Traveller's Tree [Paperback]

Patrick Leigh Fermor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2005

In this, his first book, Patrick Leigh Fermor recounts his tales of a personal odyssey to the lands of the Traveller's Tree - a tall, straight-trunked tree whose sheath-like leaves collect copious amounts of water. He made his way through the long island chain of the West Indies by steamer, aeroplane and sailing ship, noting in his records of the voyage the minute details of daily life, of the natural surroundings and of the idiosyncratic and distinct civilisations he encountered amongst the Caribbean Islands. From the ghostly Ciboneys and the dying Caribs to the religious eccentricities like the Kingston Pocomaniacs and the Poor Whites in the Islands of the Saints, Patrick Leigh Fermor recreates a vivid world, rich and vigorous with life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Being a natural romantic ... he was able to probe the hidden recesses of this mixed civilisation and to present us with a picture of the Indies more penetrating and original than any that has been presented before' -- Harold Nicolson, The Observer 'He is the ideal traveller, inquisitive, humorous and vivid in depicting' -- Sunday Times 'John Murray is doing the decent thing and reissuing all of Leigh Fermor's main books ... But what else would you expect from a publisher whose commitment to geography is such that for more than two centuries it has widened our understanding of the world?' -- Geographical Magazine 20040801 'A substantial and fascinating work, with the adventurer's signature across every page' -- Daily Mail 20040801 'No-one has captured and evoked the extraordinary differences between the islands better' -- Geographical Magazine 20040801 'Amusing, knowledgeable, and percipient, it is everything a travel book should be.' -- The Good Book Guide 20050101

About the Author

After his famous walk across Europe - recounted in A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water - Patrick Leigh Fermor lived and travelled in the Balkans and the Greek Archipelago. In the Second World War he joined the Irish Guards, became a liaison officer in Albania and fought in Greece and Crete - living disguised as a shepherd in the mountains for two years organising resistance activities. He was awarded the DSO and CBE, and a knighthood in the 2004 new Year Honours List. His writing career, spanning over fifty years, includes six other titles available in John Murray paperback.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Hb (January 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719566843
• ISBN-13: 978-0719566844
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #839,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fermor's a great writer but this isn't his best, May 12, 2005

By 

Mark E. Baxter "Inquirer" (Layton, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Traveller's Tree: Island-Hopping Through the Caribbean in the 1940's (Paperback)

I love Patrick Leigh Fermor. His book "A Time of Gifts" about his travels in the 1930's across Europe mostly walking was what got me interested in travel writing in the first place. And "A TIme of Gifts" is still the best travel book I have ever read.

This is not his best, though since it is Fermor, it is still very, very good. One of the problems is that Fermor is travelling to check off places visited. There is a little of the "If it's Tuesday, I must be in Belgium" frame of mind. Too many islands, in too little time. There are excellent descriptions of a few things like the history of some of the islands and voodoo. But this book lacks the depth of "A Time of Gifts" or "Between the Woods and the Water".

Also, Fermor is travelling with companions rather than alone like the above books. This means that he doesn't meet and get intimately acquainted with the people in the places he visits. When you are travelling with people, you converse with them and bounce ideas off of them rather than the strangers you come in contact with. And the interesting person who might invite you to his home if you were alone won't if you are with a group.

Part of the problem lies with the Caribbean islands themselves. This was a time when there were no cruise ships, tourism or Club Meds. Also, World War II had meant years of no involvement with the wider world.

Anyway, this book read slowly and was not as insightful as Fermor's other books, and I really did not find much other than the history that really seemed to have anything to do with the Caribbean islands I have experienced.

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Fermor, June 5, 2009

By 

Edward Yarborough (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Traveller's Tree (Paperback)

Warning: this book is so good that it will make you want to visit the Caribbean, even if you didn't want to before. Especially noteworthy are the book's detailed descriptions of Haitian voodoo ceremonies.