Argentina Books

This is an exceptional study of the Patagonian gauchos and their life style and habitat before it is extinguished forever by western values, money and culture. As a tourist in Patagonia it should be required reading, especially if you are attempting a riding trip there as we were, across the Andes. For a moment you can understand what you are seeing and experiencing, for a second you are part of the scenary, not just watching it voyeuristically unfold before you. I don't think I understood travel until I read this book.I will never travel again with my eyes open and my mind closed.

If you have been to Cisnes,Patagonia (or want to go there) this is a must book to read. I spent 10 days in this area in February, 2002 and saw some of the people that Nick writes about. In reading the book Nick made me feel that I was back there as I could visualize where the events were taking place. The changes to Coyhaique have continued since 1999 as I found it to be a very modern town. After reading this book I would like to make a return trip.

If you cherish the ways in which John McPhee and Barry Lopez make meaning out of landscape, if you appreciate a writer with an observant heart and a feel for language, and if you wonder how people manage to live--for well and for ill--in a world turned inside out, this is the book for you. By turns harrowing, hilarious, and touching, "The Last Cowboys" will command your attention and remain in your thoughts long after you have read the last page.

This is just to correct a gross mistake from one of the other reviewers. Gauchos are the archetypical argentine country men, not chilean. and Patagonia is argentinean in more than 90% of its extension.
Gaucho literature is almost exclusively argentinian. An obligatory introduction to the world of gauchos is José Hernández' Martin Fierro. See this book first to get a glance at the gaucho's rough life before embarking in a second-hand misleading historiography.

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Reding earlier this year, and as I chatted with him over some drinks, I was really struck by the thought, "This guy has led a really amazing life!" As a result, I went out and grabbed this book and as I read it, I became even more amazed.

Nick tells the story of his experiences in the Chilean Patagonia in a way that draw you in to every moment. The vividness of his writing and the beauty of some of his comparisons made this quite an enjoyable read. His attention to detail leaves the reader with a feeling that they are right there staring over Nick's shoulder as he goes about life in a very different part of the world.

Nick has that knack that some of the best writers have of being able to see the common thread that exists between very different experiences and places. This book is also extremely well researched with a lot of attention to historical detail, but this detail is not integrated in a dry textbook like manner. Instead when Nick feels it is neccessary to illuminate the reader about a particular piece of history to provide context for an event, he explains that history without distracting from the main storyline.

Overall, this is an excellent piece of writing and I look forward to future books by Nick (he assures me at least one more is on the way).

"Our children were not taken as prisoners from a battlefield; totally defenseless, they were abducted from their homes, from the street, from their places of study and work. Our struggle has taken years of ceaseless searching and every other possible method, but it has been carried out by legal, constitutional, non-violent methods-with a clean face."
Circle of Love Over Death gives you a first hand testimony into the horrors and ugliness that Argentina battled through for many years. Through the eyes of each of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, you find an emotional and physical struggle to find the answers that they were never given, where their children are. This book touches on every human emotion possible and really gives you a true understanding of how one political force can take out an entire country.

In Circle of love over death, mothers whos children were taken away during the turbulent 70s in Argentina, gave their testomonies of the abduction and what came after. Before I read this book I had no knowledge of this sort of thing ever happening in Argentina. The haunting tales of the mothers showed the pain of losing a child, or children for as little reason as they were helping the poor. This book also showed how these women were able to bond together after the loss of their children to fight for the knowledge of what happened to the children. This book covers the events in Argentina since the 1970s, and describes the pain and horror of the mothers as the search for information about the whereabouts of their children, even twenty years after their abduction. I think this book was very informative and made us aware of situation that was not well publicized in the united states at all.

"I look at you who look at me, who perhaps would like to know, and I, from my tremendous clarity I, from my insomnia, am going to ask you, if you have any children..."

I had heard of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo before reading this book, but having read it I now feel as if if I know the Mothers. Their testimonies were beautiful dedications to thier children who dissappeared, and thier voices important to understanding the horrendous experiance they have had, and continue to endure. Perhaps the most problematic aspect with this text was the feeling of redundancy of the testimonies. As I was reading, I desperatly hoped that the testimonies would explore different instances and feelings. I think it was important for these mothers to have the opportunity to voice their feelings and their heartache, however.

If you have never heard about the "disappearances" in Argentina, or you simply want to find out more, this is a very useful text.

Circle of Love over Death, written by Matilde Mellibovsky, gives true testimonies from mothers from Argentina who had lost their children. These testimonies are true stories from women who's children have disappeared during the Argentinian "dirty war." The Mothers, in order to get some justice, appear at the Plaza de Mayo every Thursday afternoon demanding for answers about the disappearnce of their children. This book portrays the love that these women had for their children. These women not only are not only fighting for human's rights, but as for rights as a mother. Even when they received no answers when questioning authorities they still kept marching.

I felt that Circle of Love was a really great way to learn about the emotional aspect behind the horrible kidnapping that took place in Argentina during the "dirty war". It did not cover much of the politics of the situation because the book encompassed the testimonies of mothers and grandmothers of the missing. Although the stories were at times redundant and very heart-wrenching, I was able to read the book feeling as though I had learned a great deal. I think anyone can benefit from reading the unbounded love that these women felt for their children and the pain and ridicule that they endured in order to find answers as to where their loved ones had been taken. These stories are REAL women who are still fighting this in hopes that justice might be found.

Would be better if there was more information on hotels, but in general, a good book

I really felt like the book helped give me a great glimpse into the culture of the city and its nearby areas. The information on the nearby sidetrips to San Antonio De Areco is also excellent. I stayed at a horse ranch based on a recommendation in the book, and it was a phenomenal travel experience.

James

Blah. How in the world did this get 4.5 stars? Not well laid out which make it dense and difficult difficult to read. You can get better and of course fresher information searching the NYT. And no introduction of practical stuff - one of the only entries on crime is where one of the Bush twins had her pocketbook lifted. I lament the end of the great Access guides.

I never like dining suggestions in Frommer Travel Guides. The very best are expected, quality food at high prices. But their best values are usually not the best values in that respective city/country. What I did like from this book was the side trips, which I highly recommend. Particularly nice was my buquebus trip to Colonia, Uruguary. I went in the winter and it was very scenic and a nice contrast to Recoleta, the neighborhood where I ended up renting an apartment in Buenos Aires.

The trouble with travel books like Frommer's is that they don't tell the negative side as thoroughly as they do the positive. That's why I like Rick Steves' European guidebooks. He is opinionated and quick to tell both sides of the story.
This Frommer's book on Buenos Aires was useful on our trip last week but did not discuss how massive and basically filthy and jammed with traffic the city is. The sidewalks were littered with broken pavement, garbage and dog droppings, even in the best of neighborhoods.
In one section, Frommer's relates a day trip via ferry to nearby Uruguay; it made it sound as if one were visiting the Magic Kingdom. In truth, it was just a few streets and shops; certainly not worth the trouble.
There was no warning about counterfeit Argentine currency. Apparently color laser printers are pretty common down there because there are plenty of homemade 20, 50 and 100 peso bills that look perfect to the untrained eye. A warning would have helped here.

Three things:
1. I have not yet been to Argentina so I have not verified my conclusion.
2. I have not seen other Argentina guide books.
3. I have a shelf full of other guide books for other countries and this is quite simply the best and most comprehensive travel guide I have ever seen. In the future I will consider Rough Guides first above all others, then evaluate.

book arrived much earlier than other I'd ordered at same time, great condition, but extra box packaging is not necessary. Books like that only need padded envelopes.

I agree with pretty much with what has been said in the reviews below. The Rough Guide is a better value from the Lonely Planet, if nothing else for the additional number of pages (a third) that allow the authors to get into more detail on the history, politics and minutiae of places to stay and see.

There are a few problems or personal recommendations I would make, or emphasize. The Guide is absolutely on target by recommending not to bring travellers checks. Not only are the banks loth to take them (only a minority actually do, the maximum is $100 per day) but there is an extraordinary amount of paperwork and they charge enormous fees. I brought most of the checks back home. There is a problem with Argentinian ATMs not listed in the Guide. Most ATMs use a 4 letter code and do not recognize 4+ codes from the USA or European debit/credit cards. You will quickly recognize and love the small minority that do (such as the Columbia Bank).

The maps were very helpful to me.

Some of the places described in the book were apparently never visited by the Guide's researchers, who must have relied on second-hand info from tour operators or Information agencies. A case in point is the Baritu National Park and its launching pad, the village Los Toldos, which are described from a standpoint of someone who has never been there.

In general, I would say that the country is best experienced if one avoids organized tours. Argentines are a warm, interesting and interested people. It is one thing to sit in the bus with a bunch of Europeans and gringos and another to sit together with the locals... indigenous ladies returning from the market, old men in old hats, groups of seductive young women... you will see more of the land and experience more of the people. If you visit Iruya (which I thoroughly recommend), don't just stay for a couple of hours before returning to Humahuaca; i suggest renting a room in the village (for ridiculously low proces) and staying for a couple of days.

There is very little about other countries and potential issues involved in crossing the borders. This goes for Brasil, Bolivia and Chile.

Still, this is the guide to get. Enjoy the travels.

The Rough Guide to Argentina (2nd edition published in January of 2005) is the best guide available for the entire country. I phrased it this way because Time Out Buenos Aires (published July 2006) is by far and away the best guide for the city of Buenos Aires.

If you are a little leery of purchasing a guidebook printed almost two years ago I would recommend purchasing Time Out Buenos Aires as well because it seemed that only in Buenos Aires have things changed so rapidly that a newer guide would be necessary.
Having said that you certainly can get away with just having The Rough Guide (just know that prices have gone up - which happens with all guide books).

When comparing The Rough Guide to Argentina to Lonely Planet Argentina (the only real competition since Fodors, Frommers, and Bradt just don't compete) I can easily recommend Rough guide over Lonely Planet. The Rough Guide simply has more information (it has 372 MORE pages than Lonely Planet has). A few times I found that I'd read about a very intriguing and little known attraction in the Rough Guide only to find it missing altogether in Lonely Planet. I know that most guides are striving to also highlight the off the beaten track activities as well as the major ones and The Rough Guide achieves this in a much better way than Lonely Planet.

I don't fault Lonely Planet for this because they produce good travel guides (especially in Europe), but it seems that they made the decision to not go as in depth as The Rough Guide has in South America (since I also found the same to be true with the Chile and Peru guides).

The maps are very easy to use and more intuitive than Lonely Planet's, but it would be nice for Rough Guide to copy LP in printing the elevation and population of cities and towns.

All areas of the country are represented well in the guide. Some are a bit more heavily detailed but it does not come at the expense of others.

The "Basics" section is very detailed in highlighting entry requirements, transportation, health and safety issues, etc. There is also a lengthy discussion on the history of Argentina, it's peoples, culture, political system, food, etc.

You will definitely not be disappointed after purchasing this guidebook.

I liked this better than the Frommer's guides, but I think the Lonely Planet guide does a better job. As a traveler on a student's budget, I didn't find this particular guide to be that useful or user-friendly. It IS informative and can be useful (language section, brief culture/history section, health section, etc.) but as I said, it wasn't right for me.

I suggest the Lonely Planet guide to Argentina.

i enjoyed the book very much,i wanted to see the real person not the movie person.too bad she died so young,maybe she would have helped argentina more towards democracy.who knows? we never will. but i would have liked to have known her.

This is one biography that can tries to explain what made her tick. Close to 55 years since she died, Evita's mystery unravels slowly. Her childhood trauma is not enough to explain what drove her addictive need for power and bloodlust. If you admire powerful women, read this.

I fell in love last year. With Argentina. Having visited, I wanted to learn more and more. The musical Evita gave me a taste of the complexity of the fascinating story of one of Argentina's great figures. This book is a scholarly look at her life, her ups her downs, and includes many interesting photographs of Eva and Juan. I recommend it highly.

I am very familiar with Latin American writers and read them in the Spanish. I read this book in Spanish even though it originally was in English! John Barnes is a very experienced journalist who was stationed in Bueonos Aires for various major publications. He has worked all over the world in places like Argentina, Chile. No. Ireland and covered the Iran Iraq was for Newsweek. With this background and talent he has crafted a facinating book about Eva Peron. It's true that there is a lot of politics but when you are first lady it goes with the territory. It's how she and Col. Peron transformed and revoluncionized Argentina just before the end of WW 11 that is so interesting. Evita left a little pueblo at 15 with no formal education, worked her way up to being a second rate actriz in their film industry. She fell in love with Col Peron many years her senior and took control of the country. It turnes out she was the brains and fierce driving spirit in the process who died at age 32. The major labor union petioned the Pope to have her cannonized a saint! I found this book by the pro John Barnes a real treat.

I am a biography buff. I prefer fact over fiction and read just about every autobiography and biography that I can get my hands on. Often I have found the need to read several biographies by various authors to get a clear picture and understanding of the subject's life and character. Not this time - Evita First Lady is an exquisitely written biography. It is not a bit of fluff but a riviting account of the life and times of one of history's most notorious first ladies. I highly recommend John Barnes' book.

Everything about this book, from phone numbers to accommodation reviews, has been almost laughably wrong. I've never felt compelled to write a review on amazon before, but this book has been so inaccurate I think I should warn people. The only reason anyone should buy this book is to do the exact OPPOSITE of whatever it says. I doubt this author has even been to the places she writes about, that's how consistently wrong this book is. It is impossible to locate a copyright date, and they probably did that on purpose, considering many places have closed and info is obviously outdated. I understand that some places change over time, but I've given this book a chance in 10 different places throughout Argentina and the advice here has failed miserably.

We used this book for 3 months as we lived in Buenos Aires with few, if any, complaints.

Footprint has been writing its South America guidebook series for 80+ years. It is simply the most well-informed guidebook for this continent. Compared to Lonely Planet, there is more information packed into Footprint and the quality of the materials and printing are superior.

The maps are a level above the competition, especially the sad, gray smudges that pass for maps in the Lonely Planet. The multi-page country maps at the back of this series are by far the best maps in any guidebook printed today.

5 stars. The best.

There was a day when Rough Guide and Lonely Planet were the best guides for travelers that sought to leave the tour groups behind and explore on their own. But slowly, year by year, Footprint has improved, and now this 4th edition is one of the best guides for Argentina that you can buy. *Note that this review is for the the 4th edition, other reviews below are probably refering to the 3rd Edition.

I took five travel guides with me to explore Argentina/Patagonia, and I found myself consistently reaching for Footprint first. It is the most current (2006) and the guide consistently listed quality accommodations and good restaurants, some of which were exemplary. The city maps in the guide are excellent. All the restaurants and hotels are well marked on each map. Kudos.

Footprint Argentina's background section (history, religion, culture etc.) is well written, brief, yet informative. There is an abundance of website references throughout the text and a website listing for almost every accommodation = excellent.

I spent five weeks exploring Patagonia and found Footprint to be the best single guide to have. More than 200 pages in this Argentinean guide are devoted to this region, including a section on Chilean Patagonia. If you purchase "Time Out Patagonia" (see my review) you will have the best two guides possible for Patagonia.

On the downside Footprint uses a cumbersome letter system instead of just telling you the price for accommodations (i.e., LL=$200 plus, L=$150-$200, AL=$101-$150, A,B,C,D,E,F etc. -- putting the legend at the back of the book - a serious hassle). It also fails to tell you what is the price range for the restaurants; so at one eatery you could pay $10 for your meal, then have a $35 bill at another. Not good. The descriptions of the restaurants are insipid and verge on being meaningless: "tasty food", "cosy", "very popular", "delicious food". Whereas, other good guides (Rough Guide - also highly recommended - see my review) give you pointers: "best grilled shrimp ever" / "the steaks here are the best in town" etc.

Bottom line: this is a very good guide for Argentina and the best guide for those that are going to Patagonia. Highly recommended

We travelled around Argentina out of season using this guide and the Rough Guide, and found that we turned time and again to the Footprint Guide for reliable and up-to-date information. I broke my ankle in Salta, but thanks to this guide, we were booked into a fantastic hotel, and later spent a few nights luxuriating in a gorgeous and fantastic value for money estancia in Pumamarca, which went some way towards saving the holiday from disaster. If you're thinking of going to Argentina, go now, and take this guide with you!

I returned from Argentina just two weeks ago, and I used this book exclusively. I usually use the "Let's Go" guides when I travel, and I didn't like this one nearly as much. Too many superlatives throughout the book - unfortunately not everything can be amazing or fantastic - so after a while there was really no way to differenciate the truly fantastic (the falls or Perito Moreno Glacier), from the just so so things. And regardless of what the book says, unless you love to eat beef and pork every meal, the food is terrible. Very mediocre pasta and pizzas everywhere, and vegetarians are highly restricted. The food was definitely the lowlight of our trip. If interested in hiking and the outdoors - plan on spending the majority of your time way down south. El Calafate, El Chalten, and Ushuaia are all truly amazing areas. And if you can fit the Falls in, they are definitely worth the trip. The prices in the book were pretty accurate, although things tended to be a bit higher. But it is still quite inexpensive. We thought the book did a poor job of letting you know just how difficult it would be to get to many of the wilderness areas without your own car or hiring an expensive guide. Another thing to remember when planning your trip is that it is much cheaper in the North, and the buses are nicer and more plentiful. Overall, I thought it was a good book, but the authors could have been a bit more honest about the shortcomings of the country.

Depending on your belief system, this book could be quite an eye-opener. I say that because we in the American church have very little experience with demons. We run tidy little services with comfortable pews and sermons that keep us feeling good about ourselves. And by and large, we keep things at mostly an intellectual level. In this book, there is NONE of that. Satan and his demons are real ememies that we can fight by....well, you will have to read the book to find out how.

I was stunned by the audacity of this book, and chilled by the number of "5 star" reviews. I have seen this style of writing before . . . it is favored by various gurus who demand blind faith and unwavering supplication from legions of starry-eyed innocents in awe of their false wisdom. His ego knows no bounds, and he expects the reader to hang on his every word, believing it all without question. Rubbish.

I DO believe in the demonic, and I do believe that -- on rare occasions -- people CAN be demonically possessed (far more common is the phenomenon of attachment, influence, and parasitism by astral larvae, akishra, and earthbound spirits -- easily detached via a number of methods, including the Christian "deliverance"). I do NOT, however, believe that Annacondia is an honest or ethical man.

Annacondia presents himself, not as a "man of God", but rather as a godlike man. Over and over again we hear incredible testimonials to how great and powerful Annacondia is. Unlike other holy men, Annacondia does not humbly dismiss this praise and state that it is his God who should instead be praised, as he is simply a vessel for the power of God to work through . . . no, Annacondia basks in the glory of this undeserved praise, and hungers for more. Over and over again, he boasts of his *magickal* powers (given to him by God, no doubt!).

All evil spirits, including Satan himself, tremble before Annacondia and OBEY HIS EVERY COMMAND (and Annacondia can bestow this power upon those who choose to follow him!). Dozens of assassins sent to kill Annacondia (with sniper rifles, pistols, knives, and firebombs) not only found themselves unable to complete their mission, but actually repented, surrendered their weapons to him, and begged his forgiveness! Those who thieve from Annacondia are seemingly "bewitched" until the items are returned and forgiveness is granted! Does this sound like Christianity to you?

In addition to dozens of cases which seem profoundly unlikely -- even when compared to the most spectacular cases found in a large number of other books on the subject of possession and exorcism -- there are quite a few passages that are downright disturbing. Here is just one example: "A group of young girls came to the tent manifesting demons. We realized that there was a sexual spirit controlling them all. It seemed unreal to see this happening to girls eight to twelve years old. A sexual spirit possessed the oldest, who was twelve, and she controlled the other girls. They practiced lesbianism in their church's bathroom." (p. 182)

Even more disturbing was his endorsement of Leviticus 20:27, "A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads. These words are from the Bible; it's not me saying this -- it's God Himself." (p. 95)

Annacondia comes off in this book as a rather sleazy cross between financial empowerment guru Tony Robbins and alleged "miracle man" guru Sai Baba. His unabashed self-aggrandizement was, to me, even more offensive than the paranoid hatemongering of Rebecca Brown . . . at least she doen't seem to expect prostrate adoration!

Annacondia = Anaconda = "King of the Serpents" = demonic entity.

This is not a book that you can read and still be the same person. This is a book for the Christian that is tired of being just a church going Christian. You should be challenged to be moved out of your comfort zone and apply the principles taught in this easy to read book. It's true that signs will follow to those who have SURRENDERED their lives to Jesus, and this book will teach you how to SHAKE the heavens on earth.

Carlos Annacondia brings you into the tactics of spiritual warfare reinforced by the powerful testimonies from his campaigns in Argentina.

This is not simply a book but a WEAPON for those who believe in the POWER of the name of JESUS.

I not only know carlos annocondia's teachings I personally have experienced the power of God coming from his ministry. I've been to those phony deliverance ministries where they tell you to confess all this stuff and try to cast so-called demons out of you and no real change happens in your life but the time I went to one of Carlos' crusades in PA changed my life and I'll never forget it! The whole night while he was preaching I felt very bad, full of anxiety, hatred, depression, confusion ect... I felt like I was crazy. He gave an alter call for those who wanted to be set free. I knew I had to go down there. When I went down I fell down under the power of God then this wierd feeling came over me. I started screaming and shaking. Ushers picked me up and carried me into the back room while I was screaming fear, fear the spirit of fear. This spirit was TERRIFIED of this kind of God's power I could feel it but at the same time I felt peace and knew everything would be o.k. To make a long story short the deliverance team prayed for me and the spirit left me and I felt a peace so great I could finally breathe again and sleep properly. This man Carlos is real deal and his anointing is true I know first hand.

This book is a powerful read. If you enjoy Benny Hinn, E.M Bounds, Lester Sumrall, Smith Wigglesworth, you will be delighted by this selection.

This book brings out some of the issues that as a Christian society we fail to partake, or not partake in for that matter.

The Lord said that those who believe these signs shall follow.

Are you a believer of the the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What then is stopping you from walking into hospitols and rebuking sicknesses off of the afflicted? What is stopping you from laying hands on those with no feet and proclaiming thier healing in Jesus name. Is your faith based on the Word? If so then you would have no doubt in these things coming to pass. The Lord tells us this plainly in His Word.

This book is a must read for those who hate the devil. Do you want to experience full power in the name of Jesus Christ? Read this book. It will inspire you, and maybe open your eyes on some topics that you have hidden away.

God Bless

In a provincial town 800 km north of Buenos Aires a group of revolutionaries kidnap by mistake Charly Fortnum, the Honorary Consul, instead of the American Ambassador. They request the liberation of 10 prisoners from Paraguay.
The characters are brilliantly drawn and the prose is sparse and taught. Fortnum, sixty-one year old, living on whisky and his disputed status as an "Honorary" British Consul marries a young ex-prostitute from Senora Sanchez's brothel. Dr Eduardo Plarr whose deficient emotions form the heart of the novel. Although Plarr is Clara's lover and the father of the child she's expecting, he still envies Fortnum's love for her because it is a feeling he has never been capable of experiencing himself. Even the minor characters of the kidnappers, Aquino, Father Rivas and Marta are sardonically drawn and during the bungled kidnap, plenty is said among them about justice, faith, love and God during the 3-day confine in a dirty mud and tin hut.

At their best, Greene's novels put ordinary men in difficult moral situations. Then, his characters make heroic, but often self-defeating, moral choices. These great novels include THE POWER AND THE GLORY, THE HEART OF THE MATTER, THE QUIET AMERICAN, and THE COMEDIANS. Read them.

In THE HONORARY COUNSUL, Greene also creates difficult moral situations for his primary characters. But, in this novel, the dilemmas of Father Rivas and Dr. Plarr are without Greene's usual deft balance between choice and disaster.

Instead, Greene creates moral situations that appear doomed almost from the book's beginning. As a result, the choices that Rivas and Plarr make don't seem especially heroic. Instead, these characters seem to be caught in a death machine, which is indifferent to their personal dilemmas.

To a large extent, they are like Charley Fortnum, the novel's honorary counsel, who is kidnapped mistakenly by political revolutionaries. Here, Fortnum, despite lots of misery and recrimination, is basically waiting for the denouement, as the death machine grinds forward.

In Greene's great books, there is also the pleasure of seeing characters move through time and place. In contrast, much of this novel is conversation, with Greene making his points. Many of these are about moral responsibility. But others just seem "writerly", with Greene developing endless ironic connections between apparently dissimilar characters.

Nonetheless, this is a good read and a rewarding book, with the best scene the querulous formation of the Anglo-Argentinean Club.

This is what happens when great authors go to seed. It seems like a cruel mockery of a Greene novel, parading the same old themes around, corrupted more than ever by an unjustified excess liberalism. There isn't a single living character here, and even though the prose is generally competent, I think it has to be buried in consideration of the man's memory.

"The Honorary Consul" is the first Graham Greene novel I've read, and it is easy to see why Greene has earned so many devoted fans and seemingly over-the-top superlatives over his long career.

Based on this novel, Greene's strength seems to be creating a rich cast of characters, full of different tics, scars, dreams, virtues, and flaws, and dropping them into a plot of balanced tragedy and farce. By stirring great ingredients into a delicious recipe, Greene created a novel to savour and one, I would bet, improves with each reading.

Set in an anonymous border town just on the Argentine side of Paraguay, "The Honorary Consul" focuses on the hapless, accidental kidnapping of Charley Fortnum, the titular honorary consul. A band of revolutionaries, lethally inept, swipe the British Fortnum instead of their target, the American ambassador, whom they wanted to exchange for political prisoners in the Paraguayan dictatorship nearby. Unfortunately for the kidnappers, Fortnum's title is more impressive than his station, and nobody is all that eager to save Fortnum, much less give in to the kidnappers' demands.

Further adding to the travesty of the situation, Fortnum's only connection to the outside world is Dr. Plarr, a half-British, half Argentinian physician who is also having an affair with Fortnum's wife, a former prostitute. Plarr, whose father vanished into the Paraguayan prison system years ago, is a man incapable of emotion -- when it comes to relationships, he's good at the physics but not the chemistry.

Plarr struggles to help the innocent Fortnum escape his looming fate -- if ten political prisoners are not released from Paraguay, the kidnappers will shoot Fortnum. Through his efforts both with the kidnappers and with several possible saviors, Plarr meets and interacts with a host of characters whose range of quirks and passions would be at home in a Casablanca cafe.

Greene writes with an economic, spare prose that is nevertheless powerful, often using dialogue and soliloquies to advance the story rather than long-winded descriptions of setting. Clocking in at under 300 pages, "The Honorary Consul" is a riveting read that probably goes too fast on the first read. I plan on putting it aside for a few months before taking it up again . . . I'm sure I'll catch a bit more meaning the second time around, but there was plenty for the first trip through.

A dark, occasionally depressing novel of lost opportunities, false passions, and the ultimate quest for truth, "The Honorary Consul" is a heck of a read. Check it out.

Graham Greene presents the story of a half-English medical doctor, Eduardo Plarr, living in a backwater town in Argentina. The title derives from Plarr's relationship with the Honorary Consul, Charley Fortnum, and his adulterous relationship with Fortnum's former-prostitute wife. This work of literature is very well written and has the taste of art.

Greene's writing expresses the subtlety of his characters - apathetic men who go through life not having been impressed with much. Greene's theme is love and how or whether it is expressed between men and women, and also how it is expressed (if expressed at all) between man and God. Graham puts into the thoughts of Dr. Plarr:

"`Love' was a claim which he wouldn't meet, a responsibility he would refuse to accept, a demand ... So many times his mother had used the word when he was a child; it was like the threat of an armed robber. `Put up your hands or else ...' Something was always asked in return: obedience, an apology, a kiss which one had no desire to give." And again:

"That stupid banal word love. It's never meant anything to me. Like the word God."

Thus, Greene puts these "larger than ourselves" themes on the backs of his self-absorbed characters. The result is masterful. If you are looking to read classic literature - the kind of literature that actually requires the reader to think and ponder the implications of the print - then this book is for you. Highly recommended.

I must admit that I have never heard of this story before. I heard about a U-boat leaving the Baltic Sea at about the time Hitler killed himself, but the story about the U-977 is amazing. Not only did she break the blockade, but surrendered to the Argentines in August of 1945. This boat had little fuel, but some provisions, and an understrenght crew. The author relates his own training in this book and then details this amazing journey.

This is a nice little true story about World War II. It reads like a novel, but the author relates this is all true. It is a different story than one usually finds about WWII.

This is the personal account of Lieutenant-Commander Heinz Schaefer, commander of U-977. He begins his recollection of his years in the German Kriegsmarine (Navy) before his enlistment and eventual commissioning, describing his apprenticeship aboard a cadet schooner in his youth. He gives an interesting account of the training he recieved as an officer-candidate, with much time spent in rigorous drill aboard a Navy clipper-ship in the Baltic Sea...in winter! Mr. Schaefer tells us of his selection into the elite submarine service, and subsequent missions in the north Atlantic.
However, he and his crew would gain far more fame for his notorious escape from allied internment, being one of 2 Submarine crews who crossed the Atlantic Ocean to seek asylum in Argentina. His submarine travelled submerged for a record 104 days, unheard of endurance for any submarine in that era, even the well-crafted Type 7 and Type 9 U-Boats. Upon arrival in Argentina, a full 3 months after the war in Europe was ended, his crew was extradited to the United States and interrogated, having been suspected of smuggling [...]

This is one of the best accounts from an insider's point of view in the Wehrmacht. Schaefer gives us insight into the naval aspects of the war, such as the attempts to make submarines less vulnerable to air-attack, and even mentions the advent of the Type 21 U-Boat, which was the mother of all modern submarine technology. The German submarine service very nearly won the war for their side, using the vessels they had at hand. If the Type 21 had been built in large numbers from the beginning (as well as many other high-technology weapons that Germany produced), history would have been altered!

I read the 1957 reprint of 1952 edition. Paperback. No translator is mentioned and this gives the impression that the book might have been written in English by Schaeffer himself. But reader remains in doubt.

Monsarrat's introduction (is he also the translator??) is out of place and unprofessional. We are trying to look at things from German point of view and this guy finds it an occasion to give us another dose of the victor's usual ramblings.

The book finishes leaving the reader in want of a few more paragraphs of information on author's life after war, but all that's given a couple of sentences. I wished there were later books by Schaeffer one could read but as far as I know this is the only one he wrote.

Like a true soldier, he stays silent about his
Nazi feelings instead of lying about it. But the affair
about the Brazilian ship is still doubtful. He really
could have sunk it.

I read the 1957 reprint of 1952 edition. Paperback. No translator is mentioned and this gives the impression that the book might have been written in English by Shaeffer himself. But reader remains in doubt.

Monsarrat's introduction (is he also the translator??)is out of place and unprofessional. We are trying to look at things from German point of view and this guy finds it an occasion to give us another dose of the victor's ramblings.

The book finishes leaving the reader in want of a few more paragraphs of information on author's life after war, but all that's given is one sentence. I wished there were later books by Schaeffer one could read but as far as I know this is the only one he wrote.

I have finished it few days ago.
I respect the point of view of the other readers, but without try to idolize the U-boat's captains, they were an incredible self control, strong and courage fullfilled persons.
This book reveals some scenes that will be hard to find in other books. The attack with deph charges and the feeling that the writer reflects in the book it's very real, as if you would have been there.
The chapter of the trip to Cape Verde islan's and the fun that they found there tells you that they were persons like probably you and me are, but under a very unpleasant and very demanding circumstances.
The last part about days and the personal events of the captain after the war need, as someone says above, more paragraphs.
Well friends, try to get a copy and read it. To me it's one of the best in this subject.

Peter Lourie is about the best non-fiction writer that I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Joshua Slocum was a funny sailor who sailed alone. One time Joshua was getting attacked by pirates he made a dummy out of his clothes at the front of the ship. Then he went into his room and changed clothes many times to make it seem like there were different people coming out. Then just before the pirates came on his ship, he put thumbtacks on the deck and the pirates stepped on them so they jumped back in their ship and went away. Ferdinand Magellan was the first to sail down what is now know as the Strait of Magellan and live. You see the waters are very choppy and there are lots of rocks in the Strait of Magellan. They named the strait after him because he was the first to sail down the strait and live. These are just some out of the many interesting facts in books by Peter Lourie.

Tierra Del Fuego is a book following the adventures of 16th century explorer, Ferdinand Magellan. Tierra Del Fuego is a region off the coast of South America, which is still inhabited by native tribes. From the vmassive farmlands to Penguin Island, Tierra Del Fuego is unlike Amewrica. This book is very informative but it is hard to comprehend. However, the pictures give incredible details which supports the facts. Peter Lourie creates a story that tops all the rest.

NS

This is a very knowledgeable and educational adventure. In this book Peter Lourie takes you on a ride of the region of Terria del Fuego. This book tells you of many wonderful islands with animals like Peguin Island and Seal Island. I think you should read this book to learn more and appreciate the beautiful pictures of the flowers and Islands.

By: D.B.

Tierra del Fuego
I like the pictures and the essential facts about the pictures, but some parts were too complicated and I couldn't truly understand what Peter Lourie was trying to tell us altogether. Overall I'd give this book four stars because it was hard to understand, but the pictures and unusual facts made up for that. I also thought the islands were authoritative and how the animals there adapted to those environments was an adequate addition to the storyline. This book was a great experience and Peter Lourie must have put a lot of effort into this book.
(...)

This book is about Native Americans that live where the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean meet. This place Tierra del Fuego has really bad storms. This was hard for sailors who explored all around the world, like Magellan. Finally in the 1900's the Americans built the Panama Canal. These meant sailors didn't have to sail all the way to the bottom of the world. The most interesting fact in the book is about Joshua Slocum. He sailed all the way around the world, by himself; He fought off big storms, stopped ambushes by the natives, and most off all fought off killer pirates. He did all those things, by himself.


My opinion is that this book was great. It had many different interesting facts. I would recommend this book to anyone, who enjoys a good read. The pictures that Peter Lourie took are amazing.