Customer Reviews

Courting the Diamond Sow : A Whitewater Expedition on Tibet's Forbidden River

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a pretty good book, all in all. Of course, it's not too hard to produce something good when one has such a powerful story, but Wick is able to maintain both stories -- that of the support team (their tense dealings with the natives, their desperate race to find Doug Gordon's body, and later their difficult trek back to civilization) and that of the paddlers (especially through Jamie McEwan's journal entries). My favorite parts are actually these entries, actually, vivid and powerful.

The power of the Tsangpo River is hard to imagine. These were some of the best paddlers in the world. Roger Zbel ("King of the Portages" on the Tsangpo . . .) was locally famous back in the States for his still-unmatched descents of massive, flood-swollen rivers. Tom McEwan (and Wick Walker, at that) were the first to run Great Falls, back in 1976, and that run is still perhaps the most famous extreme run in the East. Since then he has spent his life charging down dangerous rivers, leading trips for his paddling school. Jamie McEwan is a two-time Olympian, a bronze medalist, and Doug Gordon was apparently the best of them all . . .

Why buy this book over Balf's "The Last River", also about this trip? I asked Jamie, and he said, "Well, Wick's book has pictures . . ." I've never read Balf's book, but I do know that the paddlers themselves had much more imput into Wick's book. I don't even think Balf's was authorized. This book was written by a team member, and it shows. There are details, anecdotes, lots of quotes. All in all, it's a fascinating story of four men -- not the type of crazy adrenaline-junkies one might imagine, but middle-aged Ivy League types, who left their domestic lives for a while to take on "The Everest of Whitewater."

My comments come after finishing the books "The Last River" and "Courting the Diamond Sow", both of which I read over the last 2 weeks, and was provoked to write by a couple of factors. Reading the existing reviews for "The Last River" particularly, I was struck by the number of people who felt it necessary to slam the book.

First, after reading these books I have a better appreciation for the writing skill needed to write a book that is entirely engaging, brings the personalities to life, allows the reader to become part of the adventure, all the while being true to its subject.

Second, I appreciate that the writers made the story available so that we could learn about this trip and I don't mean to suggest that either effort was a waste of time and that the writers should hang up their quills.

Sadly, in my opinion neither of the books written about the same 1998 Tsangpo journey is terribly engaging. Last River is an easier read while I found the first half, particularly, of Sow a literary slog. Not sure if it was bogged down in description or what; I just found it slow going.

Neither book had much of an ebb and flow in the narrative. Even as the tragic events of Doug Gordon's death neared, there was nothing to indicate that one's blood should be heating up and that now was not the time to put the book down. They were very flat in that regard. I differentiate between sensationalism and a literary tidal cycle; perhaps the authors were extremely cognizant of avoiding the former.

The Last River spends a greater percentage of ink relating the experiences of the 4 paddlers on the river and off while Sow balances more equally the stories of both paddlers and support team. Also, Wickliffe Walker in Sow deals with the `fallout' from Gordon's death much more comprehensively than does Todd Balf; Walker spends several pages relating the effort needed to battle rumours and judgments that were circulating at home half-way around the world.

While the actual journey and the salient events I expect to remember, these books I expect to forget quickly (but then, I forgot Into Thin Air fairly quickly also). If there are poignant moments from the tale and thoughts to come away with, the one I recall most easily is the second-guessing of Gordon's paddling buddies as described most clearly in The Last Rivers account of Roger Zbel's "What if" self-flagellation. As a paddler, I pray that I am never faced with that.
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It was disappointing that The Last River did not have any photos at all of the area and only a minimalist map. On the other hand, Sow's small collection of photos was hardly comprehensive though the satellite photo was helpful in placing the story.

Nether book rates more than a 2.5 - 3, in my mind, nor does one stand head and shoulders above the other.

My context: Canadian class IV kayaker; 3 Himalayan river trips in Nepal (in fact and unbeknownst, I was on the Tamur River at exactly the time this group was on the Tsangpo); read years ago the American Whitewater article of the Gordon/McEwan trip down the Homothko in BC.

If you like truly wild places and adventures, this is the book to read. This book was one of those gems that you do not want to put down until you finish. The goal of kayaking the forbidden river hooked me. The stories used in the book about the history and culture of Tibet and the people, put the magnitude of the expedition in perfect focus. The story that the author, Wick Walker tells is one that will interest you and keep you in awe of the power and grandeur of nature and mans place in this world.

This story expands on the notion that an expedition does not necessarily revolve completely around kayaking on a dangerous river. Instead, it reveals that the arduous trek, diverse people, personal challenges, and team dynamics are what define an expedition. Overcoming that, the challenge of the Tsang Po presents itself as a reward.

There's much to ponder about the challenges that contain the certain risk of death. Wick Walker's recount of this expedition helps us remember just what to consider.

Answer: I'm not quite sure, but that's what they did. I suppose it's not too hard to imagine that the skills necessary to mount a whitewater kayaking expedition in Tibet are not the same ones necessary to tell the story interestingly. It's just a very dry and workmanlike account of the expedition without any of the vivid description necessary to bring the story to life for someone who is interested in the subject but isn't a kayaker and has never been to Tibet (like me, on both counts).

I was expecting something more like "Into Thin Air" with kayaks, I suppose. A key difference here, of course, is that "Into Thin Air" was written by a writer.

One benefit I did get from the book was some good references to some truly interesting history books on central Asia (like "The Great Game"), which I have read and enjoyed tremendously.

Anyone interested not only in kayaking, but also in mountain expeditions, exploration and trekking should read this. An account of truly BIG WATER, Tibetan mysteries, individual courage, top-notch kayaking, featuring some of the World's best kayakers.

I was disappointed with this book. The story line never really developed. It jumped around and I never got a good feel for the expedition. I like to kayak and was hoping for a more descriptive book. Not that it matters, but the pictures were certainly lacking as well. Very few shots of the actual river itself.

Since someone on the expedition died right near the beginning, & they aborted the trip after that, there really isn't enough story here to fill a book. To make it long enough, most of the book is descriptions & history of the region, & past history about the people on the expedition. While some of this was interesting, most of it dragged & was hard to get through. The actualy tragedy was interesting & moving, but was just a few pages of the book. And then there was the usual descriptions of problems with porters (how many adventure books do we need to read about that?), & the people struggling to make sense of their friend's death. There were a few mountaineering quotes from other climbers that were interesting. But over all the book did not flow, was not compelling, & was rather disappointing since nothing really ended up being explored. As a short story it might have been better. And while some of the descriptions were boringly detailed, they didn't explain things like basic kayaking or rapids terms that they used. This made some of the parts that were actually interesting hard to understand for laymen. I did learn some, but while I usually read all the books I own multiple times over the years, I don't expect to be reading this one again.

Great adventure story for the kayaking community