nelsta 's review for:

River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard

3.0

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This adventure tale is fun, but it doesn’t follow a single story thread for very long. Three or four adventures to Africa are described in this book, as well as adventures to Mecca, North America, and elsewhere. Most of the characters—all real people with fascinating histories—are not given sufficient time to shine. The lone exception is Richard Burton, whose larger-than-life personality dominates most of this book’s pages.

If I had to describe this book in a few words, I’d say it’s fun pop history in the style of a late night History Channel special.