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Amazon.co.uk Review
Recent years have seen a spate of "Congo books". Ronan Bennett, Barbara Kingsolver and John Edric have written acclaimed Congo novels, and Adam Hochschild's history, King Leopold's Ghost, documents the atrocities committed during rubber fever, when 8,000,000 died in the Belgian Congo and up to 14,000,000 died in French Equatorial Africa. In the travel genre, we have had Redmond O'Hanlon's great Congo Journey and Michaela Wrong's In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz. The combination of historical tragedy and contemporary anarchy makes this rich hunting ground for writers, but also provokes serious ethical questions about writing commercial books on a destroyed country--questions which only the nature of the books themselves can answer.
Facing the Congo is the latest such book. In it, Jeffrey Tayler recounts his attempt to canoe the navigable length of sub-Saharan Africa's most symbolic river. Equipped with help from one of Mobutu's henchmen and an ailing guide, Tayler finds things far from plain sailing. Negotiating corrupt officialdom, murderous peoples on the riverbanks, widespread suspicion and the dangers of the river itself, he ultimately finds his plans too demanding to be fully realised.
Tayler's prose is often evocative and his story is a compelling one. But he tends to load his descriptions with adjectives, which can over-dramatise situations. Of course this is a dramatic adventure, and Tayler tells it well, but at the end you can't help feeling that too little attention is paid to the root causes of both his troubles and the current situation in the Congo--rubber fever, greed and a callous European superiority complex. --Toby Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
The exquisite sheen and might of the Congo itself flow through the pages of Jeffrey Tayler's account. His triumph is his ability to carry us deep into the very heart of Africa, negotiating like an old river-hand the eddies and curves of the dark enigma which is the Congo. There's a rare truth here, the grip, grind and mystery of the African forest, expressed not through a lurid tale of explorer antics, but through Tayler's heroic sensitivity to the everyday lives of river people. Here, in all its sweltering majesty, is the real Congo - the clicking, swirling intensity of one of the greatest of all rivers, as it moves timelessly through the lives of the crocodiles, fishermen and bandits who inhabit its feted shores. - Benedict Allen, author of LAST OF THE MEDICINE MEN and INTO THE CROCODILE NEST ('He has provided one of the warmest and most sympathetic accounts to date of a most perplexing part of the world.’ )
TLS ('A fascinating record of an often breathtaking journey. Tayler's account is also an incredible adventure story.’ )
BELFAST NEWS ('A gripping account.’ )
SUNDAY TIMES (Recent years have seen a spate of "Congo books". Ronan Bennett, Barbara Kingsolver and John Edric have written acclaimed Congo novels, and Adam Hochschild's history, King Leopold's Ghost, documents the atrocities committed during rubber fever, when 8,000, )
TLS ('A fascinating record of an often breathtaking journey. Tayler's account is also an incredible adventure story.’ )
BELFAST NEWS ('A gripping account.’ )
SUNDAY TIMES (Recent years have seen a spate of "Congo books". Ronan Bennett, Barbara Kingsolver and John Edric have written acclaimed Congo novels, and Adam Hochschild's history, King Leopold's Ghost, documents the atrocities committed during rubber fever, when 8,000, )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very well written book and Jeffrey Tayler's style is very well suited to those people who love to travel. Looking at some other reviews, they criticise the lack of description and 'travel tips' in these types of books - they are greatly missing the point. Travelling, like Jeffrey Tayler does, with little thought prior and a spirit of 'where will I end up', is the stuff great travellers are made of.
A great amount of his book is focused on people he meets and his experiences - this is very refreshing and the book reads like he is telling an old friend of his adventure. Leave the tips and descriptions for Lonley Planet, and read this book for this guy's fantastic ability to describe his rather reckless journey down a massive and dangerous jungle river!
A great amount of his book is focused on people he meets and his experiences - this is very refreshing and the book reads like he is telling an old friend of his adventure. Leave the tips and descriptions for Lonley Planet, and read this book for this guy's fantastic ability to describe his rather reckless journey down a massive and dangerous jungle river!
Format:Paperback
I really would recommend this book to anyone interested in adventure travel.
Jeffrey Tayler is an accomplished writer who brings alive his travels. There's a good balance between describing the place he is visiting, the people he is with and the real sense of danger that he faces.
I couldn't put it down.
Jeffrey Tayler is an accomplished writer who brings alive his travels. There's a good balance between describing the place he is visiting, the people he is with and the real sense of danger that he faces.
I couldn't put it down.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A compelling and descriptive account of the authors attempt to navigate the mighty Congo river. The journey is undertaken amid much soul searching and is attempted without mechanical assistance. One must admire the author for the way he learns to handle the corrupt Zairean authorities, but this admiration is tempered with great sadness for the everyday struggles of the Zairean people. The writing is excellent, if a little dramatic in places. All in all, a very good effort.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wanderlust meet escapism
Plus- The journey up and down the congo river is an interesting one detailed with observation and anaedotes, it would appeal to those who like travel stories. Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2008 by Pan Tsang
Eavesdropper's bonus
Sitting in the bar of the Locarno Hotel in Rome back in Nov. 2003, taking a break from La Dolce Vita with an espresso and an guidebook, I became aware of an interesting... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2004 by "ronanmcnally"
Absolutely brilliant
At thirty, African woman in search of direction, I picked up this book with great interest. I reluctantly turned the last page within two days. Amazing, moving and funny, so true. Read more
Published on 11 May 2001 by dorcas@gwata.f9.co.uk
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