Customer Reviews

Edge of Blue Heaven: A Journey Through Mongolia

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Mr. Allen took amazing photographs during his journey through Mongolia. I would recommend the book for its pictures alone. Mr. Allen's journal entries weren't quite as engaging as his photos, however. I found that he had a tendancy to repeat things. But aside from that, he gave excellent descriptions of the country's proud people, the harsh yet beautiful landscape, as well as humorous details about his camels and journeying mishaps. If you don't know much about present-day Mongolia and wish you did, get this book.

I really enjoyed this book for the journey. I stumbled into this author at Half-price books, when the store was charging one dollar for his adventure seeking the Gugu's of Sumatra. Since I hope to take horseback packtrips in the future, and I am fascinated by the Far East, I though I might enjoy this.

I liked this book better than the other: His keen observations of the people he meets, and his respect for their culture, help him to accomplish what he sets out to do, overcoming many setbacks and making friends along the way.

What surprised me most was his love and caring for the horses and camels who assisted him in the trek. He noticed their personalities, strengths and weaknesses, using all of that information to make decisions about how to treat them, and when to let them go. He was genuinely distressed when they were suffering injury, doing everything he could to minimize their suffering. He mourned their loss, whether the loss was from leaving them behind or from their deaths. The Mongolian perspective was quite different and more practical, and he saw the benefit in it, but struggled with adopting it for himself.