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apatrick's review against another edition
4.0
Very good. Part history, part travelogue. See what I thought at whatandreareads.livejournal.com.
apmreads's review against another edition
4.0
I initially went into this book a) because it's Tony Horwitz and I enjoy his writing style/storytelling, and b) because I wanted still more history on Hawai'i, even if it involved another European explorer that I half-cared about. I checked this out at my library as soon as I could, and I was not disappointed!
Before reading this, I had only heard of Captain Cook briefly, but he never held my interest enough to make an impression. It wasn't until the option of hiking to his monument in Kealakekua Bay for good snorkeling came up that I started questioning more about who he was, what he did, and the legacy he left behind. Particularly, what did that legacy look like in Hawai'i for Hawaiians?
I went into the book expecting the typical explorer trope: they came, they saw, they spread venereal disease and killed indigenous populations for sport; but I was surprised to find that Cook was actually one of the more open-minded, dare I say, caring explorers? Maybe a bit of a stretch, but I think Horwitz's remarks in the closing chapter summed it up nicely: "If there was an overriding message in [Cook's] journals, it was that people, the world over, were alike in their essential nature-even if they ate their enemies, made love in public, worshipped idols, or, like Aborigines, cared not at all for material goods. No matter how strange another society might at first appear, there were almost always grounds for mutual understanding and respect."
Horwitz took to land, air, and sea to follow Cook's paths through the Pacific on his three voyages from the 1760s to 1779. His writing was easy to follow, enjoyable, and humorous while also being fair, informative, and light on making Cook a saintly character in history. I appreciated Horwitz's efforts to talk with local people, explore indigenous cultures and perspectives, and paint Cook's explorations in an unbiased lens.
If you're a fan of travel writing mixed with history set (mostly) in the sunny Pacific Ocean, I say give this book a go. Horwitz was one of my favorite modern writers, and I'm glad this could steal me back to Hawai'i for a few days longer while also teaching me a lot about Captain Cook and the valuable insights his voyages left behind for the rest of us.
Before reading this, I had only heard of Captain Cook briefly, but he never held my interest enough to make an impression. It wasn't until the option of hiking to his monument in Kealakekua Bay for good snorkeling came up that I started questioning more about who he was, what he did, and the legacy he left behind. Particularly, what did that legacy look like in Hawai'i for Hawaiians?
I went into the book expecting the typical explorer trope: they came, they saw, they spread venereal disease and killed indigenous populations for sport; but I was surprised to find that Cook was actually one of the more open-minded, dare I say, caring explorers? Maybe a bit of a stretch, but I think Horwitz's remarks in the closing chapter summed it up nicely: "If there was an overriding message in [Cook's] journals, it was that people, the world over, were alike in their essential nature-even if they ate their enemies, made love in public, worshipped idols, or, like Aborigines, cared not at all for material goods. No matter how strange another society might at first appear, there were almost always grounds for mutual understanding and respect."
Horwitz took to land, air, and sea to follow Cook's paths through the Pacific on his three voyages from the 1760s to 1779. His writing was easy to follow, enjoyable, and humorous while also being fair, informative, and light on making Cook a saintly character in history. I appreciated Horwitz's efforts to talk with local people, explore indigenous cultures and perspectives, and paint Cook's explorations in an unbiased lens.
If you're a fan of travel writing mixed with history set (mostly) in the sunny Pacific Ocean, I say give this book a go. Horwitz was one of my favorite modern writers, and I'm glad this could steal me back to Hawai'i for a few days longer while also teaching me a lot about Captain Cook and the valuable insights his voyages left behind for the rest of us.
candiebella's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book! Very funny narrative of the author's adventures intermingled with tales of Cook's journey. Finding out that Cook's ships lay at rest here in the bottom of Newport Harbor was the icing on a yummy cake.
pelevolcana's review against another edition
5.0
This book gets a five star rating, because I first read it about 6 years ago and I keep recommending it to people and discussing with them the things I learned from it. Any book whose memory gets me to write about it years later has something special.
This is part travelogue, part biography, and part pop history, which is clearly what I like about it. The author tells the story of Captain Cook and his voyages of 'discovery' while also relating what the parts of the world that he touched are like these days, and what they think of the Cap'n. He starts the book with his cruise on a replica of the Endeavor, and so gets a feel for what sailing was like for Cook and his crew.
Anyway, I dug this book, and I still dig it. It discusses a lot of the realities of the life at sea, and the life of the people who ventured into uncharted territory. Where else will you learn things like that Captain Cook had to start lashing his sailors for removing nails from the vessel in order to trade them for sex? I thought it was brilliant.
This is part travelogue, part biography, and part pop history, which is clearly what I like about it. The author tells the story of Captain Cook and his voyages of 'discovery' while also relating what the parts of the world that he touched are like these days, and what they think of the Cap'n. He starts the book with his cruise on a replica of the Endeavor, and so gets a feel for what sailing was like for Cook and his crew.
Anyway, I dug this book, and I still dig it. It discusses a lot of the realities of the life at sea, and the life of the people who ventured into uncharted territory. Where else will you learn things like that Captain Cook had to start lashing his sailors for removing nails from the vessel in order to trade them for sex? I thought it was brilliant.
alijc's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone enjoyed the book (although not all of us finished it). It was a short discussion, maybe because there wasn't any disagreement, or maybe because there just wasn't that much to discuss.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
4.0
fascinating and enjoyable. I never gave Captain Cook much thought one way or the other, but I do love travel writing, especially with a humorous twist, so this title caught my eye. I'm so glad it did. Aside from laughing out loud multiple times, and getting to armchair travel to England, Australia, and a bunch of Pacific Islands, I also learned a bit about history in general and a BUNCH about Captain Cook. Horwitz was pretty wrapped up in Cook's story, and got me interested. Of course, we know the ending is sad, as were many of the events that followed Cook discovering a new civilization. and the book is LONG--I took a short break in the middle of it. But the accomplishments of the man and his crew were amazing! I have rarely enjoyed so well learning so much.
julis's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
2.0
This is the third Tony Horowitz book I’ve read and the first one I didn’t fully love. It took until about 2/3 of the way through for the book to hit its stride, which is such a waste. Like most of his books, it alternates between modern day retracing-the-steps and historical chapters. The modern day portions are pretty bland until the end, and the historical ones are out of chronological order and full of “well, turns out Cook really was a complete mystery”. If that’s true why did you write a book about him.
There were good bits but yeah. Mostly unsatisfying.
pvcain's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable, the author reminded me of Bill Bryson with Tony Horwitz's friend Roger filling in the role of Katz on Bryson's Walk in the Woods. Lots of history in here but also some lovely insights about medicine, botany, and geography. Bonus is that Pulitzer prize winning author Tony Horwitz is married to one of my favorite authors, Geraldine Brooks, also a Pulitzer prize winning author.
glaks's review against another edition
3.0
Dense, but if you can make your way through it, it’s informative and fun. A good mix of history and travelogue. I wish that Horowitz had gone to New Zealand—it seemed like a strange omission.