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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
jussayin' I laughed so hard I think I fell of my chair the first time I read this.
although the language ._.
although the language ._.
Wasn't a huge fan at first but by the end he grew on me, had me chuckling a few times too.
I must admit, I did not really care for this book. I only gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because I did feel compelled to finish it, even though I was skimming a lot of it rather than reading it. The main character was just too lazy for me to handle. I know there are people like that in the world (obviously, the author is one of them) - I just don't have the tolerance for that level of laziness.
2.5 stars
I've had this on my Kindle for so many years, and decided to finally read it. I knew mostly what to expect from reading a previous book from this author, but I think in the years since I purchased this book, I have matured, and so have my views on what is or is not funny.
I guess it's to be expected, but I found much of the author's commentary to be sexist, racist, disrespectful, or just completely tone-deaf. I was horrified when he ignored all the rules/signs and decided to climb Uluru (which he cluelessly still called Ayers Rock), without any care for the fact that not only is it dangerous, but it's a sacred site for the native culture. Most of his actions seemed motivated by the thrill-factor, which may be fine when you're 15, but not as an adult.
Also, I suppose others will think his lifestyle is adventurous and carefree, but he seemed lazy and irresponsible to me. Granted, I'll give him (and the girls) credit for taking up practically any odd-job just to get a paycheck, and I admire the desire to explore a country -- but again he seemed like a reckless 15 year old rather than an adult. The level to which they were utterly unprepared for driving across the most dangerous parts of Australia, or hiking a long-distance trail without the proper safety or survival gear/food, just made me cringe. It was truly not funny. It was also not funny how many times they left an employer high and dry and seemingly ran off in the night just to get on to their next adventure. Yeah, totally mature.
On the plus side, there were some funny stories, and I enjoyed the camaraderie between the three of them. I also did enjoy their more genuine moments of discovery as a traveler would make about the places and people they encountered. Australia is a vast, beautiful, interesting country with warm, gregarious people - and they at least captured some of that.
I think I've grown past this author's humor, so I won't be reading any more of his books.
I've had this on my Kindle for so many years, and decided to finally read it. I knew mostly what to expect from reading a previous book from this author, but I think in the years since I purchased this book, I have matured, and so have my views on what is or is not funny.
I guess it's to be expected, but I found much of the author's commentary to be sexist, racist, disrespectful, or just completely tone-deaf. I was horrified when he ignored all the rules/signs and decided to climb Uluru (which he cluelessly still called Ayers Rock), without any care for the fact that not only is it dangerous, but it's a sacred site for the native culture. Most of his actions seemed motivated by the thrill-factor, which may be fine when you're 15, but not as an adult.
Also, I suppose others will think his lifestyle is adventurous and carefree, but he seemed lazy and irresponsible to me. Granted, I'll give him (and the girls) credit for taking up practically any odd-job just to get a paycheck, and I admire the desire to explore a country -- but again he seemed like a reckless 15 year old rather than an adult. The level to which they were utterly unprepared for driving across the most dangerous parts of Australia, or hiking a long-distance trail without the proper safety or survival gear/food, just made me cringe. It was truly not funny. It was also not funny how many times they left an employer high and dry and seemingly ran off in the night just to get on to their next adventure. Yeah, totally mature.
On the plus side, there were some funny stories, and I enjoyed the camaraderie between the three of them. I also did enjoy their more genuine moments of discovery as a traveler would make about the places and people they encountered. Australia is a vast, beautiful, interesting country with warm, gregarious people - and they at least captured some of that.
I think I've grown past this author's humor, so I won't be reading any more of his books.
Tony's back and this time he has kangaroos to contend with. And falling in luuuurrve. I'm not sure what's more scary for him.
This book does exactly what it says on the cover. It's the tale of Tony, his sister Gill and Gill's best friend, Roo. Roo is Australian, so Gill goes to stay with her and Tony tags along. Problem is, Tony is 3 months late, so there's a bit of a rush for them to get some agricultural work done so they can extend their visas.
Rusty the van is the 4th character in this book and I'm sure he'll be a popular one. I manged to track down some photos of him on facebook and he was even brighter than I imagined.
I think Tony's books should be read in the right order as I feel this one was more "for the fans". There's less madcap animal antics, and a whole lot more of Tony "the man". I did think at times the book was a bit long, although there was nothing I'd not want to read, nor did I want it to end. The good thing about Tony is that he always has a story and so you know it won't end.
This book is Tony's time in Australia, from picking fruit, to laying paving slabs via setting up exhibition halls. From living in and by the side of Rusty, to dorms to bedsits. From walking the Bibbulmun trail (100km!!!) to just travelling because they wanted to. Armed with just a few clothes, unsuitable boots and trail mix, this is the life you think you might want to live if you just up sticks and go. At times I felt jealous of them, most of the time I was happy with my warm soft bed and large choice of food.
I feel I know Tony and Gill and Roo more than I should. As I said, this is much more personal story of the trio. Tony has a magic way of writing that is very readable and he is not afraid of telling the truth. This was another very very enjoyable read.
This book does exactly what it says on the cover. It's the tale of Tony, his sister Gill and Gill's best friend, Roo. Roo is Australian, so Gill goes to stay with her and Tony tags along. Problem is, Tony is 3 months late, so there's a bit of a rush for them to get some agricultural work done so they can extend their visas.
Rusty the van is the 4th character in this book and I'm sure he'll be a popular one. I manged to track down some photos of him on facebook and he was even brighter than I imagined.
I think Tony's books should be read in the right order as I feel this one was more "for the fans". There's less madcap animal antics, and a whole lot more of Tony "the man". I did think at times the book was a bit long, although there was nothing I'd not want to read, nor did I want it to end. The good thing about Tony is that he always has a story and so you know it won't end.
This book is Tony's time in Australia, from picking fruit, to laying paving slabs via setting up exhibition halls. From living in and by the side of Rusty, to dorms to bedsits. From walking the Bibbulmun trail (100km!!!) to just travelling because they wanted to. Armed with just a few clothes, unsuitable boots and trail mix, this is the life you think you might want to live if you just up sticks and go. At times I felt jealous of them, most of the time I was happy with my warm soft bed and large choice of food.
I feel I know Tony and Gill and Roo more than I should. As I said, this is much more personal story of the trio. Tony has a magic way of writing that is very readable and he is not afraid of telling the truth. This was another very very enjoyable read.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Absolutely hilarious but also touching.
This was the first book of Tony's that I read (I just finished That Bear Ate My Pants last night). I don't read much non-fiction, and never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined reading the memoirs of a guy traveling through Australia.... BUT OH MY WORD!!!!! My family routinely caught me snort-laughing, casting me questioning glances as I did so, in the couple of days it took me to fly through this book. I learned a few things about the Western Australia (I have a friend from Perth but knew next to nothing about the place), and had a fabulous time doing so. I've already recommended it to friends, barely containing my hilarity as I did so.
As entertaining and funny and heartwarming (more so!) as his previous books. I will continue to buy Tony's books as soon as they come out. Can't wait for the next one :)
Having visited many of the same places that are described in Kamikaze Kangaroos, this book was a bit of a blast from the past. I had a whirlwind set of road trips in Australia which are quite different from camping and staying in areas working for long periods of time. However, I met many people like Roo and Tony and Gill and it was always fun to find out where they were from and what they were doing.
My favorite part about the book was the authors descriptions. I never wanted to climb Uluru and I was jazzed when it was closed due to weather the day I was there! It gave me the perfect excuse NOT to climb it! Priscilla Queen of the Desert is one of my favorite movies and I was jealous of the Kings Canyon hike complete with suitable climbing gear. I laughed out loud. I still haven’t been there, yet.
I’m happy to say I had a much better experience in Halls Creek. But I could see how someone might see it as Hell’s Crack if you were stuck there.
My ulterior motive in Australia was looking at the wildlife. So a lot of the places that Tony saw as monotonous were places where I enjoyed looking for the local birds.
I truly wish I had the descriptive skill that Tony has in Kamikaze Kangaroos. It requires time and talent to distill one’s experiences in a way that others can truly enjoy and I thank Tony for that. What a fun read!
My favorite part about the book was the authors descriptions. I never wanted to climb Uluru and I was jazzed when it was closed due to weather the day I was there! It gave me the perfect excuse NOT to climb it! Priscilla Queen of the Desert is one of my favorite movies and I was jealous of the Kings Canyon hike complete with suitable climbing gear. I laughed out loud. I still haven’t been there, yet.
I’m happy to say I had a much better experience in Halls Creek. But I could see how someone might see it as Hell’s Crack if you were stuck there.
My ulterior motive in Australia was looking at the wildlife. So a lot of the places that Tony saw as monotonous were places where I enjoyed looking for the local birds.
I truly wish I had the descriptive skill that Tony has in Kamikaze Kangaroos. It requires time and talent to distill one’s experiences in a way that others can truly enjoy and I thank Tony for that. What a fun read!