense of a man simply telling his mates what happened is entirely convincing. This is exactly the kind of first-person travel memoir that benefits from authorial narration — the personality comes through in a way no professional narrator could fully replicate. One reviewer described it as feeling like “he’s talking to his mates at the Rugby Club,” and that is precisely right.
What Readers Say
With 4.8 stars from 234 reviews, this is one of the more enthusiastically received audiobooks on our site. The word “inspiring” appears repeatedly, as does the sense of genuine propulsion — “quickest book I’ve ever read,” wrote one listener. Readers have described feeling as though they were travelling alongside Bobby and Marie, and several note that the audiobook made an ideal companion for their own road trips. The only dissent is mild and comes with caveats about value for money in the physical edition — the audiobook itself draws nothing but praise.
Who Should Listen?
This is perfect for anyone who has ever sat at rock bottom and wondered what it might take to turn things around — Bobby Bolton’s answer is, essentially, a truck and a dog and the willingness to be surprised. It is an excellent audiobook for commuters, road-trippers, and anyone in need of a genuine shot of “maybe I could do something like that.” Fans of travel memoir — Bill Bryson’s warmer moments, Long Way Round, anything involving improbable journeys and improbable people — will find this immediately compelling. It is also exceptionally good fun.
Listen to Truck It! on Audible UK — find it here. Also available on Kobo, Scribd, and Storytel.
