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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
One of the most extraordinary stories ever told. That it's true just amazes me.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
I think my main issue with this book is that I wasn't in the mood to read it but it was a book club book so I had to. That being said I could not give it more then 3 stars at most.
This book seems confused as to what it wanted to be, a recount of events (this would require it to be in chronological order) or a pure factual read (this would require all the similar information to be in blocks of facts essentially). This book was a weird combination of the two that just sent it didn't flow well.
There was a couple of random pages in the middle randomly talking about the Easter islands because they came slightly close to them (?).
Why when we were 3 months into the journey did we only just find out that the parrot died 2 months into the journey. It was at a similar time that they revealed that they had been in near constant contact with civilisation through radio communication when there was zero hint of these previously.
And don't get me started on how many times the author described the same fish or the different (or not so different) ways they would catch fish only to realise they had too many fish and the blood was attracting sharks so they would throw them back over board. And the dolphins that aren't dolphins but are dorada but sometimes they are dolphins.
The whole book was a great faff and probably could of and should of been 100 pages shorter.
I was told by the person the chosen the book that it was a great adventure story...all I'm saying is it much have got lost at see somewhere because apart from a couple of interesting scenes in the storms or when one of the them fell off the raft I missed the adventure bit. For me them trying to make the raft, find the wood and the right political backing was more interesting and that was only the first 79 pages!
This book seems confused as to what it wanted to be, a recount of events (this would require it to be in chronological order) or a pure factual read (this would require all the similar information to be in blocks of facts essentially). This book was a weird combination of the two that just sent it didn't flow well.
There was a couple of random pages in the middle randomly talking about the Easter islands because they came slightly close to them (?).
Why when we were 3 months into the journey did we only just find out that the parrot died 2 months into the journey. It was at a similar time that they revealed that they had been in near constant contact with civilisation through radio communication when there was zero hint of these previously.
And don't get me started on how many times the author described the same fish or the different (or not so different) ways they would catch fish only to realise they had too many fish and the blood was attracting sharks so they would throw them back over board. And the dolphins that aren't dolphins but are dorada but sometimes they are dolphins.
The whole book was a great faff and probably could of and should of been 100 pages shorter.
I was told by the person the chosen the book that it was a great adventure story...all I'm saying is it much have got lost at see somewhere because apart from a couple of interesting scenes in the storms or when one of the them fell off the raft I missed the adventure bit. For me them trying to make the raft, find the wood and the right political backing was more interesting and that was only the first 79 pages!
An epic journey filled to the brim with the most vivid descriptions of defiance, life, sea, spirit and courage! A page-turner guaranteed to satisfy your thirst for adventure!
Fascinating true story of 5 Norwegians and 1 Swede to cross the pacific in an Inca raft. I found the general milieu (late 1940's, post WWII) very interesting and apparent. And of course the mere fact that they CROSSED the pacific ocean in an open raft in 101 days. The amazing descriptions of the sea life and the "easy" with which they adapted to life at sea (better than behind Nazi lines) - very interesting. Of course, you have to read a bit between the lines to parse anything "personal" out this fact filled adventure tale.
My favorite anecdote is that they managed to DEVELOP FILM at sea (inches off the surface of the ocean) by rigging up a refrigeration circuit with some misc chemicals. *sigh* There is nothing NEARLY as practical in my skill set. I look at the skills they had and again reflect on my own uselessness.
My favorite anecdote is that they managed to DEVELOP FILM at sea (inches off the surface of the ocean) by rigging up a refrigeration circuit with some misc chemicals. *sigh* There is nothing NEARLY as practical in my skill set. I look at the skills they had and again reflect on my own uselessness.
My weakness for expedition journals..... It is large. I love a good real-world adventure. And this might be the grandest I've read yet. Crossing the Pacific in three months over nine balsa logs, in the 1940s. It doesn't seem like it could've really happened. Besides the content, the writing is nostalgic and lovely, and I savored this book, reading only when I could be alone and outdoors and imagining seeing dorados accompanying a raft in the middle of the giant ocean.
The one thing that sours the book is the unsurprising racism of the author. While Heyerdahl does seem to respect the Polynesian people (with whom he lived for quite some time), there's still the fact that at least part of his reasoned theory that they could have descended from people coming from Peru comes from his obsession with a "vanished white race", that he believes provided the Aztecs, Incas and people of Rapa Nui with any "advanced civilization" that of course they could not have come up with themselves. He even ends the book implying that Tiki, the Polynesian ancestor-god who may have crossed the ocean and namesake for their beloved raft, could have himself been white. Because obviously.
Yet I'm still leaving this with five stars which is a puzzle I don't quite feel like solving at this moment and probably something I'll think a lot about in the future...
The one thing that sours the book is the unsurprising racism of the author. While Heyerdahl does seem to respect the Polynesian people (with whom he lived for quite some time), there's still the fact that at least part of his reasoned theory that they could have descended from people coming from Peru comes from his obsession with a "vanished white race", that he believes provided the Aztecs, Incas and people of Rapa Nui with any "advanced civilization" that of course they could not have come up with themselves. He even ends the book implying that Tiki, the Polynesian ancestor-god who may have crossed the ocean and namesake for their beloved raft, could have himself been white. Because obviously.
Yet I'm still leaving this with five stars which is a puzzle I don't quite feel like solving at this moment and probably something I'll think a lot about in the future...
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
Adventure journeys is one of my favorite book genres. Any lover of a good tale will appreciate the story of Kon-Tiki, one I realize I didn't really know until now. I liked the anthropology and first hand accounts, and Heyerdahl is a pretty decent writer. There's a good mix of history, adventure - catching sharks with their bare hands! -, sea life detail, and getting to know the crew. One criticism is that it seemed so easy! Not a lot of peril or hardships. Almost like they were going on an easy breezy sail across the Pacific. Maybe a testament to their preparation. Or just plain good luck.