The Cloud Forest

A Chronicle of the South American Wilderness

By: Peter Matthiessen

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

For 20,000 miles, Peter Matthiessen crisscrossed the South American wilderness, traveling from the Amazonian rain forests to Machu Picchu high in the Andes, down to the edge of the world at Tierra del Fuego and back.

In the course of his journey he followed the trails of old explorers, encountered river bandits, wild tribesmen, and the evidence of ancient ruins, and discovered a fossilized snout of a giant unknown crocodilian hidden in the depths of the jungle on the wild mountain rivers of Peru.

©1989 Peter Matthiessen (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The range of these travels is astonishing...Mr. Matthiessen has three indispensable qualities for an all-around writer: a sense of style, a sense of humor, and a sense of ungovernable curiosity." ( The New York Times)

The Cloudy Forest of a joyless world view.

If only there were a Wade Davis book at Audible I would not have to trudge my way though the lack of joy in this poor man's soul. The vision is only compounded by the course and angst filled nature of the readers voice. As for what the critics have said, Where is the humor and curiosity? Oh how I wish I could hear it.

Not what I expected

This book was written around 1960 so the author presents attitudes and behaviors that are surprising. I was expecting more observations of the natural world but the story was more about the author’s interactions with his guides through the wild.

A chronicle without drama

This is a well written and well read list of informed observations but there is little in the way of story or drama. The book is aptly titled. It is a chronicle and although Matthiessen writes beautifully descriptive narrative the book is more academic than literary. The words dull and flat come to mind.

Genuine adventure

There is certainly some outmoded language in this book (it’s from the 1960s. “Indian, negro, half-breeds, etc.) but the author never seems to using anything pejoratively or out of ignorance. Overall, it feels balanced and clear-eyed in its review of a complex topic, and the confusion and tentativeness the author must have felt when there is felt authenticity by the listener.