Adventures in Formosa [Paperback]

Antonio Graceffo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2006

Most people only know Taiwan as a place where computers are assembled, but Antonio Graceffo discovered the Island of Formosa is unbelievably beautiful, and it offers unlimited adventure, if you are willing to look for it. Antonio rode his bicycle 1,500 KM around the island. Next, he climbed some of its tallest peaks, traced its longest rivers, and mounted a search into its deepest gorge, to find the body of a missing American. Through all his adventures, he continued to box and practice kung fu when he could.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Gom Press (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932966528
• ISBN-13: 978-1932966527
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,018,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good though uneven, January 5, 2012

By 

Richard Tsuyuki - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adventures in Formosa (Paperback)

An enjoyable set of loosely linked stories and articles about the author's life in Taiwan as an adventure writer. Not exactly highbrow literature, but easy to keep reading. Graceffo clearly exaggerates and plays up the quirky characters, the eccentricities of Taiwanese culture and his own overreactions (at one point he even seems jaded with the formula - do something adventurous, make jokes about being unprepared, make fun of a goofy Taiwanese person), but no harm done. Having spent some time in Taiwan myself I can vouch for the many cultural oddities from a Westerner's point of view. The tone of the book switches abruptly from comical (mis)adventure to sincere enjoyment of group experiences to martial arts training to describing Graceffo's struggles as a writer. Depending on what you're looking for, you might skim quickly through parts of the book.

Geez, though, Antonio, learn to use a spell-checker. The lack of editing gets to the point where it's distracting - typos almost every page. At one point he refers to "blue skies, decorated with white crowds". I think Thor Horendall is Thor Heyerdahl, and Steven Severen is Tim Severin, but who knows?

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and interesting, January 29, 2007

By 

Bonnie Neely - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adventures in Formosa (Paperback)

ADVENTURES IN FORMOSA BY ANTONIO GRACEFFO details the author's adventurs in Formosa (Taiwan) where he left his life as a New York stock broker to live a very different life in Asia, where he enjoys kick boxing and spiritual practices. He is an excellent and fascinating writer. Order from Amazon.com