Customer Reviews

Mountains of the Moon

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A marvellous novel about the brilliant explorer and writer Richard Burton and his young protege John Hanning Speke and there ill-fated attempt to locate the source of the White Nile in the east African highlands. In the process we see the difficulties faced by Victorian explorers and you can only marvel at the bravery of the men to undertake such journeys.

We see the recriminations that erupt in London when Speke claims (rightly but without real proof) that Victoria is the source and how Burton is sidelined and eventually is lucky to find positions in the worst jobs in the foreign service. A sad end for one of the worlds greatest explorers. I can feel no sympathy for the end that Speke met with, but read it for yourself. Now a movie, but the film cannot capture a fraction of the book.

This book says its about Richard Burton and his companion Speke as they explore East Africa. The characterization is great! Its full of adventure! There are no references so who can say if its accurate. The details are good too. Its good to read, even if you are not interested in history. It stands on its own.

one of the last great geographical explorations was in order to find the source of the Nile..British Victorian hero and adventurer Richard Burton took a young John Speke under his wing and attempted to find the answer to this great mystery..Burton, translator of the 'Kuma Sutra' was an adventurer through and through..wanting to experience native customs and cultures and to understand them not just use them for the purposes of the journey. The relationship between Burton and Speke is the heart and soul of this book. Their differences become more profound the deeper their adventure takes them and finally Speke leaves Burton as he goes for the glory for himself. Burton's life comes to a sad end for such a richly led life. This is an incredible book. Rich, exciting, thrilling.

This novel is a book that reminds me that I really have not seen the world. The theme at the center of the novel is the search for the source of the Nile. John Hanning Speke suffered great emotional turmoil trying to prove where the source of the Nile is. It was a silly debate but he put a lot of energy into it.

The novel takes place during the years from 1854 to 1864. What made this novel work in my opinion is Sir Richard Francis Burton's humorous personality. Burton was a really funny guy and I could see this as I read the novel. The fact that he made Speke so upset with him by disagreeing over what was the source of the Nile is very sad. Sir Richard Francis Burton was the ethnographer of the journey while Speke was the geographer. Speke put more energy into their search so he deserves respect for that. This book is about a time period where intellectuals were celebrities and times were quite different back then.

One interesting aspect about the novel was the dangers involved in traveling Africa. Both Speke and Burton became seriously ill during their travels. These were not minor sicknesses like catching a cold. When they became sick they went into a delirium and lost control of themselves. The two men risked their lives searching for the Nile's source and I personally think that the search for the Nile's source was a silly thing for them to risk their lives over.

Besides detailing the search for the source of the Nile, the book also details what Sir Richard Francis Burton did when he wasn't searching for the source of the Nile. the novel has an interesting part about his travels in the United States of America and what he thought of that country.

As far as adventure novels about real people go, "The Mountains of the Moon" is a fine example of one.