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cleocreads_'s review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book about ancient civilizations, specifically regions within Asia. Although the title sounds like it contains instances of fun and thrilling adventures, I will warn you beforehand that it's not entirely like that. First and foremost, this book was intended to be somewhat of a travel guide for European audiences during this period. So its tone and language are monotonous and casual compared to fictional stories. However, his intake of different cultures and beliefs provides a very insightful prospect about ancient lifestyles and the significant gap between them and the modern world.
stacialithub's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like my reading of this book has taken as long as Polo's travels! (Mostly, though, it was because I got sidetracked by the extensive footnotes & subsequent internet research on various topics found in Polo's book.)
Polo's tales are an eclectic mix of geography notes, merchant/business observations, descriptions of plants/animals/governments/cultural customs interspersed with strange & outrageous tales (many true) along with plenty of gossip & hearsay (plenty false). It's almost like a mix of a dry textbook, a National Geographic documentary, a royal edict, Twitter, & the National Enquirer stirred to create his unique story. The complete mish-mash of information & mix of the mundane with the extraordinary reminded me a bit of the structure & jumble of Poe's [b:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket|766869|The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket |Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341387331s/766869.jpg|44915222]. Even though some parts are repetitive or boring recitations of business/trading/government facts, there are a lot of gems & fantastic observations... enough to make me overlook the slower parts in favor of the rest of it. Five stars for Polo's sheer chutzpah in living his life large & telling about it so that, even today, we can still enjoy his amazing travels.
Polo's tales are an eclectic mix of geography notes, merchant/business observations, descriptions of plants/animals/governments/cultural customs interspersed with strange & outrageous tales (many true) along with plenty of gossip & hearsay (plenty false). It's almost like a mix of a dry textbook, a National Geographic documentary, a royal edict, Twitter, & the National Enquirer stirred to create his unique story. The complete mish-mash of information & mix of the mundane with the extraordinary reminded me a bit of the structure & jumble of Poe's [b:The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket|766869|The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket |Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341387331s/766869.jpg|44915222]. Even though some parts are repetitive or boring recitations of business/trading/government facts, there are a lot of gems & fantastic observations... enough to make me overlook the slower parts in favor of the rest of it. Five stars for Polo's sheer chutzpah in living his life large & telling about it so that, even today, we can still enjoy his amazing travels.
melcat's review against another edition
2.0
On an fascinating subject, the narrative of Marco Polo's book is unfortunately extremely dry and repetitive. It mainly consists of a list of all the different countries and regions that he has been to, with a few facts added here and there.
I saw in a review from a Goodreads member named David (unfortunately not active anymore, I really hope you're ok buddy) that "much of the book reads like a seven-hundred-year-old Lonely Planet guide ». While I find this sentence hilarious, that doesn't make it less true.
I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you're a collector of this edition (as I am) or particularly interested in travel stories/ geography listing. I’m very strict on reading every book I buy/keep, so the Audiobook kept me company on a few car trips. It really felt like a dream.
I saw in a review from a Goodreads member named David (unfortunately not active anymore, I really hope you're ok buddy) that "much of the book reads like a seven-hundred-year-old Lonely Planet guide ». While I find this sentence hilarious, that doesn't make it less true.
I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you're a collector of this edition (as I am) or particularly interested in travel stories/ geography listing. I’m very strict on reading every book I buy/keep, so the Audiobook kept me company on a few car trips. It really felt like a dream.
sumia's review against another edition
3.0
After watching the Netflix show 'Marco Polo', I gained a newfound interest in the history of the Mongol empire and thought reading this book would be a great start.
I must start off with a warning. If you expect a more streamlined story of Marco Polo's journey, then you'll be gravely disappointed. Of course I never expected this travel journal to be a consecutive story with twists and turns like in a television show, but I also did not expect it to be so repetitive and, dare I say, at times boring?
There were a lot of little stories about the different cultures Marco Polo encountered, and these were really interesting and often quite fun to read. However, he often had the tendency to go into detail for every little village he came across and only told the same information multiple times. It almost became hilarious in my opinion.
Despite this (in my eyes) glaring obstacle, I quite enjoyed the book. Some things he told were so fantastical that it seemed more like a fairy tale but it still offers you more insight into the lives of the people in that time period, which was the main reason for reading this book. It remains interesting to see how all these cultures experienced through the eyes of someone whose own upbringing was so removed from this part of the world.
I must start off with a warning. If you expect a more streamlined story of Marco Polo's journey, then you'll be gravely disappointed. Of course I never expected this travel journal to be a consecutive story with twists and turns like in a television show, but I also did not expect it to be so repetitive and, dare I say, at times boring?
There were a lot of little stories about the different cultures Marco Polo encountered, and these were really interesting and often quite fun to read. However, he often had the tendency to go into detail for every little village he came across and only told the same information multiple times. It almost became hilarious in my opinion.
Despite this (in my eyes) glaring obstacle, I quite enjoyed the book. Some things he told were so fantastical that it seemed more like a fairy tale but it still offers you more insight into the lives of the people in that time period, which was the main reason for reading this book. It remains interesting to see how all these cultures experienced through the eyes of someone whose own upbringing was so removed from this part of the world.
xherdanjackiri's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lukaseichmann's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0