Gary Mancuso

Written in the vein of the old travelogue, this is a book about one man's personal travels around the world to places the reader has never been. But, these books have been done many times before, and done better.

This just kind of felt like a vanity project, and could have used an editor. After the hundredth adjective- and adverb-laden descriptive sentence, I no longer knew which things were important to the story, and no longer cared. I started skimming over the descriptions.

If you enjoy detailed descriptions of places you've never been, and don't mind the occasional cliche or misused word, then you might enjoy this book. But if you're looking for compelling narrative non-fiction, then you probably won't.… (altro)

The premise of this book was admirable - visit the few places left on earth that are less changed by development, before it is too late to see and learn about the cultures. Mancuso may have been a little too ambitious in the number of places he chose to cover, leaving the reader not enlightened about the cultures, but merely getting a brief description of them. That could be a strength for those who are new to travel literature and want to taste a few different places before deciding where to delve in more deeply. However, this is a field crowded with wonderful authors and writing that offers much more engaging and educational reading.… (altro)

I wanted to like this book. The title certainly held great promise. But the writing was quite rough and felt unedited. For example, in one sentence the author used the phrase “parked our canoe,” which should have been “moored our canoe.” The sporadic joys that he experienced in these remote locations were more often than not overshadowed by incidents of theft, corrupt police, problems with logistics, relationship troubles and insects. Had this book been called “Misadventures in the Last Places on Earth” I may have been more prepared for the contents. But as it is, it is less about the pristine places on our earth, and more about the author’s struggle with travel, both physically and emotionally. I understand that there are difficulties when traveling alone to remote locations, but when those difficulties are a constant and overpowering presence in a book, then it needs to be presented and marketed in a different way.… (altro)