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Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart

Author: Tim Butcher
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

70 reviews
Sales Rank: 261

Media: Paperback
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.9 x 1

ISBN: 0099494280
EAN: 9780099494287
ASIN: 0099494280

Publication Date: January 3, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: A new unread book, with minimal shelf wear(small crease/wear/marking to page edge). All books dispatched within 48 hours of order, via royal mail business post.

Also Available In:

•	Audio CD - Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart (Unabridged audio book): A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
•	Hardcover - Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk

JOHN LE CARRE

Quite superb…..a masterpiece

WILLIAM BOYD

Tim Butcher's extraordinary, audacious journey through the Congo is worthy of the great 19th century explorers. Completely enthralling but also a thoughtful and sobering portrait of modern Africa

ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH

A remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years.

THE SUNDAY TIMES

Tim Butcher's book is the latest in a long line, running through Joseph Conrad, Graham Greene, VS Nai-paul… his account of a hair-rising trip from east to west, against all advice, by motorbike and then river boat, is gripping and harshly informative…

MAX HASTINGS

Blood River represents a remarkable marriage of travelogue and history, which deserves to make Tim Butcher a star for his prose, as well as his courage.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

From his adventure he has plundered a wealth of terrific stories, and survived to recite a rosary of unstinting horror.

FERGAL KEANE

This is a terrific book, an adventure story about a journey of great bravery in one of the world's most dangerous places. It keeps the heart beating and the attention fixed from beginning to end.

HATCHARDS

…unputdownable…

GILES FODEN

An intrepid adventure... Tim Butcher has followed in the footsteps of Stanley and Conrad. It takes a lot of guts to yomp through the Congo and he obviously has plenty of those. But it is the wit and passion of the writing which keeps you engrossed.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

..stirring and thought-provoking.

AESTHETICA MAGAZINE

….a remarkable travelogue of exquisite proportions…. highly emotive, historical and personal…Butcher's elegant style demands the reader's attention…….Blood River is nothing short of a modern-day masterpiece.

WANDERLUST

What makes Blood River such a compelling read is the fact that the journey becomes an exercise in mental terror, the author skilfully conveying the exhaustion of six weeks on tenterhooks, wondering what might happen just around the next bend.

THOMAS PAKENHAM

Tim Butcher deserves a medal for this crazy feat. I marvel at his courage and his empathy with the unfortunate Congolese...

ESQUIRE

…gripping…

TRAVEL AFRICA

The past meets present in this enthralling travelogue through the depths of the Congo.

Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

An easy to read travelogue, but nothing more. November 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

One has to admit that Tim Butcher's journey through the war torn DRC is an amazing exploit, albeit more than slightly foolish! The same cannot be said about the book. It's an easy to read travel story which is decent entertainment on a long haul flight, but I cannot understand the purpose of the book. Partly a travel narrative and partly a historic recount of Stanley's voyage through the Congo, it fails to achieve depth in both. It is also a denunciation of Congo's colonial masters, their Congolese successors and Congo's neighbours who play a role in the East-Congo conflict. It is quite repetitive: if you didn't know that Kinshasa used to be called Leopoldville and Kisangani is the contemporary name of Stanleyville, you will never forget after reading this book. A disappointment given the grandeur of the trip itself.

5 out of 5 stars

Feel the heat and start sweating November 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Simply a great travel book. Tim somehow manages to convey the sticky, claustrophobic atmosphere and undertones of malice and danger he experienced. We feel his discomfort, his pain, his fear, his hunger, his loss of hope for the land he travelled through. But he also introduces us to some ordinary or rather extraordinary human beings who helped him in his journey. They demonstrate real courage and determination in simply surviving without losing dignity. He doesn't rose tint his environment and vividly portrays the cruel nature of those with power in DRC. This book says a lot more about humanity than just about a journey. If you are interested in Africa then read this book.

5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and insightful September 24, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

Full of insight into the Congo, its history and relationships with its neighbours. The author's personal story makes it a good read, thanks to his detemination, sensitivity and the hardship he endures. The information he includes gives it a valuable educational quality. At the end I was filled with frustation, a sense of futility verging on anger. Colonisation has left scars and horror everywhere. It is understandable that the Congo may want to forget all that it was as a Belgian colony. But what is in its place?
Reminiscent of the potential and beauties of Africa and its people, there is a seeming disabilty for the Congo to rise above its past and take control of its future. The author clearly makes the point that in other parts of the world, this has happened successfully.
If you want to look inside the Congo (Africa?), and try to understand its issues this is 'must read'. But be prepared to wrestle with these issues, which the author so brilliantly highlights, for a long time afterwards.

1 out of 5 stars

over-hyped September 23, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

this book has a very good intro and that must be what prompted the likes of le carre and william boyd to big it up

But butcher comes across as naive and a whiner, and the book quickly gets boring and repetitive.

to be honest it's hard to believe this guy is a war correspondent, he gets scared very easily while his analysis of Congolese history is oversimplistic and his UN apologism frankly nauseating

one point for trying

3 out of 5 stars

Middle of the Road Travel Book September 17, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful

Just finished reading `Blood River`. Not bad but not as good/insightful as Dark Star Safari. I`m not sure Stanley would have considered Mr Butcher a true adventure traveller but in a country that is a lot more dangerous and corrupt now than it was back in the 1870`s you could forgive Mr Butcher for taking advantage of some of the more luxurious modes of tranport that he did for his Congo journey. The book Gives a slight insight into the extremely difficult circumstances in which people in the Congo have to live, but did not really delve into the heart of many of the issues. One might surmise that Mr Butcher was rather more interested in fulfilling a dream (and self preservation/`dollar preservation` during said fulfillment!) than shedding any meaningful light on this giant of an African country. Nevertheless a worth while read for anyone interested in modern African travel.

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