In the tradition of Dervla Murphy and Graham Greene, Lane takes us on an escape into another world, but one that leaves us with a clearer vision of our own. The Last Tibetan Kingdom is not only a travel book but a meditation on journeying and on the fleeting moments of grace that define a life.
When Rose Lane's family home is sold, she loses more than bricks and mortar - she loses her last sense of belonging. Born into a family marked by silence and grief, she has always been an outsider. Now, untethered, she turns her gaze to a distant place she's only read about: the medieval walled city of Lo Manthang, high on the windswept Tibetan plateau in Nepal.
Reaching it means two weeks on horseback at an altitude of over 3,000 metres - a seeminglyimpossible task for someone who tires after a short walk. But with her husband, a local guide, and a sceptical team around her, Rose sets out to prove that she's stronger than she believes.
As she travels through a landscape steeped in history and spiritual mystery, she witnesses a fading world: ancient monasteries crumbling, traditions eroding, climate and politics reshaping lives. Lo Manthang is changing - and so is she.
The Last Tibetan Kingdom is a story of physical and emotional endurance, of confronting loss, and of discovering that home isn't a place you keep - it's something you carry, and sometimes, something you must learn to let go of.
