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| Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart | 
 enlarge | Author: Tim Butcher
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £1.50
You Save: £6.49 (81%)
New (42) from £2.82
Avg. Customer Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 38
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
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| Customer Reviews:
a compelling journey June 28, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
An account of the extraordinary journey made by journalist Tim Butcher, retracing the footsteps of H.M. Stanley ,exploring the Congo River. The journey was remarkable as the Congo has suffered from decades of corruption and explotiation and has been ravaged by civil war. The success of Butcher's journey depends on the kindness of aid agencies and charity workers. At times he is struck by the decay and neglect he discovers and paints a depressing picture of what he describes as 'Africa's Broken Heart'. What distinguishes this account from other travel writing is the challenge of the journey. Butcher describes his journey as' ordeal travel' and develops detailed accounts of his experiences. It is difficult not to admire the courage of the writer or the integrity of his writing.
 History and travel June 13, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book is not to be picked up if you are looking for a travel book. Instead it is a fascinating documentary on the politics, history and culture of the people that he passes on his journey, with a little about the physical journey. He makes frequent comparisons with previous explorers, especially Stanley. The book is very interesting and he draws astonishing anthropological observations. I couldn't put it down, but it was very different from what I was expecting when I picked it up!
Blood River June 11, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
In Blood River, Tim Butcher gives an engrossing account of his treacherous trip across the Congo following in the footsteps of Stanley who was also the Daily Telegraph's foreign correspondent. Against all advice, Butcher crosses the Congo with the support of a handful of individuals and a few aid agencies that operate in the country. As the Congo's road, rail and riverboat system has been destroyed, large parts of the journey are undertaken on the back of a motorcycle and Butcher gives vivid accounts of the people he meets and the places he stops at on the way. This book had me hooked from the start. It is a gripping read of the horror of the post-colonial collapse in one part of Africa and there are parallels with Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and "Apocalypse Now", the movie by Francis Coppola. Unlike Conrad and Coppola's characters, however, Butcher does not become savage and he returns to civilisation to reflect on the challenges Africa faces.
 Journalist has his eyes opened in Africa June 10, 2008
6 out of 18 found this review helpful
This is a terrible book, please do not bother to read it never mind to buy it. The author approaches the task which he sets himself to 'follow the footsteps of Stanley' as an ordeal and consequently the whole book takes on an extremely narrow, dismissive and almost patronising slant, in which the the writer seems to find no pleasure whatsoever and simply get to his end goal - that is out of DR Congo. The result is a negative and unhelpful book which is not reflective either of the country or its people. Worst of all - the book becomes irritating after a few pages and gets worse as it goes on.
Fascinating May 23, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
As someone who (briefly) travelled through what was Zaire and travelled for a short way up the Congo by the extraordinary riverboat system in 1990, I was fascinated and appalled in equal measure by Tim Butcher's excellent book. Highly readable, it integrates history and the author's journey extremely well... the descent towards anarchy even since 1990 is amazing. Only two small negatives: he seems to lose track of time in Kisangani (perhaps deliberately mimicking his mental state.... but a bit confusing for the reader)and I wanted to know if he got his passport back at the end....
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