Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangri-LA by Todd Balf ISBN: 0-375-41626-9 Publisher: Random House Audio Pub. Date: 12 September, 2000 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 4 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.89 (35 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: This book makes me want to run high risk rivers
Comment: A caveat -- I've never done any river running. Now, after reading Todd Balf's book, I feel like I partially understand, in a white water sense, much more of the sport. The best thing about this book is that you fully experience the running of this mad river in Tibet! The river is awesome, beautiful, and irrestible. The guys running the river were nuts but somehow believed they knew what they were doing - and that they could survive. Not true. Not only do you learn a ton about the sport of extreme river running but also about the politics, and second guessing, of putting together an expedition to a far off country. I recommend the book highly and predict a breathless reading experience. Maybe someday I will go to Tibet and experience the last river!
Rating: 5
Summary: A Good Read
Comment: Todd Balf's The Last River was a very compelling read about something I know little about - the sport, adventure and competition of white water kayaking. It was also a very interesting read about a part of the world that I always find intriguing - Tibet -- and the history of the Tsangpo region and the river itself. However, what made the book compelling was the story of the group of people involved in kayaking and this adventure, both those who went on the trip and those who didn't. I also enjoyed Into Thin Air and Perfect Storm, and would be surprised if this book wasn't another bestseller.
Rating: 3
Summary: Last River or Diamond Sow?? It's a toss up.
Comment: My comments come after finishing the books "The Last River" and "Courting the Diamond Sow", both of which I read over the last 2 weeks, and was provoked to write by a couple of factors. Reading the existing reviews for "The Last River" particularly, I was struck by the number of people who felt it necessary to slam the book.
First, after reading these books I have a better appreciation for the writing skill needed to write a book that is entirely engaging, brings the personalities to life, allows the reader to become part of the adventure, all the while being true to its subject.
Second, I appreciate that the writers made the story available so that we could learn about this trip and I don't mean to suggest that either effort was a waste of time and that the writers should hang up their quills.
Sadly, in my opinion neither of the books written about the same 1998 Tsangpo journey is terribly engaging. Last River is an easier read while I found the first half, particularly, of Sow a literary slog. Not sure if it was bogged down in description or what; I just found it slow going.
Neither book had much of an ebb and flow in the narrative. Even as the tragic events of Doug Gordon's death neared, there was nothing to indicate that one's blood should be heating up and that now was not the time to put the book down. They were very flat in that regard. I differentiate between sensationalism and a literary tidal cycle; perhaps the authors were extremely cognizant of avoiding the former.
The Last River spends a greater percentage of ink relating the experiences of the 4 paddlers on the river and off while Sow balances more equally the stories of both paddlers and support team. Also, Wickliffe Walker in Sow deals with the 'fallout' from Gordon's death much more comprehensively than does Todd Balf; Walker spends several pages relating the effort needed to battle rumours and judgments that were circulating at home half-way around the world.
While the actual journey and the salient events I expect to remember, these books I expect to forget quickly (but then, I forgot Into Thin Air fairly quickly also). If there are poignant moments from the tale and thoughts to come away with, the one I recall most easily is the second-guessing of Gordon's paddling buddies as described most clearly in The Last Rivers account of Roger Zbel's "What if" self-flagellation. As a paddler, I pray that I am never faced with that.
.
It was disappointing that The Last River did not have any photos at all of the area and only a minimalist map. On the other hand, Sow's small collection of photos was hardly comprehensive though the satellite photo was helpful in placing the story.
Nether book rates more than a 2.5 - 3, in my mind, nor does one stand head and shoulders above the other.
My context: Canadian class IV kayaker; 3 Himalayan river trips in Nepal (in fact and unbeknownst, I was on the Tamur River at exactly the time this group was on the Tsangpo); read years ago the American Whitewater article of the Gordon/McEwan trip down the Homothko in BC.
 |
Title: Courting the Diamond Sow : Kayaking Tibet's Forbidden Tsangpo River by Wickliffe W. Walker ISBN: 0792264215 Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: 01 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: The Siege of Shangri-La : The Quest for Tibet's Sacred Hidden Paradise by MICHAEL MCRAE ISBN: 0767904850 Publisher: Broadway Pub. Date: 24 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
 |
Title: The Lost River: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Transformation on Wild Water by Richard Bangs ISBN: 1578050634 Publisher: Sierra Club Books Pub. Date: 06 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: The Darkest Jungle : The True Story of the Darien Expedition and America's Ill-Fated Raceto Connect the Seas by TODD BALF ISBN: 0609609890 Publisher: Crown Pub. Date: 30 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Amazon Extreme : Three Ordinary Guys, One Rubber Raft and the Most Dangerous River on Earth by COLIN ANGUS, IAN MULGREW ISBN: 0767910508 Publisher: Broadway Pub. Date: 09 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
