frahorus's review against another edition
5.0
Ho ripreso in mano questo bel libro di viaggio in questi ultimi giorni di agosto del 2015, dopo averlo letto e assaporato negli ultimi giorni di aprile del 2007, quindi otto anni fa. Stava nella mia libreria e ogni tanto, in questi anni, gli davo un'affettuosa occhiata. Forse annoiato da questa nuova sessione di esami, forse desideroso di viaggiare, l'ho riletto e sto per terminarlo per la seconda volta. Che potrei aggiungere? Mi fa svagare dall'ordinarietà della vita, riesce col suo stile inimitabile (spesso ironico) a farmi immaginare la Patagonia, questa terra desolata di allevatori di pecore, di indios, di ritrovamenti preistorici, di viaggi in mare. Chatwin ci descrive non solo la sua avventura in Patagonia, iniziata nel dicembre del 1974, ma anche le storie delle persone (che lui trasforma in personaggi degni del miglior film di avventura) soprattutto nella prima parte le storie di alcuni banditi che subito ti fanno venire in mente i film western come Butch Cassidy o Wilson e Evans. Ma l'autore ci descrive brevemente anche i fondatori di alcune città o villaggi della Patagonia, con riferimenti politici (seppur accennati) o alcune avventure di scopritori e studiosi come Darwin e Cook. Ripeto, per elencare tutti i personaggi che Bruce cita o ci presenta le gesta sarebbe davvero lunga, vi basti sapere che se amate viaggiare, soprattutto in posti solitari e poco conosciuti, allora questo è certamente il libro che dovete assolutamente leggere al più presto. Di Chatwin leggerò anche "Che ci faccio qui?" che ho già acquistato. Ho scoperto che ha anche scritto Ritorno in Patagonia (o un titolo simile) che devo recuperare assolutamente.
leowilko's review against another edition
relaxing
slow-paced
2.0
Rather than a chronological account or a structured story, In Patagonia is a series of portraits of people that the narrator comes across. I was expecting more structure to the adventure and more description of the stunning region which the novel is based in. Pity!
fourtriplezed's review against another edition
3.0
I have enjoyed reading this travel classic. I have, honestly I have. All good travel/ history should have one reaching for google maps and even reading (at worst) wikipedia and I have been doing that. With that I am keen to go to all the exotic places that the author visited, those places with Spanish names that are seemingly full of not only Latins but Englishmen and Germans and Welsh and have strange natives and had the likes of North American outlaws gallivanting around the countryside. What more could one want from a book like this? It has set the travel juices flowing as all good travel writing should.
But.....I just have the horrible feeling that I might have been better reading this back in the day. That day should have been when I was in my late teens and not my fast approaching old age. Back then this book would have seemed vital, important, an adventure fantasy, a tome to enthuse about to my book reading pals.
Now? It just reads like the writings of a literate backpacker. One who wants to let his family and friends know about his great big adventure while on his travels. One who has the forethought to add a few historical tid bits to tide the adventure over during the rainy days stuck in the internet cafe. Yes! that's it. The type of prose that gets posted on a personal blog or even at worst facebook.
"The book that redefined travel writing" says a quote on the back of my copy. Maybe that was the point, a personal travel writing blog long before a travel writing blog was even thought of. The appeal is the every-man prose. Yep I had to read this when I was young.
But.....I just have the horrible feeling that I might have been better reading this back in the day. That day should have been when I was in my late teens and not my fast approaching old age. Back then this book would have seemed vital, important, an adventure fantasy, a tome to enthuse about to my book reading pals.
Now? It just reads like the writings of a literate backpacker. One who wants to let his family and friends know about his great big adventure while on his travels. One who has the forethought to add a few historical tid bits to tide the adventure over during the rainy days stuck in the internet cafe. Yes! that's it. The type of prose that gets posted on a personal blog or even at worst facebook.
"The book that redefined travel writing" says a quote on the back of my copy. Maybe that was the point, a personal travel writing blog long before a travel writing blog was even thought of. The appeal is the every-man prose. Yep I had to read this when I was young.
wynter's review against another edition
3.0
Magic Square Challenge 2018 - #2 - Book Vipers Monthly Read
A classic travel memoir that unfortunately failed to infect me with wanderlust. There were several issues that prevented In Patagonia from working out for me. Firstly, it lacked direction, or itinerary, that would give me a clear scope of Chatwin's journey. Each short chapter was disconnected from the rest, and kind of jumped from topic to topic. I feel like the author just wrote down the first thing that came to his head in the order that it did, and was done with it. The absence of a unifying theme or a story definitely made my progress somewhat of a slog. Thankfully, like I sad, most chapters were just a page or two long.
Secondly, there is an odd lack of scenery. Chatwin talks about the anecdotes that people tell him, the colourful individuals that he meets, and the historical notes relating to Patagonia, but the region itself is somehow bleak and silent. As a reader, I never felt like I was in a foreign locale, especially since a lot of locals Chatwin meets are expats who muse about the Old Country a lot. On more than one occasion I forgot completely that I was supposed to be in South America, listening to strangers going on and on about Europe's political atmosphere.
Fortunately, the historical notes were rather fascinating, especially the legend of The Sect of the Brujería and prehistoric fauna, so I enjoyed those. I just wish In Patagonia had a better voice and presence, but as it is I cannot give it more than an average rating.
A classic travel memoir that unfortunately failed to infect me with wanderlust. There were several issues that prevented In Patagonia from working out for me. Firstly, it lacked direction, or itinerary, that would give me a clear scope of Chatwin's journey. Each short chapter was disconnected from the rest, and kind of jumped from topic to topic. I feel like the author just wrote down the first thing that came to his head in the order that it did, and was done with it. The absence of a unifying theme or a story definitely made my progress somewhat of a slog. Thankfully, like I sad, most chapters were just a page or two long.
Secondly, there is an odd lack of scenery. Chatwin talks about the anecdotes that people tell him, the colourful individuals that he meets, and the historical notes relating to Patagonia, but the region itself is somehow bleak and silent. As a reader, I never felt like I was in a foreign locale, especially since a lot of locals Chatwin meets are expats who muse about the Old Country a lot. On more than one occasion I forgot completely that I was supposed to be in South America, listening to strangers going on and on about Europe's political atmosphere.
Fortunately, the historical notes were rather fascinating, especially the legend of The Sect of the Brujería and prehistoric fauna, so I enjoyed those. I just wish In Patagonia had a better voice and presence, but as it is I cannot give it more than an average rating.
dalet3's review against another edition
5.0
Any book that excites you enough to want to read a hundred more books that might have served as source material and to constantly leap to reference materials for more background is a good book in my book. To be also so poetic, intrigued, reflective and wilfully divergent at the same time makes it remarkable. In a strange way it reminds me most of Brillat-Savarin.
pattieod's review against another edition
5.0
From one of the gods of Travel-Writing-As-Real-Literature, Chatwin takes you on a lyrical journey to the literal End of the Earth. Just pour yourself a cup of tea, sit back, and let go - you're in good hands.
(Warning: if you need edge-of-your-seat, Krakauerian someone's-going-to-die-on-this-climb-and-it-might
-be-me adventure, Chatwin's not your boy. He's more about total immersion in another world).
(Warning: if you need edge-of-your-seat, Krakauerian someone's-going-to-die-on-this-climb-and-it-might
-be-me adventure, Chatwin's not your boy. He's more about total immersion in another world).