poikilia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
dlberglund's review against another edition
3.0
Note to self: Cross Amazon Basin off my list of places to visit. I had to stop reading this book before bed because it led to dreams of flesh-eating insects, trees that look benign but aren't, and bogs of trees with no fruit in sight.
The Lost City of Z is a combination biography (of Percy Fawcett-naturalist and professional explorer, lost in the Amazon since the 1920s), mystery (is there or is there not an advanced civilization hidden deep in the jungle? Where did Fawcett and many of those who followed him go?),travelogue (places to go and not go near the Peru-Bolivia-Brazil area), biology narrative (plants to touch and not touch, parasites you may never have heard of, the truth and fiction of the Amazon as tropical paradise/bereft of human food), and personal journey of the author.
In parts, this worked well, and in other parts, not so much. I struggled to get through big chunks of the book, bogged down by names of people and places of whose importance I was still unsure. I was frustrated again and again when Grann's two maps, included at the beginning of the book, did not include places mentioned in the narrative. There are points in the book in which the focus seems unclear, and I can't tell whether the purpose is to tell the story of Fawcett, Fawcett's wife, the explorers who searched for Fawcett over the years, the idea of Z/El Dorado, or Grann's own personal story. It is, as with many books, all of the above, but it is not always easy to follow so many different strands.
Ultimately, the book is worth it. Grann even gives us two additional books to read if I am not yet satisfied (and several pages of bibliography). I flew through the ending third of the book, following whatever trails he gave me. The payoff at the end does not satisfy every question left in the beginning (and middle) but has enough closure to let me draw my own conclusions about the unanswered questions. Some mysteries are still mysteries.
The Lost City of Z is a combination biography (of Percy Fawcett-naturalist and professional explorer, lost in the Amazon since the 1920s), mystery (is there or is there not an advanced civilization hidden deep in the jungle? Where did Fawcett and many of those who followed him go?),travelogue (places to go and not go near the Peru-Bolivia-Brazil area), biology narrative (plants to touch and not touch, parasites you may never have heard of, the truth and fiction of the Amazon as tropical paradise/bereft of human food), and personal journey of the author.
In parts, this worked well, and in other parts, not so much. I struggled to get through big chunks of the book, bogged down by names of people and places of whose importance I was still unsure. I was frustrated again and again when Grann's two maps, included at the beginning of the book, did not include places mentioned in the narrative. There are points in the book in which the focus seems unclear, and I can't tell whether the purpose is to tell the story of Fawcett, Fawcett's wife, the explorers who searched for Fawcett over the years, the idea of Z/El Dorado, or Grann's own personal story. It is, as with many books, all of the above, but it is not always easy to follow so many different strands.
Ultimately, the book is worth it. Grann even gives us two additional books to read if I am not yet satisfied (and several pages of bibliography). I flew through the ending third of the book, following whatever trails he gave me. The payoff at the end does not satisfy every question left in the beginning (and middle) but has enough closure to let me draw my own conclusions about the unanswered questions. Some mysteries are still mysteries.
iteechesinglish's review against another edition
3.0
After watching the movie, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to read this, but it had positive reviews so I decided to give it a chance. It was a lot better than the movie and an enjoyable read. It was interesting to learn about the beginnings of the Royal Geographical Society and the different types of exploration that were going on at that time. Ultimately I wasn't that interested in what happened to Percy Fawcett, but it was interesting to learn more about the Amazon and that period of history. This book is not so much an adventure story as a historical biography, but it's still an interesting read.
neliiskra's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
excitebike's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
poleksya's review against another edition
4.0
My obsession when I was a kid were Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, so naturally that progressed into fascination with expeditions and explorations based on real life events and people. That's when I found out about Colonel Percy Fawcett, his numerous expeditions into the Amazon and his disappearance in the end.
In 1920s the expeditions into the unknown were quite a thing, adding new places into world maps, encountering new civilizations drew in a lot of people. Colonel Percy Fawcett was one of the most famous of all, but in the 1925 he went into Amazon with his son never to return. Their bodies were never found and the mystery of their disappearance never solved. He was always convinced of existence of the lost city of Z, or what the people call El Dorado. The obsession with it was what brought about his demise.
The Lost City of Z was on my tbr for a while now, but I'm so happy that I finally read it because it was one of the best non-fiction books I ever read. It's such a captivating story and I wasn't bored for a second! David Grann did a fantastic job researching not only Fawcett's life, but in general the events that took place in that time period regarding exploration of the Amazon, Royal Geographical Society and even going back to the time of conquistadores. Oh, and not to forget all the horrors of the Amazon! Described in such detail! It's certainly not for the squeamish.
My only complain is that at times I felt so overwhelmed with information. I couldn't keep track with all the names, dates and places. The level of researching was amazing as I said, but maybe it would be easier to get through the book if it was just about Percy Fawcett and the period of time when he lived. Information about exploration of conquistadores and the ones of Fawcett's colleagues were too much for me.
Even though I was only interested in this book by David Grann, he did such a fantastic job that I immediately added The Killers of the Flower Moon on my tbr and I'm so excited to read it! If you love stories about expeditions, this must be on your tbr!
In 1920s the expeditions into the unknown were quite a thing, adding new places into world maps, encountering new civilizations drew in a lot of people. Colonel Percy Fawcett was one of the most famous of all, but in the 1925 he went into Amazon with his son never to return. Their bodies were never found and the mystery of their disappearance never solved. He was always convinced of existence of the lost city of Z, or what the people call El Dorado. The obsession with it was what brought about his demise.
The Lost City of Z was on my tbr for a while now, but I'm so happy that I finally read it because it was one of the best non-fiction books I ever read. It's such a captivating story and I wasn't bored for a second! David Grann did a fantastic job researching not only Fawcett's life, but in general the events that took place in that time period regarding exploration of the Amazon, Royal Geographical Society and even going back to the time of conquistadores. Oh, and not to forget all the horrors of the Amazon! Described in such detail! It's certainly not for the squeamish.
My only complain is that at times I felt so overwhelmed with information. I couldn't keep track with all the names, dates and places. The level of researching was amazing as I said, but maybe it would be easier to get through the book if it was just about Percy Fawcett and the period of time when he lived. Information about exploration of conquistadores and the ones of Fawcett's colleagues were too much for me.
Even though I was only interested in this book by David Grann, he did such a fantastic job that I immediately added The Killers of the Flower Moon on my tbr and I'm so excited to read it! If you love stories about expeditions, this must be on your tbr!
gmd316's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Really solid - mixing past expeditions with present