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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Amusing spoof account of a group of inept climbers trying to get to the summit of Rum Doodle. It is very short and if I didn't have a job to go to I could have finished it easily in a couple of hours. It isn't laugh out loud funny, but more smirk to yourself on the bus and it contains the most meaningless sentence I have ever read but find makes me grin everytime I read it:-
"In addition to investigations into the hypgraphical and topnlogical fossiferation of the area he hoped to collect new data on the effect of biochronical disastrification of the geneospherical pandiculae on the exegis of Wharton's warple."
"In addition to investigations into the hypgraphical and topnlogical fossiferation of the area he hoped to collect new data on the effect of biochronical disastrification of the geneospherical pandiculae on the exegis of Wharton's warple."
What a hoot! One to read again whenever you need a laugh. The Bill Bryson intro in this edition is a star also.
Loaned to me by a friend who said, "this book is very funny." I couldn't agree with the assessment more. It was a good treadmill read, although I nearly fell off a couple of times.
A couple of laugh out loud moments, a few silent chuckles and that's about it. If Bill Bryson thinks this is the funniest book ever written then he needs to get himself to a bookshop pronto.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"We could now number ourselves amongst those who had trod the ultimate heights and invaded nature's last stronghold against the advancing spirit of man.
I tried to remember all I had read about climbing at such heights. I took one step, then waited for ten minutes. This, I understood, was essential; our predecessors were unanimous about it: one step, then ten minutes' rest, or seven in an emergency. I found it more difficult than I had anticipated. To remain in one position for ten minutes was not at all easy [...] I noticed that the others seemed to be ignoring the procedure [...] [Constant] said that the early climbers had been forced to rest after every few steps because they were out of breath".
This is the immensely funny story of the ascent of the 40,000 (and a half) feet high mountain, Rum Doodle by a group of unlikely characters whose names describe them with Dickensian aptness: Burley (Major and mission strong-man), Binder (the extremely naive mission leader and narrator of the tale), Wish (the scientist), Shute (the photographer), Jungle (the communications expert and route-finder), Constant (diplomatist and linguist), and Prone (the medical doctor). These seven men, along with their band of 3,000 porters (known as Bangs), and 375 boys, attempt to conquer Rum Doodle, undergoing hilarious (mis)adventures on the way. If you are a UK reader and are familiar with the old TV comedy series 'Dad's Army', then this would be Mainwaring and his men deciding to climb a mountain. It can only end in disaster!
One of the purposes of the mission is to hunt out a creature indigenous to Rum Doodle - the warple. Binder describes his effort:
"I was on the look out for the altitude hallucinations and warples. Several times I thought I saw a warple, but it turned out to be a hallucination. Several times I thought I saw a hallucination, but it turned out to be a spot on my goggles. Once I thought I saw a spot on my goggles, but it turned out to be a warple which turned out to be a hallucination".
Between ascents and descents to different camps, with different characters and the loyal, (but dreadful chef) Bang (called Pong), the reader becomes drawn into the endeavour, even though at times you find yourself willing Binder to not be so naive and gullible! The twist at the end of the book provides a very satisfying ending though, leaving the book with that 'feel good' factor (but not in a cheesy Hollywood way). There are moments of satirical philosophy, and comical attempts at communication (both with the belching Bangs, and within the group via walkie talkie), but the essence of the book reflects the ways in which humour overcomes adversity, and the binding powers of humanity across cultures.
It's a great short read, and it made a welcome break from the long tomes that I have been immersed in recently. Would highly recommend.
I tried to remember all I had read about climbing at such heights. I took one step, then waited for ten minutes. This, I understood, was essential; our predecessors were unanimous about it: one step, then ten minutes' rest, or seven in an emergency. I found it more difficult than I had anticipated. To remain in one position for ten minutes was not at all easy [...] I noticed that the others seemed to be ignoring the procedure [...] [Constant] said that the early climbers had been forced to rest after every few steps because they were out of breath".
This is the immensely funny story of the ascent of the 40,000 (and a half) feet high mountain, Rum Doodle by a group of unlikely characters whose names describe them with Dickensian aptness: Burley (Major and mission strong-man), Binder (the extremely naive mission leader and narrator of the tale), Wish (the scientist), Shute (the photographer), Jungle (the communications expert and route-finder), Constant (diplomatist and linguist), and Prone (the medical doctor). These seven men, along with their band of 3,000 porters (known as Bangs), and 375 boys, attempt to conquer Rum Doodle, undergoing hilarious (mis)adventures on the way. If you are a UK reader and are familiar with the old TV comedy series 'Dad's Army', then this would be Mainwaring and his men deciding to climb a mountain. It can only end in disaster!
One of the purposes of the mission is to hunt out a creature indigenous to Rum Doodle - the warple. Binder describes his effort:
"I was on the look out for the altitude hallucinations and warples. Several times I thought I saw a warple, but it turned out to be a hallucination. Several times I thought I saw a hallucination, but it turned out to be a spot on my goggles. Once I thought I saw a spot on my goggles, but it turned out to be a warple which turned out to be a hallucination".
Between ascents and descents to different camps, with different characters and the loyal, (but dreadful chef) Bang (called Pong), the reader becomes drawn into the endeavour, even though at times you find yourself willing Binder to not be so naive and gullible! The twist at the end of the book provides a very satisfying ending though, leaving the book with that 'feel good' factor (but not in a cheesy Hollywood way). There are moments of satirical philosophy, and comical attempts at communication (both with the belching Bangs, and within the group via walkie talkie), but the essence of the book reflects the ways in which humour overcomes adversity, and the binding powers of humanity across cultures.
It's a great short read, and it made a welcome break from the long tomes that I have been immersed in recently. Would highly recommend.
I'd say if you enjoy mountain climbing and the absurdity of books such as Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then this book is right up your street. I loved it and laughed till i cried while discussing it afterwards.
Muchas ganas de leerlo en inglés – con tantos juegos de palabras traducidos, tienen que ser casi como dos libros diferentes.