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145th out of 199 books
—
147 voters
No Picnic on Mount Kenya: A Daring Escape, A Perilous Climb
An Italian prisoner of war in equatorial East Africa recounts his escape from a British POW camp so that he might climb the 17,000-foot peak of Mount Kenya.
Paperback, 248 pages
Published
April 1st 1999
by Lyons Press
(first published 1974)
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This was the first of the random books I'm just pulling off the Queen Anne shelves to read, knowing nothing about them beforehand. Even the cover of mine gives nothing away as it's just this dull brown library binding. And yet, I got totally lucky as this is an amazing (true!) story of an Italian prisoner of war (Felice Benuzzi) in Kenya who, with two fellow prisoners, escaped from camp to climb nearby Mount Kenya, then snuck back into camp to serve out the remainder of the war as prisoners. His...more
Let me begin by stating that I am a climber and have a desire for adventure; sure, those might seem to go hand in hand, but how many climbers are willing to suffer in their thirst for adventure? My suffering has been hardly that, but the limited hardship I've endured has brought an appreciation for those who have set their sets higher, further afield or took on a challenge thought foolhardy by many. Which brings us to this book, this author, this audacious undertaking.
Any climber or traveler wh...more
Any climber or traveler wh...more
Ridiculous story about some Italian POWs in English East Africa during WWII. They were stuck in this POW camp at the foot of Mt. Kenya, thousands of miles away from friendly territory. They had no hope of escaping to go home nor was that any hope of their situation changing in the short term, so to get through the tough times they decided to sneak out and climb Mt. Kenya. One of the most amazing books I've ever read.
the most remarkable memoir i have ever had the extreme pleasure of reading. during his time in a prison camp in the midst of World War II, Felice Benuzzi and two companions break out of the camp in order to climb Mount Kenya and then break back into the camp; after all, there's nowhere else to go. Benuzzi is Italian but wrote in English with a sensitivity and perception that is all the more amazing for its fluency. could perhaps appeal more to men than to women, but i believe everyone who can re...more
Read this probably 10 years in 2003, when I was 14?
Not sure why, my mind keeps coming back to this book.
From memory, it had a tight pace, and was about the wills of men, and the follies of men.
It kinda gave direction or insight on character.
Read it randomly in some Reader's Digest collection.
Not sure why, my mind keeps coming back to this book.
From memory, it had a tight pace, and was about the wills of men, and the follies of men.
It kinda gave direction or insight on character.
Read it randomly in some Reader's Digest collection.
Apr 17, 2011
James
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adventure-library,
travel-adventure
No Picnic on Mount Kenya is a tale of a bizarre and thrilling adventure, a story that quickly grips the reader with a unique combination of daring and suspense. In 1943, Felice Benuzzi and two Italian compatriots escaped from a British POW camp in equatorial East Africa with only one goal in mind--to climb the dangerous seventeen-thousand-foot Mount Kenya. Their story is one of bravery and mountaineering that is enthralling. The sheer poetry of the story makes it vivid for the reader and that is...more
This is a fascinating true story of three Italian POWs in a British POW camp in Kenya during Word War II. They escape from the camp solely to climb the nearby Mt. Kenya, a peak that at the time had only been climbed by a few previous expeditions.
These prisoners of war go to so much trouble (breaking out of prison) just to do something beautiful and free (climb Mt. Kenya) knowing they'll go right back to prison. That's an original story.
Fantastic tail of WWII escape to climb Mt Kenya. All they knew of the mountain they learned from a photo on the cover of a tin of corned beef. Awesome book.
Josh LOVES this book. I do not. I think this is another case of me not liking the style in which something is written and not being able to get past that for the content. Oh well.
One of the best adventure books ever written. I came away loving the mountains even more than I did before...if that's possible.
Simply one of the best adventure stories I have ever read - its inspiring and a tribute to the human spirit
Awesome! Escape from a POW camp just to climb a mountain and then show up back at camp.
This is one of my favorite outdoor adventure books. Such an exiting, daring feat!
Thrilling story, I found it through interlibrary loan. It's worth hunting this one down.
1943 escape and climb. Read Sep 2007. Very good. -- Very good
One of my favorite climbs of all time!! An amazing story.
Adventure Library
It's been a while since I read it but I remember really liking this book. The whole idea of breaking out of the prison camp just to climb the mountain is awesome. It is entertaining to read about all their preparations (making crampons with nails/screws)... planning their route from the picture on their can of food?! All the scheming and planning must have been a great diversion from the boring prison camp routine...and they pulled it off.
Far from detailed, this book just more or less goes through what happened. The writer has good humor every now and then.
Jun 22, 2008
rachel
added it
The author was a POW in a British camp in Kenya during WWII. He can see Mt Kenya from camp, and decides he wants to climb it. THe book is about his secret preparations (e.g., making an ice axe from camp supplies), escape, the expedition itself, and then the subsequent return to camp. Well-written and hard to put down, I think non-mountain genre people will enjoy this book as well.
If you are into mountain climbing, possibly live in Kenya or may visit Mount Kenya or have some foundness about how PoWs spend their time this may be the book for you. The parts I found most interesting where how the PoWs collected random things and somehow inventively created tools for hiking up Mount Kenya.
Aug 22, 2007
Matt
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone looking for a fun and adventurous read
Shelves:
favorites
A fun book to read. May be a true story, may not be a true story. I really want to believe it is true because it is a great story of three people just saying "I'm bored, let's give this a try". A fun and triumphant celebration of the human spirit.
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I absolutely loved this book. It is a true story. Incredible discriptive passages - it feels as if you are on the foot of Mt. Kenya.
A great acount of Mount Kenya terrain and a true story. Having been up the mountain several times it is a personal love.
Really enjoyed this book. A fun twist on a mountain climbing story.
Great read! The indomitable human spirit.
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