Brazilian Adventure

By: Peter Fleming

Narrated by: William Gaminara

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

In 1925 Colonel P. H. Fawcett embarked on a journey into a dangerous and largely unexplored region of Brazil in search of a fabled lost city and was never seen again. Journalist Peter Fleming's interest in Fawcett's disappearance led him to answer an advertisement to join an expedition to explore the rivers of Brazil with the aim of ascertaining the explorer's fate. Though Colonel Fawcett's disappearance remains a mystery to this day, Peter Fleming's wild adventure in the jungles of Brazil is recognized as one of the 20th century's best-loved travel classics.

©1933 Peter Fleming (P)2012 Audible Ltd

BORING

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

a REAL story

Has Brazilian Adventure turned you off from other books in this genre?

No way. This is a great genre

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Narration is quite good. Story is staggeringly boring

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Brazilian Adventure?

The entire first half of the book could be readily turned into one brief chapter. Boring minutia extraordinaire!

Any additional comments?

This should never have been put into a book. A short story, such as is found in National Geographic would have made slightly interesting reading. If you want adventure read "Into Africa" - THAT is a 'can't put it down' adventure book. This book was awful, just awful.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Reads like an abridged diary

That's OK, if you like that sort of thing. I found it rather dull. If you want to read great adventure stories set in the Amazon basin, check out Mother of God, by Paul Rosolie, and River of Doubt (Featuring Teddy Roosevelt), by Candice Millard.

Delightful

Bought this on a chance, as I'd never heard of the author, who turns out to be Ian Fleming's brother. Wasn't sure what to expect, but I'll definitely be picking up the rest of his books. Marvellously written with a P.G.Woodehouse/Jerome K. Jerome wit and Bill Bryson-esque chumminess. He starts by warning that this will be a very boring adventure-- "‘As chapter gives place to chapter, and still no arrows stick quivering in the tent-pole, and still no tomtoms throb their beastly summons to the night assault, the observant reader will get pretty fed up." Instead, they are generally helped along by bemused and kindly locals, and the whole expedition has the air of summertime punt down the Thames.



Caveats: there's some thoughtless racism to be expected of the period but pretty mild; and painful oblivious use of the n-word. The pointless slaughter of masses of animals isn't described in any detail but is present.



That said, the wit and self-deprecating charm of Fleming utterly disarmed me. He's marvellous company. The reader adopts a plucky period accent that doubles the pleasure. Delightful.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Lightweight but highly entertaining.

If you could sum up Brazilian Adventure in three words, what would they be?

I live in Rio de Janeiro and the characters and the difficulties...are unchanged since PF's adventure. It is superficial but still highly entertaining, even if in an opinionated british public schoolboy way. Nothing much dramatic happens in this adventure, which makes it feel very true. You wont learn much about Brazil, unless of course its to recognise things, situations, people, as i do... but you will laugh. The narrator fits the bill well enough.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Bertie Wooster in the jungle (only better)!

This is a real gem! The adventures of Indiana Jones as lived and most delightfully described by a character out of PG Wodehouse, and splendidly read by William Gaminara. It is a dream cocktail - Peter Fleming is as cool as his brother Ian Fleming (of James Bond fame), but writing factual journalism. Just picture Bertie Wooster in the jungle, on a mission to discover the whereabouts of a British explorer lost a few years back...pure joy! Yes, yes, you politically-correct bigots, I know that reading (listening to) this material in the XXI Century is occasionally shocking, but I promise you, as a Latin American myself and a great lover of all things Brazilian, this is the story of a man who fell in love with Brazil from the moment he first set foot there (and he makes us fall in love with Brazil too). I learned so much and laughed out loud so often that I unflinchingly give this gentlemanly masterpiece five stars!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A Very interesting listen

Flemming has a magical way of painting a vivid picture of his trials and tribulations during his trip to Peking, A must listen for those interested in travel.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful