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Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
 
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Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart (Paperback)

by Tim Butcher (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Price For All Three: £17.07

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Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (3 Jan 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099494280
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099494287
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,108 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Africa > Democratic Republic of Congo
    #17 in  Books > Travel & Holiday > Travel Writing

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk

JOHN LE CARRE

Quite superb…..a masterpiece

WILLIAM BOYD

Tim Butcher's extraordinary, audacious journey through the Congo is worthy of the great 19th century explorers. Completely enthralling but also a thoughtful and sobering portrait of modern Africa

ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH

A remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years.

THE SUNDAY TIMES

Tim Butcher’s book is the latest in a long line, running through Joseph Conrad, Graham Greene, VS Nai-paul… his account of a hair-rising trip from east to west, against all advice, by motorbike and then river boat, is gripping and harshly informative…

MAX HASTINGS

Blood River represents a remarkable marriage of travelogue and history, which deserves to make Tim Butcher a star for his prose, as well as his courage.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

From his adventure he has plundered a wealth of terrific stories, and survived to recite a rosary of unstinting horror.

FERGAL KEANE

This is a terrific book, an adventure story about a journey of great bravery in one of the world's most dangerous places. It keeps the heart beating and the attention fixed from beginning to end.

HATCHARDS

…unputdownable…

GILES FODEN

An intrepid adventure... Tim Butcher has followed in the footsteps of Stanley and Conrad. It takes a lot of guts to yomp through the Congo and he obviously has plenty of those. But it is the wit and passion of the writing which keeps you engrossed.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

..stirring and thought-provoking.

AESTHETICA MAGAZINE

….a remarkable travelogue of exquisite proportions…. highly emotive, historical and personal…Butcher’s elegant style demands the reader’s attention…….Blood River is nothing short of a modern-day masterpiece.

WANDERLUST

What makes Blood River such a compelling read is the fact that the journey becomes an exercise in mental terror, the author skilfully conveying the exhaustion of six weeks on tenterhooks, wondering what might happen just around the next bend.

THOMAS PAKENHAM

Tim Butcher deserves a medal for this crazy feat. I marvel at his courage and his empathy with the unfortunate Congolese...

ESQUIRE

…gripping…

TRAVEL AFRICA

The past meets present in this enthralling travelogue through the depths of the Congo.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years."-Alexander McCall Smith
"Blood River represents a remarkable marriage of travelogue and history, which deserves to make Tim Butcher a star for his prose, as well as his courage."-Max Hastings
"Tim Butcher deserves a medal for this crazy feat. I marvel at his courage and his empathy."-Thomas Pakenham

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
79% buy the item featured on this page:
Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart 4.1 out of 5 stars (86)
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Customer Reviews

86 Reviews
5 star:
 (53)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (9)
2 star:
 (7)
1 star:
 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (86 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and relevant, 16 Mar 2008
By Michael Faulkner "Author, 'The Blue Cabin - L... (Strangford Lough, N. Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As a fan of writers like Jonathan Raban and Simon Winchester, who weave historical narrative into their own personal quests and journeys, I sent for Blood River after catching the tail end of a radio interview in which Tim Butcher described the various strands which run in parallel through his book.

I found it a compelling and satisfying read. There is the central account of the author's apparently impulsive decision to travel, against all advice, through the Republic of Congo in the first place, while it is in an on/off state of civil war; the lives of the equally intrepid Victorian adventurers who went before him; and as backdrop, the grindingly bleak and heartbreaking history of colonial, post colonial and present-day Congo. Three stories for the price of one - four if you count the heavy-hearted journey through the Congo in the late 1950's, after disappointment in love, of the author's mother.

Butcher's prose style, as you'd expect from a seasoned journalist, is crisp, economical and forward-flowing; but he is not afraid to share his vulnerabilities and his (abundantly justified) fear of what might easily have lain ahead at any point on the journey - `objective dangers', as he calls them, over which he had little control. I warmed to him for that, and for his empathy towards the ordinary Congolese he encounters: for me, they are the heroes of the story, helpless victims of an endless cycle of exploitation, violence and political bankruptcy.

Blood River is a gripping story well told; but beyond that, unlike some have-the-adventure-to-write-the-book yarns, it is highly relevant and by rights should tweak the conscience of those of us in the developed world who looked the other way.
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46 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent account of an amazing journey, 10 Jan 2008
By Alastair Leithead (Kabul) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I was thoroughly captivated by this fabulous first hand account of an astonishing journey. I have worked in Africa and know how dangerous this kind of trip can be - it was both brave and insane, but makes for gripping reading. I was fascinated by the idea of the jungle claiming back all the development and was surprised to hear just what the Congo was like when the author's mother made her heartbroken cruise. There was a real passion about the writing which not only brought home the starkness of the lower times, but the excitement of the mission. I would recommend this to anyone (and have!)
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29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping , 8 Jan 2008
By D. D. S. Waghorn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I cannot remember a book I so looked forward to getting back to and which I was so sad to finish. It is an unputdownable story of lunatic bravery told with disarming honesty and frank humour. Frustrated with the difficulty of reporting the Congo on his first assigment there, the author becomes obsessed with embarking on one of the world's most dangerous journeys, retracing the route of Victorian explorer H.M Stanley along the length of the Congo, despite ample advice not to. It combines history and travel writing with a gripping tale of risk and adventure. But what makes it so compelling is the author's passion for the Congo and his empathy with the people he meets on the way, individuals trapped in a land of terrifying and gruesome decline.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars blood river
great service, book in excellent condition and was definitely value for money. it arrived in a matter of days. thanks a lot.
Published 20 days ago by L. Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars African nightmare
The logical sequel to Tim Jeal's 'H.M.Stanley' and Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' Blood River is a fascinating,depressing and wholly understandable account of a journey in... Read more
Published 29 days ago by R. Rowland

5.0 out of 5 stars Travel Writing at it's Very Best
Tim Butcher's chapter on Kisangani is travel writing at it's very best. Reading this particular section of his book left me wishing that I had been there with him. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Michna

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible read
Wow!! This was a moving and incredible read that weaves history and current events in a tumultuous part of the world. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jennifer Jay

5.0 out of 5 stars thrilling and educational
Before reading this book i had little to no interest in the Congo and knew very little about it. Tim Butcher created intrigue by giving the history of the area, geographical... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. O. M. Munro

2.0 out of 5 stars A Frightened Scurry Through The DRC
I bought this book at the airport in Dar Es Salaam in April 2008, and I decided to not immediately provide a review. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Indorich

3.0 out of 5 stars Briefly skims the surface
I was recommended this book having bought and read several on the Congo - from King Leopold's Ghost to in the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Milton

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for 90% of it
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, right up until about the last 3 chapters when I'm afraid the writer is very negative about his experience and actually lazy in his... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. G. Child

4.0 out of 5 stars Apocalypse now
A page-turning epic of `ordeal travel', by the Telegraph's man in Africa, retracing the journey of 19th century adventurer HM Stanley down the Congo River. Read more
Published 3 months ago by C. Young

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing less than brilliant
If you want a book that takes you through the history of the Congo and its environment in a gripping way , then look no further than Blood River. Read more
Published 3 months ago by avidreader

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