4.11 avg rating — 317 ratings

"This is a excellent introduction to what life was like for a young British man setting out on a career in the Foriegn office. Set in the Pacific, the young man spends thirty years in the Gilbert and Ellice islands. At once, both insightful and humourous. The episode of the author and the giant squid will forever be etched on my mind.
Perhaps what is most interesting is the authors deep learning and understanding of the culture and language he finds himslef immersed in. By the end of book you realise that the author has such a deep understanding of the islands language and customs that it would probably rival that of a learned native. The Gilbert and Ellice islands are now known as Kiribati and Tuvalu."

4.12 avg rating — 1,109,258 ratings

4.30 avg rating — 124,172 ratings