The Purple Land [Hardcover]

W. H. Hudson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1959

includes slip box

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (1959)
• ASIN: B000N3WRYG
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a long book, but a must-read for the courageous traveler, December 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Purple Land: Being the Narrative of One Richard Lamb's Adventures in the Banda Oriental in South America, As Told by Himself (Hardcover)

Hemingway alluded to this book in his masterpiece "The Sun Also Rises", claiming that "The Purple Land" is dangerous reading if read too late in life. By this he meant that it entices the reader to want to go to South America, particularly to Uruguay. I found this to be true upon concluding this book myself. The reader vicariously lives through an adventurous, young Englishman, Richard Lamb, in his journeys in Argentina and Uruguay. Discover how he meets his loving wife, his mistresses, and the rebellious banditos who attempt to overthrow the opressive Uruguayan government. Slow at times, nail-biting at others, but the story is not too long. Just right. I highly recommend this as good library material... if you can find it.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An adventure worthy to have been told and now read, June 26, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purple Land (Paperback)

If you are a fan of turn-of-the-century literature as I am, you will find this narrative a good read. I had never heard nor read anything about this Hudson fellow until I recently began to read "The Sun Also Rises", which, as you may know, is Ernest Hemingway's first novel. Hemingway nonchalantly mentions Hudson and the travels of Lamb briefly in his story. I was intrigued as I gathered Hemingway himself had read the book and apparently liked it well enough to mention. Or perhaps I am mistaken. Regardless, this book is really as series of tales of adventures in the jungles of South America. You meet the natives, the food, the lifestyle and the beautiful girls (as you might expect; latino woman are notably lovely, in my experience). It should be noted, however, that the author, being a product of his times no doubt, is not particularly sensitive to political correctness.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Men selected by nature, March 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Purple Land: Being the Narrative of One Richard Lamb's Adventures in the Banda Oriental in South America, As Told by Himself (Hardcover)

A window into a time and place where men culture and tools were formed by a harsh natural selection process. The wide open range wild herds of cattle and horses a few men isolated from civilization. Henry Hudson was there, his first impressions are from the viewpoint of an educated Englishman examining barbarians. He then gets immersed in the environment and sees the deeper human experience and the effects of total freedom and self reliance on the character of men