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mechanical_goose's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
booksnug's review
3.0
I found this an enjoyable and engaging travelogue about a fascinating region, in parts beautifully written and including many interesting details on the history of the area.
A couple of things interrupted the rhythm of the book for me - some jarring metaphors (e.g. "Her mouth opened like a mouse-hole sewn into the parchment of her face") and various references to the author's girlfriend which felt odd and let me to correctly conclude well before I reached the end that (Spoiler Alert!) they must have split up before he finished the book.
A couple of things interrupted the rhythm of the book for me - some jarring metaphors (e.g. "Her mouth opened like a mouse-hole sewn into the parchment of her face") and various references to the author's girlfriend which felt odd and let me to correctly conclude well before I reached the end that (Spoiler Alert!) they must have split up before he finished the book.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
A great travel book that manages to inspire and enthral at the same time.
Harrison follows the great Inca trail along the roof of the Andes, mostly on foot with the occasional bus. Along the way he meets and engages with the local people and reveals the history of the area from 500 b.c. to within living memory.
The walk is all at altitude, in excess of 10,00 feet most of the way, and the first days are tough, and relentless. He settles in to a steady rhythm on his journey, and you feel for the struggle of finding drinkable water and the perils of camping in the mountains. Part of the journey he is joined by his partner, and even buys a donkey to assist with carrying the baggage over a particularly long section. The people he meets are mostly warm and generous, though there are the smattering of aggressive drunks, and he suffers the loss of his clothes by either theft or accident, you are never sure.
Really enjoyed it. His writing style and the way he deals with the people he meets reminds me of Colin Thubron, another fine travel writer.
Harrison follows the great Inca trail along the roof of the Andes, mostly on foot with the occasional bus. Along the way he meets and engages with the local people and reveals the history of the area from 500 b.c. to within living memory.
The walk is all at altitude, in excess of 10,00 feet most of the way, and the first days are tough, and relentless. He settles in to a steady rhythm on his journey, and you feel for the struggle of finding drinkable water and the perils of camping in the mountains. Part of the journey he is joined by his partner, and even buys a donkey to assist with carrying the baggage over a particularly long section. The people he meets are mostly warm and generous, though there are the smattering of aggressive drunks, and he suffers the loss of his clothes by either theft or accident, you are never sure.
Really enjoyed it. His writing style and the way he deals with the people he meets reminds me of Colin Thubron, another fine travel writer.
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