- Hardcover: 345 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press; 1st edition (Sep 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0593042646
- ISBN-13: 978-0593042649
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.5 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
885,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #71 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Central & South America > Chile
Between Extremes: A Journey Beyond Imagination
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Throughout their long captivity in Beirut, John McCarthy and Brian Keenan would often retreat to the lost paradises of their imagination, and particularly to the Chile of Isabel Allende's The House of Spirits, a land of and between extremes. Five years after their return from Beirut, Keenan and McCarthy travelled along South America's backbone, from the parched and scorching Atacama desert in the north to freezing, wind-torn Patagonia 3000 miles south, to realise their dream.
In addition to the two northern voices writing in unison is the continuous presence of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The Latin voice provides a delicate counterpoint to the prose, which is both fluid and humorous.
Between Extremes contains excellent descriptions of an awesome landscape and it guides the reader towards a penetrating and often surprising vision of the collective psychology of a society seeking to rediscover itself following the traumatic period of the Pinochet regime. At the same time, the two travellers seek to redefine their own friendship--this time in open spaces. --Philippa West
Product Description
For four years Brian Keenan and John McCarthy were incarcerated in a Lebanese dungeon. To displace the ugly confines of their existence, they imagined walking in the High Andes and across the wastes of Patagonia. Five years after their release, they undertook the journey together to see how the reality of Chile matched their imaginations and to revisit their past experiences. "Between Extremes" is the moving and amusing story of that journey.
"From the Trade Paperback edition."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Far more than a story of a journey,
By A Customer
This review is from: Between Extremes: A Journey Beyond Imagination (Paperback)
Keenan & McCarthy provide plenty of enjoyment in this book. The delight of their plans in incarceration coming true (ok no yaks were farmed) is written individually rather than combined adding to the magic. They are completely different characters yet their history makes them perfect travelling companions - McCarthy's adventurer and Keenan's pessimistic, romantic spirits keep the book flowing. This more far more than a story of a journey it is a tale of 2 remarkable men realising dreams and exercising dark times.The only failing is the constant reverting to Neruda (Keenan), this often takes away from the adventure and enjoyment of the Chile. Keenan appears transfixed, particularly towards the end of the book (travels) with Neruda. A minor blip on an otherwise good read.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
There is more to Chile than Pablo Neruda,
By
This review is from: Between Extremes: A Journey Beyond Imagination (Paperback)
I am a Brit currently living in Chile - and this book was a disappointment to me. Unlike other books I have read on Chile this book did not convey the character of the people or the stunning beauty of the country.I enjoyed the style of the book - it was a refreshing change to see two different view points set out section by section rather then the thoughts of the two mingled together. But this did not do Mr Keenan any favors - for by the end of the book I was skipping his sections. Pablo Neruda's poety is worth reading - there is no doubt - but there is so much more to Chile than one poet. This country is stunningly beautiful - it's people so different in each region of this land - the scenery so distinct from north to south - and I was so disappointed that so little of that came across in their writing. In the end I felt that this book was more about their friendship and themselves than about a country which in recent times has had more publicity about some of its citizens than it has about its breathtaking beauty.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful story of friendship, poetry and yaks.,
This review is from: Between Extremes: A Journey Beyond Imagination (Hardcover)
It must be very difficult for two authors to write a book, alternating short paragraphs with each other. It must be doubly difficult if the two authors are so different and have such different styles. Yet, despite these obstacles (maybe because of them?), this book works so very well. I really enjoyed it.Keenan is the more erudite of the two, making their incredible journey along the length of Chile, following his spirits of Neruda and O'Higgins, and his paragraphs are filled with the poetry of the former and the life and times of the latter. McCarthy on the other hand writes in a delightfully laconic way, and seems to effortless glide through this journey. Keenan's route is the more tortured. What is clear though is that these two very different people are still extremely close and have a friendship the strength and depth of which few of us will ever experience. Their joy in each other's company is very evident, despite the hardships of the journey and the minor bickering that inevitably accompanies any prolonged time spent together. This book is a testament to friendship, to realising dreams, to leaving behind (as much as would ever be possible) a terrifying ordeal and to hope for the future.
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