Customer Reviews

Paddle to the Amazon: The Ultimate 12,000-Mile Canoe Adventure

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an amazing account of courage and commitment to a long term goal. What I find remarkable about Starkell's style of writing is that he is very forthright about stating any errors of judgement he made during this expedition (as he also was in 'Paddle to the Arctic'). The man is obviously able to laugh at himself. Another interesting aspect of this book is how the father and son relationship is affected during the journey. My only complaints are related to the graphics, the text itself warrants 5 stars. These concerns are; a) there should be more photographs, b) there should be only 1 photograph to a page (especially with a paperback), c) the maps should be much more detailed. Any books by Starkell have alot of practical value to people who do backcountry travel.

The majority of people who knew of this adventure from the beginning had a hard time believing it was possible. And those they met along the way challenged the validity of it altogether. This true story is about more than just the longest canoe trip in history, it is about courage and stretching the boundaries of normal perseverance. It is one of the most amazing adventures I've ever read, ...twice!

I started reading this book with high expectations based on the other reviews posted here and Don Starkell's reputation as an outstanding adventurer. I was disappointed in both the book and the author. In fact, many stretches of this book left me completely dumbfounded, unable to believe that this is not a comedy.

For example, I thought it was a funny idea of Don Starkell to paddle into the center of the Colombian drug trade while displaying big US Coast Guard decals on his canoe. Even funnier was that he started wondering why that made people slightly suspicious and they subsequently intended to kill him. It was a bit repetitious, though. I guess after he unsuccessfully tried to get himself killed by paddling into Honduras and Nicaragua at a time of political unrest, he probably thought that this could be accomplished in Columbia.

Completely immune to reason, this "world class paddler" obviously thinks that safety gear such as personal floatation is only for whimps and just keeps relying entirely on his luck to be rescued, e.g. after capsizing and being swept out to sea in a turbulent river mouth. Much to his surprise, the next river mouth is just as turbulent and he faces similar problems on the next, and the next, and the next...

One particularly hilarious moment ensues when Don Starkell harasses a 20ft, 300 pound Anaconda for kicks, which he mistakenly believes to be a Boa Constrictor, falsely relying on the water-avoiding behaviour of the "Boa" for protection. Or, imagine Don Starkell's surprise after entering Brazil, where sometimes he was able to understand the Brazilians with the Spanish he learned along his trip, but more often than not, it appeared to him "as if they were speaking an entirely different language". I think he might still be trying to figure this one out...

This list goes on and on - and in what appeared to me as a bad mixture of the "Three Stooges" and "National Lampoon" the Starkells clown their way down the coast and finally, against all odds make it to the mouth of the Amazon.

On the downside, I thought that the way Don Starkell, a well-off Canadian, relied on mooching supplies and shelter from some of the poorest people in the countries they visit was just sickening. He proudly writes about his method of identifying a leader in a group of strangers and wooing him or her with golden Canada Maple Leaf pins to gain access to the supplies they need. He could as well have brought glass pearls. Don Starkell aptly named his canoe 'Orellana' after "the first white man to navigate the Amazon River in 1541". And quite often his behavior seems to be that of a modern-time Francisco Orellana, who gained a sorry reputation for raiding settlements along the river for supplies and burning down entire villages, including their inhabitants. I was left with the impression that most of the people the Starkells "visited" were rather happy when they were gone again.

I was most interested in Mr. Starkell's motivation for performing this trip. He writes at the beginning of the book that he mainly did it to compensate feelings of insufficiency after a rough childhood and a painful divorce. As a consequence, his interest in this journey is mostly centered on gaining bragging rights. He doesn't actually seem to enjoy any of this trip, other than the four-month long stay in Veracruz, Mexico. His only drive to get up in the morning is mileage. Because of this, Starkell's saga is often not much more than the description of a "canoe treadmill" experience. It remains obscure to me why somebody would think that spending two years on such a lost quest for psychological completeness would be a sane idea. It probably did for him what a big truck or butt-implants did for many midlife-crisis shaken fellows, i.e. nothing. Therefore, the almost complete lack of reflections or attempts to find meaning in this journey came as no surprise.

To add insult to injury, Starkell seems to regard his son's as mere paddling power - motors desperately needed by him to complete his insane task. As for the father/son dynamics in a small boat over two years: we can only guess about this complex and intricate topic, because the author doesn't really write anything about that, which is probably the greatest disappointment of the book.

It's been over two years since I've read this book and I still think about it! This is definitely a MUST READ for any adventure enthusiast. What a fantastic way to learn about geography and the world around you. My 14-year-old read this book in two days. Imagine paddling from Canada, down the Mississippi river and out into the ocean. And boy, when the Starkell's reach the Gulf of Mexico, the adventure gets even better! Their experiences were fascinating, harrowing and enviably exciting! I hated to reach the last page. This is one of those books that I plan to reread!

* * * * * FIVE STARS!

Well, maybe you can but it would take someone with a great deal of imagination to do it.

Having canoed the Florida Everglades, some of the Gulf of Mexico and some on the Great Lakes I like to consider myself a bit of an adventurer and (at least) a moderately good canoeist. However, Don Starkell's tale of adventure makes my experiences seem very trivial and insignificant. His canoe journey of over 12,000 miles, through some of the most intimidating environments on the planet, seems impossible.

What a terrific story of triumph over virtually every type of adversity one can imagination. If you're an adventurer, nature lover or interested in how far the human spirit can take you this book is a "must read". The book is so good there is now interest in making a movie based on this adventure.

First off, I suggest reading the one star review for this book entitled "embarrassing," a lot of valid points are raised there. In spite of the repetitiveness (swamped the canoe, got stranded, bad guys were after us), these masochists did what no one has ever done (and ever will do if they read this book) and it is an amazing adventure well worth reading about.

I enjoyed reading this book even though I find the author wasnt very much prepared for the trip. Seems either he or his son would forget important things when they camped and then unable to get them back. Still it was very interesting and I bought his second novel about the Artic.

Regards to intimacy -The intimacy of a Father and Son on such an excursion becomes quite deep. -The circle of such people to accomplish such a grand task is limited to (I know of no one in historical fact doing such as this) -Written with candid and honest approach -100% believable -Honored to have an opportunity into windows of rare. Regards to Action -(1 word) Unlimited If the above hasn't said it in other words. I'll frankly say it. This is a must read for ones whom enjoy adventure of travels.

I safely say I will never create an opportunity imbark on such, So this is the Very Next Thing to Being There!!

This book is not about a nice long relaxing canoe trip on serene waters. Although Starkell and his boys DO have some quiet carefree times...the majority of this trip includes an astounding amount of obstacles that very very people would chose to endure. Numerous problems arise from the natural world...but the most frightening adventures are the frustrations and threats that the Starkells recieve from their fellow man.

This is an amazing book and a must read for any canoe tripper. Also, anyone interested in true life adventure stories will surely not be disappointed. It's a gripping tale from start to finish. It's also a feat that will probably never be attempted again.

The only big question I have after reading this book is..Why hasn't someone made this gem into a movie? With all the twist and turns you'd think it would be a great candidate for the big screen.

I first read this book in the late 80's and continue to read it every now and then. This great adventure story never gets old! Amazing story . . . definitely purchase this book. You'll read it over and over!