The Sex Lives of Cannibals

Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific

By: J. Maarten Troost

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

At age 26, Maarten Troost decided to pack up his flip-flops and move to a remote South Pacific island. The idea of dropping everything and moving to the ends of the earth was irresistibly romantic. But he should have known better.

This is the hilarious story of what happens when he discovers that the island is not the paradise he dreamed of. Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles with stifling heat, deadly bacteria, polluted seas, and toxic fish, in a country where the only music to be heard is "La Macarena". He and his stalwart girlfriend, Sylvia, contend with alarmingly large critters, a paucity of food options (including the Great Beer Crisis), and such bizarre local characters as "Half-Dead Fred" and the Poet Laureate of Tarawa, a British drunkard who's never written a poem in his life.

©2004 J. Maarten Troost (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"A comic masterwork of travel writing." (Publishers Weekly)
"Troost has a command of place and narrative that puts his debut in company with some of today's best travel writers." (Elle)
"A delightful, self-depreciating, extremely sly account of life in a place so wretched it gives new, terrible meaning to getting away from it all." (National Geographic Adventure)

Only slightly amusing

I didn't think this book was nearly as hilarious as other people did. It was a little more historical in parts than I had anticipated, which seemed to drag on at length. The funny parts were humorous, but did not sustain the book. The narrator's dull tone carries on relentlessly and drips with sarcasm, which became more than a little annoying at times. The author is also a very big fan of himself. He metaphorically pats himself on the back quite a few times. Also, his criticism of Americans did not sit well with me. I don't consider myself as being overly patriotic, but I found his condescension to be rude and unapologetic. If you are looking for a simple book with a few amusing parts and a good bit of historical and geographic information, then this is the one for you. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

A fun and interesting read

Very funny in an understated way. Enjoyed it and found it interesting. (Has nothing to do with sex or cannibals).

I get it... sort of

After getting back from a French Polynesian trip, a friend recommended this book to me. It was wonderful, and I had a sense of a lot of this while we were there. Of course you never quite understand what is going on behind the scenes, but all of this made so much sense to me, and I could feel the nostalgia

Funny, but not hilarious

While there were a few parts that made me laugh out loud, the majority of the book was just sort of funny.

loved it

very good,would listen each night ,and look forward to the next chapter. sorry it was done.

My kind of fun book

If you could sum up The Sex Lives of Cannibals in three words, what would they be?

The most fun you can have by getting close to somebody else's life

Any additional comments?

This book made me love audiobooks even more and decided to buy all the books from this author. From the way the author address you, the informality, it makes for such comical situations. I highly recommend this book

Intriguing story, well read, funny

If you like dry humor and wit, many parts of this book are hilarious. I really enjoyed the story, and the reader was excellent.

Slow the Speed Down to .75 - You're welcome

First of all the story is interesting but the author often gets "coy" and skips over his personal life with his girlfriend and partner. That would have added SO much depth to the story to learn more about their relationship under these extreme conditions.

The speed it too fast, it was 100% recorded at .75 and is accidentally set too fast. Slow it down for a normal listen.

Hilarious

This story is so weird! But is it hilarious!! The narrator is amusing to listen to and I just want to be friends with this couple. The story is hilarious!! Ever wonder what life is like when you DON’T have the norms you do now? Read this book! Would definitely recommend.

enjoyed the story, but maybe different narrator

I have nothing against the British, but I think this particular book, written by an American, would have made more sense to have an American accented narrator.