I went on a wonderful road trip a few years ago and visited several of these sites. Stratford and Oxford are such beautiful, well-preserved towns. My first reaction after reading this is that Oxford would be the perfect place for a literary audio walk, stopping in at the Eagle and Child and a couple of Oxford's colleges. Lewis Carroll is yet another writer who studied (mathematics) there, so he could feature too.
I haven't read this latest book either, but there is always a moment in Paul Theroux's books when I'm struck by just how arrogant and opinionated he can be. But then I realise that - in addition to his talent for transforming individual encounters into commentary on their broader context - it's his forthrightness that I admire. His intolerance towards other people and directness of expression many make the more liberal or sensitive among us feel uncomfortable, but the opinions that he forms on these (largely) dynamic journeys are, ultimately, his to express as he chooses. I'd far rather read real, uncompromising opinions than waffle written by someone who hasn't got any.