Christian's review
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
by Candice Millard
Christian's review
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
Christian's review
rating:
recommended for: anyone looking for an excuse not to take an Amazon trip
This book presents an interesting chapter in TR's life, when, after defeat in the 1912 election, he decided to tackle an unmapped tributary of the Amazon.
Positives:
- Genuinely interesting historical event, even for someone who is not a fan of TR or exploration history
- The author excels when she talks about actual events, i.e. follows the narrative
- Well written, not strenuous to read
Negatives:
- The author has issues when she digresses into general topics (e.g. life in the Amazon), including the inexplicable duplication of some descriptions (we understand that species adapt and evolve in the Amazon ... did we really need to cover the topic again for insects after doing so earlier for other species?) ... this does two things: breaks up the flow of the narrative, and comes off as padding, which is unnecessary considering the book comes out to 350+ pages, and with it cut out would still probably be over 300 pages.
- The author also goes a little overboard with trying to s...more
Positives:
- Genuinely interesting historical event, even for someone who is not a fan of TR or exploration history
- The author excels when she talks about actual events, i.e. follows the narrative
- Well written, not strenuous to read
Negatives:
- The author has issues when she digresses into general topics (e.g. life in the Amazon), including the inexplicable duplication of some descriptions (we understand that species adapt and evolve in the Amazon ... did we really need to cover the topic again for insects after doing so earlier for other species?) ... this does two things: breaks up the flow of the narrative, and comes off as padding, which is unnecessary considering the book comes out to 350+ pages, and with it cut out would still probably be over 300 pages.
- The author also goes a little overboard with trying to s...more
