Oceania Books

Keneally has produced a fascinating introduction to the foundation of Australia, a fantastic mix of the high politics and the fascinating lives of the first settlers and their complex relationship with the Aboriginal peoples.

Robert Hughes,'Fatal Shore' redressed? Not quite. Hughes's well-honed invective sits uneasily besides Keneally's pragmatic prose. Keneally extolls the virtuous outcome of Australia's first governor, Arthur Phillip's benevolent authority, and his establishment, against all odds of Australia's criminal society. Whereas Hughes feels troubled by these origins, Keneally, the ongoing grief of the indigenous inhabitants apart, senses triumph. The writing does not wear its research excessively, and the setting of the settlers amidst an alien environment and culture is as balanced as any recent history I have encountered. We get thumbnail portraits of a large cast of people that bring the story closer to us and a graphic sense of the hardships endured, which few present day residents around the harbour city would easily imagine. Most of the bods on the book's positive side of the ledger have their names embedded in the city, a minor intetrest to local readers. And Glebe? the name of the vegetable patch attached to a church; never knew that either!

The author of Schindler's List brings us his 37th book, a history of the four years during which white Australia was born. Thomas Keneally competes with Robert Hughes' epic history of Australia's origin that covers a span of 80 years, chronicling the white settlers as oppressive. But Keneally's fresh, novelistic history has found its own place in Australian historiography; it scrutinizes a short time period, providing a multifaceted and profound study of the historical characters that birthed Australia.

Midwife to this birth was Great Britain, who sent a captain of her royal navy, Arthur Phillip, to oversee as governor a penal-colony experiment with 759 thieves, prostitutes, and criminal children. The poorly planned experiment could have easily become a disaster, had Phillip not been both authoritative and compassionate. Ultimately, Keneally admits bewilderment as to the true nature of Phillip, the narrative's potential hero, given his "nature so complex and hidden behind official formality."

Keneally illuminates the white settlement against the backdrop of the then virtually unknown Aborigines, whose contact with the criminal settlers kept tension high. The useful historiographical theme of dichotomy between two cultures takes shape here, with Keneally's description of the Aboriginal worldview, and his admission of its impossible incongruence with the intent of the Empire to colonize and cultivate.

Keneally tactfully narrates the clashes between the two discordant populations without romanticizing either, portraying with equal emphasis the contrasting barbarity and decency both groups exhibited. For example, Phillip's would-be-hero counterpart, Woolaware Bennelong, captured as an Aboriginal translator, assisted the white settlers after his escape, to the point that he was finally disowned by his own people.

Keneally's tactful tone has its own purpose. Where Hughes' history did not hesitate to weigh in against the colonial invaders, Keneally sustains his narrative along the middle ground, allowing Australians to realize their heritage as less melodramatic, and oppressive.

With Phillip's return to England after his term, Australians were left without a founding father-figure. Keneally's history fills in that gap, with assurances from Keneally that he can make out a positive resemblance between the first governor's pragmatism and thoroughness, and that of the country today.

Armchair Interviews says: Very well-done history.

Like a lot of myths, the founding of Australia by 'convicts' is altogether a misleading statement. Though the majority of people in the "First Fleet" had been consigned to 'transportation', if we are to believe Keneally, they were more schemers and scammers than violent criminals. In addition there were a number of marines and government officials who would 'settle' down with convict-wives and start up some of Australia's most famous families.

Keneally only writes about the three "Fleets" that arrived in the first five years of immigration. He has done his research into how the colony was started and what failed and what worked. He has also taken the time to try to present the emotional effect on the original (The Eoras) society that existed at the time of Sydney's founding. Unlike most histories, Keneally doesn't present the land as having been 'vacant' and only marginally occupied by the native people. He tries to give a flavor as to how the Eoras viewed the Europeans who had settled in their midst.

My one negative comment about the book reflects a lack of historical back- ground on my part not Keneally. I would guess that he wrote this book for home (Australian) consumption and therefore assumes that certain informa- tion would be evident to most readers. Unfortunately, most Americans learn little or nothing about Australia and therefore it would have been nice if an appendix could have been added to clarify some situations that Keneally mentions that happened later, such as the Irish Rebellion of 1804 and the mutiny against Governor Bligh.

This account of the founding of the first English penal colony in Australia is also a view into other things, not least the state of English society in the late eighteenth century, one of the consequences of the Enclosure Act, and human triumph over fantastic adversity. It is very difficult for us to even imagine the hardships these people endured, from what seemed an arbitrary legal system, the overcrowded jails and prison hulks, the voyage to the end of the world, and finally survival in a very alien land. It must have been no less difficult for the Aborigines, but their story is only peripheral to the focus of the book. There is a very good follow-up on what became of some of the first arrivals, those who not only survived but also succeeded beyond whatever they could have dreamed of in the Mother Country, becoming in time and in spite of their origins the pioneers and founders of a modern, vibrant country.

This is the first Rough Guide I ever used and it was so great, that I have bought one for each of the countries I visited. They might be large, but I only had to bring one book and it took care of all questions/confusion/curiousity/mysteries. It became our bible on our trip to New Zealand!

I went with my beautiful brunette wife to New Zealand on our honeymoon, and "The Rough Guide to New Zealand" was by far the best of available guide books. Not only is it light and portable, it is also extremely detailed. Plus, it "shoots from the hip" and mentions a lot of off-the-beaten-path things the other guides don't.

I recommend that, as a supplement, you purchase a detailed New Zealand road map, as "The Rough Guide" can't help you too much in that category.

Also, "The Rough Guide" doesn't have many photographs. You might want to choose your New Zealand itinerary using travel guides that are more photo-laden and colorful, and then leave those guides at home and bring "The Rough Guide" with you to New Zealand.

I was looking for a Rick Steves like guide to New Zealand - a book that concisely told where to go and where not to go. I had heard that other Rough Guides were like that, but this one is like most guide books - tells about everything with recommendations about what's best, hard to find. A good book to use as a reference but not quite what I was looking for.

Not only does this guide provide extensive recommendations for places to say, places to eat, and activities, it's also very well written. This book includes clear, detailed descriptions that really help you decide where to go, what to see, and what to skip. An indispensible travel guide for anyone headed to New Zealand, whatever your budget.

We brought 3 guides for 6 weeks in New Zealand - Rough Guide, Lonely Planet and Eye Witness. Soon we were only consulting Rough Guide - for lodging, meals and places to visit. The others stayed in the trunk of the car. Particularly good were the author's distillations of what was most important to see. While at Orakei Korako to see an example of geothermal activity, we encountered a group of U.S. geologists who had chosen to tour only O.K. after a mining conference in Australia. It was great to have contact numbers for rafting companies or wildlife spots such as Royal Albatross Center or Penguin Place so we could easily schedule tours to those places well in advance of arriving in the vicinty. Staying in Arrowtown rather than Queenstown or spending several days in Wanaka would not have occurred to us except for the Rough Guide's Advice. Even 6 weeks in New Zealand isn't enough for that country - we hope to use a future Rough Guide for our next trip.

Alison Anderson's "Hidden Latitudes" does have a interesting premise, that Amelia Earhart survived and lived on a small island in the Kiribati islands, and she has been marooned for so long that she no longer wishes to leave. A unhappy married couple stops at the island to repair their boat, and they soon discover that they are not alone, but they are afraid and annoyed by their "visitor". They argue and we find ourselves uninterested in them. Ending is kind of muddled

Read this book and enjoy the 'story' that unfolds.

If you are interested further, research the CBS data on what she was really doing, or had beeen persuaded to do.
And finally - switch to audio format - and enjoy the beautiful harmonies of Iain Matthews' eponymous album which sings of her bravery, and casts doubts as to who/what lay behind her mission.

As for the book, well although it is not quite in the 'Madame Bovary' league, it reads well enough, and those who criticise the author for portraying the marooned couple as just a pair of typical yanks with many greenbacks and little ambition; well, just who are we all, anyway??

Throughout the book, I can see what I think that author is getting at. She wants us to look beyond our materialistic world, to look beyond the people we are in the world we know. All a very valid message.

I find her message in the acknowledgement section somewhat confusing, that perhaps this is not Amelia Earhart afterall, that the reader should make up their own minds. If not Amelia Earhart, then why the companion named Fred, the talk of the fame that this woman knew would surround her when she arrived home and the references to the lost Electra.

Lucy and Robin were not terribly heartwarming characters in my opinion. They both seemed quite immature, self centered and shallow and I doubt that in the long term they would be able to hold a relationship together. They probably matured from their experience, but I think they might find being full time parents rather boring and I see each of them drifting into their old lives and habits, leaving the child to almost raising itself.

As to the woman that the author suggests to be Earhart, she has no choice as to the life she has led on this island, though I find it somewhat unlikely that after 40 years rumors from the Japanese and some natives might not have caused someone to come and take another look.

Inspite of the above criticisms, it was a fast read with a rather predictable ending.

In 1937, aviatrix Amelia Earhart disappeared with her navigator, Fred Noonan, somewhere in the South Pacific while attempting a circumnavigation of the globe. The mystery of Earhart's fate has captured the public's imagination for decades. Did she perish when her plane hit the water? Was she captured by the Japanese and executed as a spy? Was she abducted by space aliens? Is she living in Idaho with Elvis?

The premise of Alison Anderson's novel HIDDEN LATITUDES, which is set in1979, is that Amelia has survived 42 years as a castaway on a tiny Pacific atoll, the last 40 alone. Then one day, a 35-foot sailboat, the "Stowaway", with husband Robin and wife Lucy aboard, anchors in the island's lagoon, her engine kaput and her hull reef damaged. Might this be Earhart's ride home?

In chapters that alternate between the "voice" of Amelia and those of her might-be rescuers, the author explores the loneliness that derives from complete isolation from the world as compared with that despairing aloneness which grips the partners in a failing marriage. Earhart has become so accustomed to solitary life on her little island that she hesitates to reveal her presence to Robin and Lucy, whose marital difficulties are only exacerbated by their present crisis. At 82, Amelia wonders what would be gained by returning to a world that would regard her as an historical curiosity, soon to become nothing but an aged crony. Being young and not realizing the value of what they have together, Robin and Lucy internally contemplate the possibility of separation once they get back to "civilization".

I liked HIDDEN LATITUDES insofar as the poignancy of Anderson's plot resides almost solely in the Earhart character as she "remembers" for the reader the significant events of her life since she and Fred lost their way, including two near-rescues snatched away early on by cruel Fate. To this extent, Anderson has crafted an imaginatively satisfying "what if" scenario. On the other hand, the Robin and Lucy characters become so caught up in their dysfunctional behavior while struggling to make their boat seaworthy that they approach dangerously close to becoming tiresome. They're so self-absorbed in their own bickering that they fail for too long to follow up on clues that another human is present on this "deserted" island. You want to yell at them, "Snap out of it. Look around you!"

At one point, Amelia sneaks a book from the "Stowaway":

"In my shelter there is a new treasure, a novel. ...I have taken it from them ... but I think if they could ever know the pleasure it will give me they would not mind. Dare I read it over and over, for the pleasure? As it happens I cannot read quickly. I am not used to letters on a page anymore. ... I read aloud, quietly; words and voice struggle together against neglect. Yet I can savor the words and pictures they convey. ... I am like a child, learning to read, learning the world I have forgotten."

Perhaps more than anything else, Earhart yearns for the small things of life like jam, a scissors to cut her hair, a new pair of shorts, needle and thread. And, God bless her, books.

Imagine Amelia Earhart stranded on a tropical island, and imagine that 40 yrs later a young couple beaches their sailboat on that same island. That's the premise of Hidden Latitudes. Anderson writes convincingly, alternating between Earhart's voice (and now 70yo doesn't immediately reveal herself to these newcomers) and a 3rd-person narrative of the two sailors, whose marriage was shaky to begin with, and now they've got shipwreck to contend with.
Sounds iffy, right? But set aside your doubts, pick this book up, and read it. Besides being a superb first novel, it's a superb story. You won't be disappointed.

I'm in my fifth year at medical school in London, if you're a clinical student in the UK this book and the BNF are absolutely essential, it has most of the major conditions you'll see in enough detail to get through an average ward round, very consise for revision. It also has the great advantage of having what the condition is, how you recognise it and what to actually do about it which can be surprisingly difficult to find in most textbooks.
The partner Handbook of clinical specialities is also good but not nearly as useful.

It is an excellent comprehensive handbook, which can fit your pocket. With it, you can answer nearly any question. I personally used it in my Internal Medicine Rotation, and it was extremely helpful. I would like to thank the authors for their great work. I wish though if this handbook could be published in a regular book size as well.

Its chapters include: Thinking about medicine, At the bedside, Symptoms and signs, Geriatric medicine, Surgery, Infectious diseases, Cardiovascular medicine, chest medicine, Renal medicine, Neurology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Hematology, Biochemistry, Rheumatology, Oncology, Eponymous syndromes, Radiology, Epidemiology, Reference intervals, and Emergencies.

It has many tables & diagrams, and it might be advisable to buy a color atlas as a supplement.

The only problem which bothers me is the units used for some lab restults (e.g. mmol/L instead of mg/dL).

The Oxford HCM in legendary the world over for some very simple reasons.

1. The content is brilliant. I have always marvelled at how the authors managed to fit in so much in only a handbook. Discussions of etiology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical signs, investigations and treatment are all here, in concise and uncluttered text. These are understandably not exhaustive, but quite enough for you to get a sensible grasp of the subject at those moments when the attending is looking dangerously pimpish, or your patient has decided, very inconsiderately, to crash through the floor at an ungodly hour when you're the only chap with an MD hanging around the ward.

2. The editing is superb. Nothing extraneous here.

3. Evidence based. There is a genuine effort to make pronouncements only based on the available evidence, or, where this is lacking, on the experience of the authors.

5. An outstanding threesome of authors. Honest, sincere clinicians who write from the heart as much as from the head. The advice given to the medical student at the beginning of the book alone is worth the price.

A note on one of the reviews below. This book is NOT only for the UK. There are two versions,
1. The yellow covered one published in Britain,
2. The blue covered one with David Thaler as editor

The first one is the one in use virtually everywhere else in the world. A lot of countries, especially the Commonwealth nations, have medical systems based on the British. Drug names are the same.

The second was prepared especially for American MDs. All drugs are noted by the name familiar to Americans. In addition there is an excellent drug index at the back of the American edition that has both trade and generic name for virtually every drug you will ever meet.

So if you're American or Canadian, just buy the American edition.

This book is basically a bible for medical students who live in the constant shadow of fear from a question-happy consultant. I'm assured that it's the same for JHO's and SHO's. It's clear, concise, and fits snugly into the bottom right wardcoat pocket, and provides instant answers to even the most evil consultants. Don't go near a ward without one!!! A bit tricky to navigate at first, but you will soon get used to it. One of it's most endearing features is the section at the front which will cheer you up and keep you going long after the proplus have ceased to work. A must have for all medical students

This is one of the best concise Internal Medicine books that I have ever read. It does not have the vast details of Harrison's or Cecil's..it is not large or heavy...but the information it contains is valuable for clinical management, passing exams(especially England's PLAB) and answering your attending's questions. It offers a birds eye view of the world of Internal Medicine and practical management skills. I believe it should be in the coat pockets of all clinicians. The american edition(blue book) reflects current medical practice in the US and is widely used by residents.

This book is a wonderful celebration of wildlife--what's lost and what still survives--in a beautiful and strange part of the world. But what makes Carnivorous Nights great is the oddball voice of its narrators.

While appalled by the destructive forces that pushed the Tasmanian tiger to the edge of extinction, the authors manage to find beauty and humor in the amazing creatures--and people--that still populate this far-flung island.

The illustrations are black-and-white watercolors of Tasmania's animals. And they're like ghostly photos of a long-lost world.

This book really stuck with me, and made me want to travel to Tasmania.

Being an avid fan of the Thylacine, I had great hopes for Carnivorous Nights. Boy was I disappointed!!!!! "The Last Thylacine" 2005 by Terry Domico ISBN 1883385156 is a far better book.

There is some very good information in Carnivorous Nights but it is covered by filthy language (the F word every few pages) and Middle School level humor (nipple clamp joke on page 111, many references to scat or other bodily functions in a so-called humorous manner, etc...) Additionally, I did not like the glorification of illegal drug use by one stoned adventurer who seemed to focus his life around his next hit of weed.

I also did not care for the artwork. It was simplistic and not especially inspiring. The black and white images were just basic and nothing special. I thought some of them looked like they were traced over old photos.

A truly good book could have been here if the authors had just had some common decency and maturity. Not everyone speaks with a potty mouth, nor do all adults think of mating habits and sexual issues all the time about all of nature. Unfortunately, reading Carnivorous Nights was more like digging through a dung heap looking for treasure. Too bad that in this case the treasure was not worth the garbage it was covered in.

Funny, deep and educational. Environmentally aware and a fantastic travel story. What else could a person want?

The book centers on the Tasmanian tiger but threads through cloning, giant lobsters and other strange Tasmanian beasties, extinction, hope and, of course, all manner of strange Tasmanian scenes.

Carnivorous Nights on the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger follows three New Yorkers, authors Margaret Mittelbach and Michael Crewdson and their artist friend Alexis Rockman as they search for the Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger. The thylacine is presumed to have been hunted to extinction with the last known individual dying in Beaumaris zoo in 1936. There have been many sightings since then and many still hold hope the Thylacine persists somewhere on the island of Tasmania.
As you might expect, the trio find little evidence of the Tiger in their travels but provide a lot of information on its natural history and some of the more credible recent sightings. They also spend a lot of time checking out Tasmania's many other non-extinct weird and wonderful animals, and I believe they give a good feel for the general atmosphere on the Island. I read this book a few months prior to my own trip to Tassie and it lead me to visit Marakoopa caves and check out the glow worms, which was really fantastic. As far as an informative and interesting book on the wildlife of Tasmanian goes, it earns five stars.
I had to take two stars off however for what are basically stylistic reasons. Normally this doesn't bother me too much, but in this case it turned what would have been a great book into something that was a bit of an effort to read.

The first problem is that this book intends to be a bit of a wacky-travel-adventure read. That in its self is fine (check out Redmond O'Hanlon's "Into the Heart of Borneo" for a perfect example of how it can work) but the problem here is that we have three Americans traveling in Australia, a first world English speaking country. Let's face it, they don't have any really wacky adventures. In fact the attempt to have wacky adventures seems to distract from the book and dumbs down the text a bit. (see pg. 10 "... we were happy to find out that English was spoken on the island.") Nevertheless the authors try to keep the humor up by making lots and lots of quips. Mostly unfunny quips in my opinion. Most other reviewers found this book funny, and I usually enjoy a humorous travel book (Bill Bryson) but most of this was just off for me. Most of the 'humorous' dialog is attributed to Alexis, which resulted in my wishing about halfway through the book that he'd just keep his mouth shut. But I have to admit I took an early disliking to Alexis due to what was probably the worst part of the "travel adventure" side of the text, his purchase of pot (illegal in Australia as in the US) and his smuggling it around the country. There is something about a tourist abroad willfully committing a crime that is also a crime in his own country that I find really distasteful, and I was sorry to see it treated as a sort of comic aside in this book. To be even handed to poor Alexis, his artwork featured in the book is beautiful and I loved his choice of media.

The second problem and really the worst aspect of the book for me was the narrative voice. Since the book was written by two authors and covered their personal experiences, they opted to refer to themselves as 'WE'. Bad idea. While I can't really offer a better suggestion for two authors to have an equal say in a tale, using 'we' is a bad way to go. At times it was fine, at times it sounded like a married couple, at times it sounded like a olde time king, and at times it sounded like a missive from the Borg. To see how bad it gets one can read the dream sequence on page 118 "That night we dreamed about wombats and feral cats..." Actually I recommend using the search inside function to read a few pages and see whether or not this style will bother you.

A final gripe that is probably worth a third of a star or so is that this book lacks an index, which is probably indicative of its trending to pulpy mass media marketing as opposed to a more intelligent natural history text. And yet it does have a decent set of notes and further reading in the back. While I haven't read any other works by these authors, it feels like they are smart natural history writers lead astray by an editor asking for a dumbed down text in the hope it will have a boarder appeal.

In short, if you have an interest in Tasmania, the Thylacine, or Australia travel in general I can recommend purchasing this book, but I was sorry to see a potentially fantastic book severely damaged by some bad editing decisions.

The book is depressing because it's about extinction and endangerment; it's funny because our authors manage to stay optimistic and cheerful in the face of extinction. They have an extremely clear eye for the foibles of humans, as well as for the traits of the animals they see. It takes talented writers to make roadkill amusing; these guys manage it.

If you've ever read Gerald Durrell, then you would find this book similar, both in the attitude toward travel and the observations of native humans. The humor is somewhat similar, too, although of course Durrell's is a bit dated by now. If you read and enjoy this book, then I'd strongly encourage you to go find and read anything you can by Gerald Durrell, especially his earlier books.

Completely by coincidence, during the same week that I read this book, I read a story by Harry Turtledove in a science fiction magazine, and an article in a newspaper about lemurs. Turtledove's story was about an alternate history where the island of Atlantis did not sink, and it has a great deal of unique island wildlife, like Tasmania or Madagascar. The plot of the story was that John James Audubon goes to visit Atlantis to sketch and paint all the endangered wildlife there - because of course, the incursion of man onto the island has endangered most of the species. The story highlights the casual cruelty of 19th-century practices, killing rare animals just to pose and paint them and stuff them for museums; I contrasted that to the care that Mittlebach et al. take not to kill anything, and Alexis' efforts to connect to the animals he is painting by using their bioproducts to make paint. Then the article in a Maine newspaper was about a 14-year old who had saved money since she was 6 years old to go to Madagascar and work on lemur conservation; she accomplished her trip finally, and I felt that the viewpoint of the young generation on the many endangered island animals also added to my appreciation of what the authors of "Carnivorous Nights" were seeing on Tasmania.

The paintings in the book are wonderful; I only could wish some were in color. I have always been fond of wombats, echidnas, and platypodes (or platypuses if you want to simplify it), and have stuffed toys of each (yes, I am half a century old and have a large collection of plush toy marsupials, insectivores, extinct reptiles, and assorted endangered species) and had the fun of meeting an echidna face to face once; it was the short-beaked kind, not the long-beaked one, but still odd enough.

A short "family-reading" alert: while the topic is ideal for kids, there are a few things some parents might object to - assorted unmarried people sharing hotel rooms, more than a few four-letter words, a lot of discussion of blood, gore, and animal parts. I personally don't think there's anything here an 11-year old wouldn't already have met, but your children may vary, and I suspect that more than one 8-year old would have nightmares after the scene about feeding a Tasmanian devil. But definitely, the whole family should get to see the pictures, and get to hear about baby pademelons and Bennett's wallabies!

You can read the background to this book (Male advertises for "wife" to share tropical island etc) in other reviews. This book is quite remarkable in its ability to holds one's attention so well, exploring two rather unusual relationships, the strongest being with the island, the secondary being with the "husband". On the surface such a situation is more or less content-less (I'll concede perhaps a male perspective), so the ability of the book to hold you bears testament to a remarkable writing skill. I limit it to 4 stars because one is not touched in the same way as by another of her works, "Runaway", which explores the events which occurred to her when she was younger. I found "Runaway" to be more poignant. I read "Castaway" before "Runaway"; if you read them in the reverse (i.e. chronological) order, you might find Castaway slightly lacking.

I picked up a mass market paperback copy of Castaway years ago at a local drugstore. My dirty, dog-eared copy is favorite bedside fodder when I can't sleep and want a familiar, engrossing story to soothe me to sleep. Ms. Irvine writes beautifully, poetically, and over many readings, the book has not lost its appeal to me. Worth searching out a copy for your own.

Well . . . looks like I am a lone dissenting voice on this island survival true-diary. Let me insert a preliminary disclaimer that I am not some kind of charter member of the "He-Man Woman Haters Club". However, a frank review ---

The big picture here; a writer-adventurer (Robert) advertises for a "wife" to live with him on an isolated deserted island for a year. This experience has been recorded in this book by the volunteer "wife", Lucy Irvine.

The tale is told one-sidely by the author, and Robert comes off as a lazy, unwashed, alcoholic. Reading between the lines, the author comes off as a snippy uncontentable b----.

The experience made me almost as miserable to read about as it apparently was for the participants. A record of exposure to the elements, food/water deprivation, vermin, infection, and two people living together in a small hut that don't like each other. I would have enjoyed more description of survival problem-solving, and the wonder of living in remote unspoiled isolation . . . instead I got continual mutinous murmuring focused on how much the author despised her co-habitant (shouldn't have signed up, huh?). They end up merely doing time, waiting for the piteous project to come to an end.

Ironically, the only refreshing glimmer of hope in their miserable situation comes after natives on a neighboring island discover that Robert is something of a talented and resourceful mechanic. He trades his skills for the material comforts that the natives can offer (thus, participation in a mini industrial civilization becomes their salvation). Next time, stay home . . . or utilize an island resort.

I appreciate the candor here, but I read for education and entertainment, not pain. I don't know or care if Robert ever wrote his book. Irvine comes off as a "head-gamer" that I don't like very much. Other reviewers seem to have enjoyed this. I found few surprises and much to dislike. Choose your own poison I suppose.

A fastinating book on trying to be a modern Robinson Carusoe, or TV Survivor. Since this is Lucy's book, Robert comes off looking like a total jerk. So its amazing she didn't kill him early on. Also it was Robert's idea, do the island, get the girl and write the book. From reading the book, it's Lucy who plants the garden, learns to fish, talks to the natives, and keeps Robert alive so with Lucy actually writing the book I hope she made a fortune.

The other cool thing was how hard it was to find an unoccupied island to do the test on that you could also survive on. Turns out if you have water and decent soil, people already live there! This shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was to me. I should have figured that in the last 1000 years people of the South Pacific would have looked at all the islands, and stayed on the ones that supported life. So much for the Swiss Family Robinson dream life. It's actually much closer to the Tom Hanks Movie "Castaway" life.

Anyway its a good arm chair adventure read.

Wow...this book is just engrossing from the get-go. I've read it about four times and I still want to read it again. Lucy answered an ad for a "wife" and spent a year on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Her story reads like the "Survivor" series should have. It's not only her daily accounts of life and surviving, it's a facinating look at relationships and human nature. You'll root for her long after the book is done!

I came across this book while looking to buy a Flicka sailboat...the type that Charles Dewell sailed from Ca to the South Pacific and Hawaii. I wanted a small, seaworthy, solo sailing vessel. Well, you can't get much smaller than a 20 footer!!! The book moved along a bit slowly for me, but I truely enjoyed the adventure. I don't think that I will be following in his footsteps across the Pacific any time soon...but I think I may just buy that Flicka because I have the confidence that it can get me through anything and get me anywhere I have the courage to go! Thanks, Charles, for an inspirational journey!!!

Grab a cup of tea, and find your favorite chair! This book reads as smooth as the tradewinds on a warm South Seas day. The Dewells have a writing style that makes you feel you have known them for a long time! And as most couples have a kitchen sink argument, the Dewells will make you laugh as they experience the "BLUE BUCKET" moment! Truly a story for anyone who has ever thought of escaping the grind of daily life, sailor or not. Simply a very nice read. Bring on another book Charlie!

I read the reviews of this book because I totally enjoyed this sailing romp through the south pacific and was curious as to others views.

I didnt understand the vitriolic ignorant coments of "roystr" so I visited his other reviews.....its weird. He notes repetedly that he is disabled and his reviews are of power tools boatbuilding cat tablets and a singer. All are misspelled and mostly negative.

His review of this book is so out of place with his other garbage that I just put it down to a bitter guy who denigrates anyone who does something he is incapable of but then....I received 2 trojan horse viruses (ajent bfj and ajent k) the next time I started my computer.

I tested it again by cleaning the virus and doing nothing but revisiting his site..same result. I have notified Amazon and while it may not be him (a virus can attach to any site and wait for you to come in) beware you will probably have to spend an hour fixing your comp if you go to his site.

If roystr sees this for your future reference : does not "dose": probably not "probly": feeling not "feelign": extreme not "extreem": which not "witch": phone not "phine"......also as you did not bother finishing the book a little help to save you time : War and Peace..the french lost : The Sixth Sense..hes dead: "Cujo'..dog gets rabies dies: Love Story..the chick dies. I could go on but you get the picture, just trying to save you time dude.

His remarks about the french are from someone in the safety of New York. I was in the French Pacific and Australia at the time the book was set and the French nuclear testing was going on. All pacific nations demanded that they be stopped and the French ignored all protests sent navy divers to blow up the Rainbow Warrior greenpeace protest ship in Aukland harbour killing two crew (they got caught). At that time the french were defensive, nasty and isolated with attitudes pretty much as portrayed in this book.

This book is not Nabakov Tolstoy or Fitzgerald..but those dudes did not sail across the largest expanse of open water in the world in a tiny sailboat with minimal experience either.

My sumary of this book would be that its a can do tale of an average joe who has a lifechanging adventure, it inspires us armchair critics to fantasise about doing more with our lives and is a thouroughly enjoyable read.

the story of this guy and his woman sailing off to the south seas ought be a good read. when im reading a book like this,i often wonder if id like the writer or get along with him or her.maybe id kinda wish i was along with him/her or them for the ride. with this guy,i wouldnt....... not even for free.

when ever he is describing anyone not white and a "cruiser" he resorts to "they are all" and "they do this" stuff like that. the people on the island,,hmmmm..For example, the trafic i guess is awfull, but he says the drivers are all drunk on something and wired with caffene and beer. or he mentions more than once about the island people "not eating him" and "well their not canniballs anymore..phew!" stuff like that. then once he says something like " the french are like..." . look, the service was bad at a restraunt,,no biggie,, but he has to say "well you know how french servers are....".. ummm, no, i dont. enlighten me.....jerk...he could have just said,, "the service was crummy and i wouldnt recommend it"...,,he dose this with everyone,,the idiot could have stayed at the yacht club in cali,, all without being bugged by the bad people,,but maybe he needs entertainment??( by mocking different kinds of people) well everyone except for people like him, sailing people. or people that always lived in a very small world.
you know,,if he knows all about everyone,, why would he want to visit their world?? i think he would like all his ports of call to empty of the natives,,except for the nahinnies,,he mentions them quite a bit.
one time he hit low water and breaks the sacrificial pin that holds the prop on the shaft of the engine for his dinghy, ,,while looking at a woman he sees on the dock,he askes her somthing,,the woman says nothing,but smiles and drops her robe,and is bare chested,,so his wife calls her "white euro trash"...i cant say if she is alot like him,kinda sounded like it,,but im not gonna finnish the book,so i wont guess nor ever know.. . this guy is a jerk.

then once he has the chance to drop hook in a nearby lagoon with the rest of the cruisers,,but he decides to stay put because ( he says )the rent is cheaper where he is. hey,id do the same thing.
but i got the feelign,, he wants to be a CRUISER (rich,snob,stuck-up ect), but he just has the "starter" kit, and cant quite measure up.
this guy strikes me as a person that went from highschool to college,then to work, he has no expeirence with the world or the people different from himself in it.. when he mentions people different than those like him or that might be in his group, he is derogatory about them. as i said,the only time he says anything nice about someone is when they are rich,white or beautifull.

blanket statements about entire groups of people make him come off as ignorant,not wise and knowing,witch he tries to do.i did try to think,"maybe its just the way im reading it,maybe its me and not him" but then id turn a page or two,,and he says something else stupid.

anyways,i just got to the part where he hooks up with his wife.

if anyone wants this book for free,,you pay postage,,and ill send it off to you.
and no,i dont need to finish this book, im sure some cool things will happen ,but there are more than enough books like this one out there, cool exciting storys and adverntures,,all without this guy in the story to ruin it.

roy
roystr @twcny.rr.com
e-me if you want this book.

This book was a great read on blue water sailing. If you have ever dreamed of doing it I would highly suggest reading this book. Many great illustrations and photos. Awesome south sea adventure and many words of wisdom in a 20 foot cruiser.

Excellent book to have with you as you tour the islands of the South Seas.

My husband and I travelled to Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea and Bora Bora. This book was fantastic! I usually only use Lonely Planet tour books when we travel - but I have to say this book was 5 times better than the Lonely Planet Tahiti book! Every island we went to this book directed us to little travelled - non touristy places and we feel we really got to know the islands! I highly reccommend it!

We bought 3 books and always seemed to rely on this one. Mr Kay gives great info on restaurants and hidden lodgings, which are the 2 most important topics for us. We actually stayed in one place that he labeled "hidden" and he was right! We could not find the entrance and when we did they were not open to the public, but they decided to let us stay and we were the only guests for a week. No other guide book listed this hidden lodging. Mr. Kay has a more personal approach and gives great descriptions, which the other guide books lack. And as far as not giving exact prices, it's useless to do so as these things change so much anyway. All you need to know is this: you stay in a big hotel where all the other tourists stay you will pay big money for not so much, if you venture out to where the real people live, you pay less and get better service, food, and memories.

I chose this book sight unseen because it included the Marquesas which weren't mentioned in the descriptions of most other guides. I cruised the islands on the Tahitian Princess. For each island stop this book was accurate. I followed several tips that maximized the onshore experience.

Most of the islands in French Polynesia are not heavily developed or populated. If you are thinking about a land based vacation I recommend this book because the description of each island and its facilities should give you a feeling of whether you will enjoy your vacation.

As a two time, three island visitor to the islands of Tahiti, I did not find this book helpful because it lacks prices and it focuses on upscale lodging/food. On both trips, I've found David Stanley's TAHITI (by Moon Pub.) to be the BEST guide, providing you purchase the most recent edition, as Tahiti's hotels change with the seasons. David Stanley's guides are full of detailed maps, reviews of hikes, beaches, accomodations (from hostels to resorts), food... His advice has never steered us wrong! We owe some great travel experiences to his guide book; TAHITI by D. Stanley is the only one that you will need.

This book is about Joel Kramer and Aaron Lippard's harrowing trip across Papua New Guinea. Aaron is my cousin, so that may contribute to a bias on my part.

I found this to be an enjoyable, gripping tale to augment what Aaron has told and shown me in slides from his trip. It was marred for me, however, by the preachiness and by what seemed to me arrogance and condescension on the part of the author, especially when writing about how various experiences would teach things to my cousin--while apparently the author had little to learn.

Someday this book will hit the silver screen and the publisher's weekly reviewer, who wrote in my opinion an unnecessarily negative review above, will eat his words. This is an excellently written book which adeptly combines adventure with deeper issues of the heart... endurance, comraderie, and faith. It definitely "took me away" from complacent suburbia.

I have the privlege of being married to one of the men in this book, but even that aside, I beleive this to be a book for everyone to read. We are used to living our lives in our "comfort zones" and it is amazing to read of people who go outside of that, whatever the risk, and how they are changed through it. I read this book before I married and I felt like I was right there in the middle of the jungle, meeting the people, eating the food and getting the illnesses. If you have ever wanted to leave your "cushey" life, but can't quite do it- this is the book for you!
The critics who say that Joel and Aaron are "outdated". I wonder if they have ever thrown themselves into such an uncomfortable place and lived to tell about it? Not a day goes by that Joel and Aaron do not think of this expedition and how much they are changed by it. They also know that whatever the circumstances, God will protect them if it is His will.

While the writers are earnest and sincere, the evangelical overlay often gets in the way of a good adventure story. The fact that the somewhat hapless expedition didn't end in disaster is, in my mind, a shaky premise from which to deduce "God's will." Was impressed more by the compassion of those they happened to meet while off on their "vision quest."

A story of two companions crossing 1700 miles of untamed territory? The premise alone intrigued me, sounding similar to some of the wild ideas that pass between my brother and me. Man versus nature. Man versus himself. Man versus God.

This book appeared unexpectedly on my doorstep, a gift from--who else?--my brother. Where he found it: I have no clue. Why he read it: an even bigger mystery. My brother rarely reads, and if he says a book grips him, my ears perk up.

"Beyond Fear" was beyond my expectations. I'm a fan of true-life adventures, such as "The Perfect Storm," "Into Thin Air," and "In the Heart of the Sea." This book may not live up to the sheer narrative power of those classics, but the writing sparkles, and the sheer staggering feat of the journey is unforgettable. I laughed out loud in parts, shuddered in others, and felt inspired overall. Not only is this a testament to human endurance, it's a great example of God's faithfulness in mankind's physical, spiritual, and emotional struggles.

For a book full of taut narrative, honest dialogue and interaction, and hair-raising accounts, "Beyond Fear" is beyond most of the books available.

Been using this guidebook and LP's for making reservations for my island-hopping September 2008 trip, and find the listed accommodation prices in the moon edition to be woefully out of date, even accounting for the change in exchange rates. How can the LP Tahiti book, which was released in 2006, have more up-to-date information? Incredible!

Given this, I found it puzzling that so many previous people have rated this book so highly. When you look at their review histories, many are for books by this author. Hmmm.

Excellent guidebook. It covers everything from how to get there, accomodations and dining, maps, money exchange, and suggestions of things to see and do, to the history of the area, which will make what one sees more meaningful.

www.SouthSeasPhotography.com
uses all of David Stanley's South Pacific Moon guides.
The Tahiti book is exceptional in every way. Easy to carry, read and understand. Moon's books have traveled with us on every Polynesian adventure from surfing to reef explorations as well as land based excursions. Perfect book for the escapist in all of us.

Karl Meinhardt
South Seas Photography ( Hawaii )

How can I describe how good this guidebook is? Well, I would assert, in the extreme, that it would be better to read this book without visiting Tahiti than to visit Tahiti without reading this book.

This book will double, triple, quadruple...the accomplishments and satisfaction of a trip to Tahiti.

Everything about the islands in French Polynesia is here, all the essential info, enabling a visitor to be knowledgeable, suave, and inefficient, rather than ignorant, bumbling, and frustrated.

I mean everything. Maps, a glossary, conversion tables, statistics, history, culture, arts, lodging and dining (of course, and in great detail for each establishment), transportation, sports, entertainment, flora and fauna, healthcare...all wonderfully indexed.

You must, I mean you MUST, take this perfect guidebook with you to French Polynesia.

And you MUST use it to prepare for your trip. It would take you thousands of hours in front of your online computer to attempt to recreate even a small segment of author David Stanley's research, available for a very modest sum in this book.

The only plan better than taking this book to Tahiti, I suppose, would be to take David Stanley, himself.

David Stanley's books are always a worthwhile read, and his latest edition of "Tahiti" is no exception. Differing from his earlier "Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands", this book narrows it's focus purely on the islands of French Polynesia - stepping through island group by island group (and within each group, island by island) David does his usual great job of laying out where to go, where to stay, what to see and what and where to eat. I especially like the suggested itineraries that appear near the front of the book, pointing out some of the "can't miss" highlights of a trip to the region. There are also a great collection of maps and (or course) some beautiful photos of the incredible scenery the region is so famous for (these ARE after all, the epitome of the perfect tropical island).

So, I say - buy this book and weep that you are not there yet - but do it with a smile, for the knowledge within is all you need to know to plan the vacation of a lifetime.