Travel to South America

Three Letters from the Andes

Format: Paperback
Author: Patrick Leigh Fermor
ReleaseDate: 03 January, 2005
Publisher: John Murray
Rating:

decidedly average
I don't mind reading it. I have a blind spot when it comes to travel writing. I extract some pleasure from it. But for some reason I never feel I have read a 'real' book. I don't think they count.

This is a pleasant account of an early 70s trip to Peru told through letters to the author's wife. It reads as if Fermor were at your dining table recounting the journey over a glass of wine. There is nothing wrong with it. It is fine. It just doesn't move me. Not his fault.
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A 'pot boiler' but enjoyable nonetheless
Sadly though they are not on the same level as 'A Time of Gifts' or 'Between the Woods and the Water' in terms of historical content or romantic detachment. I enjoyed these letters only because I have to admire someone who can write letters as interesting and informative as this. The book is simply a commentary of a trip Leigh Fermor and some friends of his made in the Andes, nothing of any consequence happens, except that Fermor paints a particularly lucid picture of the scenery and the people in the area. It's worth reading if you're planning to visit the Andes or if you've only got a few hours to spare but don't want to work you way through one of his longer books.

old-time adventures in the South American Andes

The Book is a series of three letters Fermor wrote to his wife during his adventures. Set in "the good old days" this book details the trials and triumphs of the writer's adventures in the Andes.

It provides a rgeat insight into the mountains, people and culture of the Andes - from descriptions of mountaineering adventures to colourful local markets.

Sadly lacking in any real purpose (it's more a decsription of events rather than an adventure in itself) the book is nonetheless an interesting read.

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