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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A remarkable man's adventure's but poorly written, July 13, 2001
This review is from: Warrior: The Legend Of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen (Hardcover)
Capstick's writing style has a tendency to leap forward a lot and he tosses in personal comments about his wife and his own thoughts. I feel this would throw off a novice reader. However, the story of Richard Meinertzhagen is incredible, a true Victorian son, with a life that was filled with danger, travel, big game hunting, perilous adventures we can only dream of and meetings with some of the most influential men in the 20th century. I would have given the book another star, but the writing was haphazard. Meinertzhagen, a service British officers, fought in Africa against the only German general who wasn't defeated, Lettow-Vorbeck. He escaped death on countless occasions, brutally killing many times, with pistol, rifle, bayonet and knobkerrie war club. He served in the Arabian area under Allenby, using his intelligence gathering skills to great advantage for the allies. He survived a ship being torpedoed off the coast of Italy in 1917, over Palistine, his two man plane was shot to pieces by a German fighter, wounding the pilot. Meinertzhagen managed to land the plane and walk from it. He outwitted German intelligence officers on many occasions, once dropping opium laced cigarettes over Turkish lines, the trick worked and when a major British offense began, many Turks were unable to stand or talk. He was an avid Zionist and befreinded T E Lawrence as they struggled to help the Israeli state develope. He debated the Zionist movement with Churchill and lobbied at the Peace treaties in Paris. He was almost killed on the very last day of the war. In the 1930's, after much travel, he met with Ribbontrop and Hitler. On the third visit, Meinertzhagen pocketed a revolver and could have easily used it on Hitler, altering history to no end. When he first met Hitler in Berlin, Hitler greeted him with "Heil Hitler." Not hear of this infamous cry, Meinertzhagen replied "Heil Meinertzhagen". No one was amused in Hitler's chambers. An interesting book to read nonetheless, aside from the late author's flash forward dialogs and comments. A truly unique and interesting man.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
For Big Game Hunters, not Meinertzhagen enthusiasts, December 23, 2002
This review is from: Warrior: The Legend Of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen (Hardcover)
I stumbled upon this book over Thanksgiving, and thought I would give it a try. I have a great deal of interest in the Expeditionary Forces that left from India during WWI, so I thought this would be a welcome addition towards my understanding of operations in British East Africa. Well to sum it up, it wasnt really. This book is a very superficial biography of Meinertzhagen, using suprisingly very few sources. As noted by earlier reviewers, the book is consistently broken up by narratives of the author's own experiences, which may or may not have anything to do with the story at hand. If you are looking for a serious biography of Meinertzhagen, this is not for you. If you are looking for a light read with no particular substance, this is it.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Capstick is Better than no Capstick., March 22, 2000
This review is from: Warrior: The Legend Of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen (Hardcover)
This is not Peter Capstick's best work. The writing is not up to the standards of his earlier works. It lacks the verve we have come to expect and it seems to have more digressions than usual. Yet I am glad I read it. Partly this is due to the fact that the book was left unfinished at his death. It is always difficult to prepare a text for posthumous publication; it must have been especially hard for his widow to do so. As I read I kept in mind the fact that PC did not have the opportunity to make the final revisions and additions that writers typically make. Nonetheless, the book has much to offer Capstick fans. First, it's Capstick, and no one currently at work is as good at telling a rousing story. Second, the subject is interesting. Meinertzhagen packed five lifetimes of adventure into his years. Third, Capstick shows us Africa in 1890-1915, not as an exotic Shangri-La, but as a flesh and blood place (emphasis on blood). All the stories of ivory hunters and safari took place against a backdrop of colonial expansion and administration. Nearly all the African hunting books gloss over what this meant for hunters and natives. Capstick deserves credit for filling in that gap with honesty and understanding. Finally, PC invites us to see the continuity between the colonial Africa he writes about here and the modern Africa he loved. Most writers see the two as separate and judge them in harsh terms: either colonial soldiers are 100% evil or post-colonial Africa is a horrendous failure which spoiled an idyll. Capstick gives us a more nuanced and balanced perspective. If you are new to Capstick's writing, his other books are better choices. But if you are a committed fan like me, don't pass on this book.
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