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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
The story was interesting and I liked how he folded his story and Grogan's while he was traveling the same path in Africa. Though, the writing didn't flow, so it took a little longer to read.
I like travelogues. I like seeing places I've never been (or revisiting places I have).
But man, this guy came off as an unlikable jerk. His whole story is told through the prism of the story of Ewart Grogan, who I'd never heard of. He (Grogan) did a south-to-north crossing of Africa at the end of the 19th century in order to gain the approval of his fiance's step-father. That bit was pretty interesting. As white 19th century explorers went, Grogan was pretty reasonable, which was nice.
The modern guy? Not so much. As he told the story, he was a total jackass to a perfectly nice woman who for some reason put up with him for several years and agreed to marry him. Then, right before the wedding he decided to recreate Grogan's trip. For no apparent reason.
Smith's journey was a tale of waiting for buses, riding crowded buses, and being really hot, which sounded like my time in Africa (although I was elsewhere). He crossed most of the continent, which was mostly a not terribly interesting trip. (Travel is crowded, slow, and hot.) Post-genocide Rwanda, the mountain gorillas, and South Sudan were kind of interesting.
TL;DR version: Historical guy was fascinating. Modern guy went to some neat spots, but you have to get past the unlikability of the narrator.
But man, this guy came off as an unlikable jerk. His whole story is told through the prism of the story of Ewart Grogan, who I'd never heard of. He (Grogan) did a south-to-north crossing of Africa at the end of the 19th century in order to gain the approval of his fiance's step-father. That bit was pretty interesting. As white 19th century explorers went, Grogan was pretty reasonable, which was nice.
The modern guy? Not so much. As he told the story, he was a total jackass to a perfectly nice woman who for some reason put up with him for several years and agreed to marry him. Then, right before the wedding he decided to recreate Grogan's trip. For no apparent reason.
Smith's journey was a tale of waiting for buses, riding crowded buses, and being really hot, which sounded like my time in Africa (although I was elsewhere). He crossed most of the continent, which was mostly a not terribly interesting trip. (Travel is crowded, slow, and hot.) Post-genocide Rwanda, the mountain gorillas, and South Sudan were kind of interesting.
TL;DR version: Historical guy was fascinating. Modern guy went to some neat spots, but you have to get past the unlikability of the narrator.
Fascinating idea to follow the path through Africa of the forgotten, nineteenth-century Victorian explorer Ewart Grogan who did the same journey to prove the love of the woman he wanted to marry...the racism then and now was difficult to read as were the egos of the men.
I have mixed feelings about this book. He carries the historical narrative well, rehashing the incredible odyssey that was Grogan's journey. However I found his own story at times, less than compelling and pathetically indulgent at worst. I get the parallels but really there are three different stories and they do not always blend well. In fact I'm hard pressed to have a sense of what he actually experienced with the shallow coverage of his time in Africa. The moments of pathos and compassionate sympathy, right along with the precommitment angst somehow provides that binding thread. Granted the jarring reality of war torn, refugee populated culturally disparate countries demand more than a few days (at the most) passage in order to actually GET a flavour of them. What a contrast to Grogan's decisive confidence and evocative descriptions. I'm inspired to go to the original.
Two white guys with something to prove go to Africa. Only made it a little over halfway before I couldn't take any more.
Uh oh, here goes another follow-in-the-footsteps-of-great-British-explorers-across-the-dark-continent books. The gimmick this time is a commoner (one Ewart Grogan) who had the (mis)fortune to fall in love with a billionaire heiress who's rich uncle (relations of the Scottish inventor of the steam engine, James Watt) forbade her to marry unless Grogan could prove himself somehow. And this he did by walking the length of Africa, south to north. Our author didn't quite make it, but then he only gave himself, what? 4 to 6 weeks to do what Grogan took 2.5 years to accomplish.
A young British explorer traversed Africa south to north from South Africa to the Sudan in the late 19th century. 120 years later, an aimless American decided to replicate the feat. Same locales, different obstacles and situations.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
If you want a good African travelogue, read Paul Theroux's 'Dark Star Safari.' This one honestly doesn't hold a candle to it, but the alternating perspective between Grogan's original journey, Smith's retracing, and flashbacks to Smith's life in the U.S. keep the narrative dynamic enough to pull you along through the book.
