Waterstones Dark Star Safari
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Price: £12.99
Brand: Waterstones
Description: Dark Star Safari is Paul Theroux's now classic account of a journey from Cairo to Cape Town. Travelling across bush and desert, down rivers and across lakes, and through country after country, Theroux visits some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth, and some of the most dangerous. It is a journey of discovery and of rediscovery -- of the unknown and the unexpected, but also of people and places he knew as a young and optimistic teacher forty years before. Safari in Swahili simply means journey, and this is the ultimate safari. It is Theroux in his element -- a trip where chance encounter is everything, where departure and arrival times are an irrelevance, and where contentment can be found balancing on the top of a truck in the middle of nowhere. Praise for Paul Theroux:' Theroux's work remains the standard by which other travel writing must be judged' Observer' One needs energy to keep up with the extraordinary, productive restlessness of Paul Theroux. [ He is] the most gifted, most prodigal writer of his generation' Jonathan Raban' Always a terrific teller of tales and conjurer of exotic locales, he writes lean prose that lopes along at a compelling pace' Sunday Times Paul Theroux's books include Dark Star Safari, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Elephanta Suite, A Dead Hand, The Tao of Travel and The Lower River. The Mosquito Coast and Dr Slaughter have both been made into successful films. Paul Theroux divides his time between Cape Cod and the Hawaiian islands.
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9780140281118
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9780140281118
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Author: A. R. V. Riding
Rating: 5
Review: Having read nearly all of his travel books, Dark Star is easily his best. Indeed, for me it is one of the best travel books ever written. Paul not only gives a detailed account of his travels and writes superbly with good humour, but also throws in a lot of history, enough to enlighten but not enough to make it more like a history book rather than a travel book as does happen with some travel writers. Paul does not just report on what he sees but he is always asking the question 'why' which is one of the key aspects of any good travel writing. Having worked in some of Eastern and Southern Africa in his younger days he is in a superb position to answer that question both from his own experiences and from the comments of the people that he meets, ranging from simple, near naked, fishermen to the Prime Minister of Uganda. This is not a sanitised view of Africa or a hatchet job, this is writing from an author who clearly loves the continent and its people but who is horrified by how far life has regressed for the ordinary people since he first lived there. Not least because of the disastrous aid culture which has grown up and sapped the will of so many people. No doubt it will be uncomfortable reading to many who seem to think that foreign aid is the answer, but it has clearly failed badly as many highly respected people, Africans and Westerners, have said, as well as Paul. There is more to be learnt about sub-Saharan Africa from Paul's book than any number of other learned but politically correct or self delusional or 'picturesque' books and articles by other writers. A genuinely unbiased book which gives a very fair and balanced view and without belittling others, just the facts. He gives the truth but also celebrates what is good about Africa and Africans, which is more than one usually gets from writers on Africa. Thankfully, Paul doesn't pretend to have the answers but he sure gets to understand the problems. And his story is told by someone who leaves behind the comfortable limo or air conditioned bus and instead travels as the local poor people do. Paul's superb writing makes one feel as if one is sitting right next to him on his journey, but glad that it is him doing the journey rather than me - I like my comforts too much! A great and inspiring travel book.
Author: JoLondon
Rating: 3
Review: Having visited many of the places listed on the travelogue I was keen to read this book. Sadly the descriptions of the places seemed secondary to the author's musings and I think many a missed opportunity to capture the places that I knew as vibrant and full of characters and oddities. It was an "OK" read, but not one I'd say you mustn't miss.
