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Frauen & Kinder Zuerst!: Die Gefährlichsten Reisen Der Welt (2014)

by Carl Hoffman(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

3442742153 (ISBN13: 9783442742158)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

btb Verlag

review 1: This book started strong, and then proceeded to spiral downward into the least-appreciated travel non-fiction book on my shelf. It's a far cry from insightful, and meanders into American stereotype-ridden schlock. Hoffman really does himself in (in my eyes) when he dismisses Russia in all but a few pages, as if the largest country in the world can be summed up by one scene drinking vodka with "gangsters" as he describes them, in a train roaring through the "bleak Russian wilderness". To describe Russia as bleak and vodka-drinking, and to paint all Russian people with the broad strokes of "proud" and "incurious" was an enormous insult. It's as if he ran out of energy and leaned back on Western stereotypes to forge his pitifully-short account of the train ride to Vladivostok... more. Given the short-sightedness of his observations as well as his blatant lack of interest in Russia, he would have been better to leave off Russia entirely and to focus on the other countries (which he stated he preferred)... My other critique would be that the recurring theme of being surrounded by "humanity" and feeling utterly alone was rather redundant and dull. Overall, I had high hopes, as I really enjoy travel non-fiction, but ended up feeling disappointed.
review 2: Could have been much better without the mid-life crisis of the author constantly intruding. I've traveled on a number of similar transports, it was fun to read about them but could have used more detail. Spending time with the drivers in Africa was the best part, he helped us understand that life a little better. This trip wasn't nearly as dangerous as he made it out to be, but he is right, in that this is how much of the world travels. less

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