The River of Doubt sounded like a really exciting book to read. As Amazon describes it, "At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait—the bestselling author of River of the Gods brings us the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth." Well, from that description, I thought it would be a really exciting and enthralling novel to read. Unfortunately, it fell well short of my expectations.
And, to be clear, there were parts of the book I really enjoyed. Some of the biographical pictures offered about all the other characters besides Teddy were particularly interesting. Learning about his son, Kermit, was something new, and the leader of the Brazilian contingency. I also appreciated the lead up and set up the eventual adventure in the Amazon. Learning about how the trip came together, why Roosevelt wanted to take part, and how undiscovered this area was (a little more than a hundred year ago) was worthwhile. Learning about the Native Brazilians who lived in the Amazon, and truly understood how to live in harmony with the jungle, was great. Finally, I really appreciated his vivid and detailed descriptions of life in the Amazon. While I knew that it was a beautiful and unique place, I really didn't appreciate all the dangers and threat that existed; especially as you tried to navigate an unknown river with the technologies that existed a century ago.
Unfortunately, I found the book flat on the whole. While there were some highlights, as noted above, I didn't find the writing all that captivating. I also thought the author could have used a better editor, especially in the middle of the book. With hundreds of pages dedicated to the specifics of their time in the Amazon, it became draining and dragged on. Too many chapters seemed repetitive to the chapter before. And, while I appreciate that I'm sure that's what it felt for those on this incredible journey (times a million), as a reader in my comfortable home, I am most looking to be entertained. I also wish I got more about Roosevelt. Perhaps there weren't enough specific details that could be used (or his journal was lacking), but learning about one of the most famous presidents of all time thought about things would have been illuminating.
Overall, it's a decent book and one a reader would like if fascinated with adventure stories and/or the life of Teddy Roosevelt. And, while much of the book is a bit slower than desired, it's still a great story about one of the most surprising pieces of unknown (at least to me) history from the past century.
No comments:
Post a Comment