Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heinlein the man -- You can finally meet him., July 14, 2000
This review is from: Tramp Royale (Paperback)
You've read all his fiction, and you've played with the ideas. You like some and you don't like others, but they're all worth thinking about. You'd really like to get to know him better - the real man, not the political writer you can read in Expanded Universe. Wouldn't it be nice if he had taken a year out of his life to wander around, look at the world, and write down what he saw and what he thought about it? Wouldn't it be fun to follow him around the world? He did. You can. This is, simply put, the best collection of Heinlein's thought you'll find. No, he didn't go to Russia on this trip, but his views on Latin America, South Africa and the South Seas are fascinating. Along the way he discusses bureaucracy, politics, freedom, politeness, and nature. And no other writer could write a straightforward description of taking his wife into an establishment that turned out to be a whorehouse, without a trace of embarrassment, prudishness, or lewdness. Most of his travel tips are dated, of course. On the other hand, if you ever travel through the Panama Canal, TAKE HIS ADVICE. Elsewhere, he describes a delightful and elegant way to frustrate a compulsive check-grabber. He also explains, in simple, straightforward fashion, what makes people eager to help some people when they are sullen with others. But you're not reading it for travel advice. You're reading it to travel with Heinlein. Read a contemporary account of McCarthy's committee, or a 50s condemnation of apartheid. (Heinlein, never a coward, tried to convince South African whites that this system wasn't going to work.) Heinlein's ready to take you around the world. Have a nice trip.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining Period Piece, July 11, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Tramp Royale (Paperback)
Tramp opens with Robert Heinlein announcing to his wife that they have a little too much money lying around and that they will be going on a round-the-world trip. After sorting through a great deal of consular red tape, they embark on a sea journey from New Orleans down along the west coast of South America. Thence, the Heinleins fly across the Andes to Buenos Aires, sail up the coast to visit São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and then cross the Atlantic to South Africa, with a call at Tristan da Cunha mid-journey. From there, they sail east, touring the island countries of the Indian Ocean, finally ending up in Australia and New Zealand. And in spite of Mrs. Heinlein's terror of flying, they make the last leg of their journey in airplanes, via Fiji and Hawaii. While in each country, Heinlein sketches a general picture of life there as he sees it, fleshing it in liberally with anecdotes and opinions. Heinlein's perceptions are limited in Latin America and other places with a language barrier, but he does his level best to tell us what he knows; the language difference does not hobble his keen empathy. In my opinion, he does a superb job of capturing the painstakingly polite manner of speech and behavior of Latin Americans, even though his Spanish is largely limited to `por favor' and `gracias' (the latter phrase he mistakenly uses in Brazil, as well). In anglophone countries, on the other hand, Heinlein is in his element, thoroughly engaged with the people and situations he encounters, and more often able to transcend mere reporting. In addition to the cultural commentary and travel tips, Heinlein gives readers a glimpse of his life with Virginia Heinlein, whom he refers to throughout the book as "Ticky." The repartee exchanged by the couple seems close to the kind of badinage Heinlein includes in his post-Stranger fiction, and I wonder if they really talked to one another that way, or if ! Heinlein is simply taking artistic license with their dialogue. Perhaps both are true. In any case, Heinlein appears to have had his hands full with Ticky, whom he describes as an anarchist, and who spends a good portion of the book rebelling against the status quo, as when, in one episode, she smuggles packs of American cigarettes past South African customs, tucked here and there about her person. Small wonder that Heinlein found it necessary to pack barbiturates. Essentially, Tramp Royale is an Eisenhower-era period piece. Heinlein's description of the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore will not help today's traveler to the Far East, nor will his advice on politesse and pidgin Spanish necessarily save the 1990s tourist from falling victim to the current crime wave in Latin America. I also get the sense that Heinlein is not quite sure whether he wants to recount the tale of his 1954 round-the-world voyage, issue advice and guidance to the traveler, or expound on the political issues of 1950s America, using the countries he visits as foils. Heinlein manages to accomplish all three with occasionally unsatisfying, though eminently entertaining results. Tramp Royale may not fall into any one category, but it is as entertaining and thought-provoking as anything Heinlein ever wrote.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, and more than just a travelogue, March 16, 2001
This is not, of course, a book that a reader new to Heinlein should pick up, but it is an absolute must-read for hard-core fans of RAH. Heinlein describes his experiences in a trip that began in the whorehouses (which he unflinchingly brought his wife into) of New Orleans to the tropical paradise of Hawaii, while hitting such interesting spots as the extremely isloated Trista da Cunha, Java, the contrasting "utopias" of Uraguay and New Zealand and others in-between. I found Heinlein's observations to be dead-honest, always interesting, and frequently enlightening. Of course, being Heinlein, he could not just stick a bunch of lifeless travel essays on paper and call it a book. Instead, you also get (throughout the course of the book) his views on politics, foreign policy, travel expenses and red tape, and lots more. He also gives many travel tips (some inevitably dated) to those who are interested. But perhaps the most interesting thing about the book to Heinlein fans is the inside glimpse you get of his private life. Much is shown about his relationship with his wife Virginia (who, for reasons never stated, he refers to as "Ticky") and you get to see the way he operated in a given situation. Of course, a casual science fiction fan could care less about this, but to the veteran of RAH's fiction (the target audience of this book) it is a treasure trove of Heinleinia.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
