Valet Reader

One of the few things I wish I had done while in S. America last month was visit the Amazon. There is a place in Colombia called Leticia which borders Peru and Brazil. Now, I may not be right in saying this, but I believe someone told me that the only way to actually get to Leticia is by plane or boat, they are, apparently, no roads which lead to this small southernmost Colombian town. From what I understand and have heard the Amazon experience there and the surroundings areas is the real deal.

Let’s be honest though, my “real deal” and the actual “real deal” are two completely different things. Had I had the pleasure of reading Grann’s The Lost City of Z before or while I was in Colombia there is a pretty good chance I would have made the trek to the Amazon, only if it had been for a couple of days. After reading this book all I want to do is get there and just have a taste, albeit a small one, of the Amazon.

The Lost City of Z struck the right chord with me in more way than one. Not only was it about exploration but it was also about mapping, two things which have always held my attention. It chronicles the life of Percy Fawcett and his adventures and exploration of the Amazon and his search for “The lost city of Z.”

Grann, in his attempt to tell Fawcett’s story, takes it upon himself to retrace the path that Fawcett last took while looking for Fawcett’s remains and the alleged “Lost City.” I must say that this was the least interesting part of the story. I almost felt as though Grann’s own interest in finding “Z” was some what contrived and was really only there for the purpose of the book, which makes sense seeing as he’s writing a book about it an, but at the same time I wanted to believe that he was genuinely interested. I’m confident that the reason he chose to go so far as going to the Amazon was only to facilitate Fawcett’s story and create his own, but at the same time the chapters that were about Grann himself were certainly the least interesting.

Despite not really believing Grann’s interest his graphic descriptions really made the book that much more fascinating. Between the bugs, nasty fish and hostile natives he met I wouldn’t be surprised if this book ends up scaring people from going to the Amazon. As for me, it only heightened my interest.

As with many books of this sort the ending is what you would most likely expect. Closure in books such as this is often non-existent and this book was no exception. I guess I saw it coming though so it didn’t bother me too much. Treasure hunters and explorers looking for the “lost” will always be hunting and never be contented. For that reason alone you have to take books about such adventures with a grain of salt and not expect that the outcome will be groundbreaking. In Grann’s defense he does do a nice job of tidying things up but, as a reader, I was/am still curious.

After all is said and done I would recommend this book. Would I recommend it highly? Well, that all depends on what your into. If your a big time Indiana Jones fan than yes, if your a Twilight or Eat, Pray, Love fan than not so much. Use your own discretion but I doubt you’d be too disappointed either way,.

page 78 – brazilian needle fish, candiru