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Loading... The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazonby David Grann
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. "Z" is a city that explorer Percy Fawcett expected to find in Brazil's Amazonian jungle during his last exploration in 1925, from which he never returned. The book relates his life, his training and experience as a "Victorian explorer," and his growing conviction that native Americans had founded and advanced civilization in the Amazon region hundreds of years ago. The tale of Fawcett's growing obsession in the midst of racist, imperialist societies makes an interesting counterpoint to the author's own efforts to locate information about Fawcett, and finally the remains of his trail in Brazil. The story is structured so that the last person the author meets is an American anthropologist who interprets Fawcett's dream for us by pointing out the existing remains of sophisticated native American civilizations, and the persistence of their culture in modern native South American tribes. The book took on a different aspect when I discovered by accident that the American anthropologist has since been arrested for attempting to trade cocaine for sex in Florida. On the whole an interesting book for lovers of stories of exploration who don't know much about native american history in the Amazon. (  ) baobab | Oct 6, 2009 |  i listened to this. it was hard to focus with so much info. but it's a great story. not enough about the lost city (  ) mahallett | Oct 5, 2009 | The reviews were very careful to not give away the revelation at the end. I finished the book. Then I went back three chapters and read the end again. And I still have no idea what the carefully gaurded revelation is. (  )1  pilarflores | Sep 29, 2009 | I was first alerted to The Lost City of Z through an interview with the author David Grann on The Daily Show. The book sounded very interesting, and later in the year, I got it and immediately read it. I was not disappointed. The book is about the search for the Lost City of Z by explorer Percy Fawcett. Fawcett was one of the last English gentlemen explorers, working for the Royal Geographic Society. During his many explorations of the Amazon, he came to believe that a Lost City of an advanced civilization had to exist. He named the city Z, and kept any details he discovered secret. In 1925 he went on an expedition with his son and his son's best friend to find the city. They were never heard from again. David Grann describes several things in his book. He describes the life and earlier expeditions of Colonel Fawcett. He described the competition. He describes earlier exploration of the region, starting in the sixteenth century. He also describes the many Fawcett enthusiasts who were certain they could find him, followed him into the jungle and were attacked, kidnapped, sick and lost. Lastly, David Grann follows (reluctantly) in Fawcett's footsteps, and tries to find Z himself. The book is an easy and fast read. The descriptions by Grann are very graphic and really help you understand what it might be like, and how, even in 1925, we still knew so little about the Amazon region. This is a great read, an adventure in a historical book. ( )1 divinenanny | Sep 16, 2009 | The Lost City of Z is the true story of one man’s magnificent obsession to find the fabled lost city of El Dorado in the unexplored regions of the Amazon Jungle. It also contains a fascinating mystery story. This is a thrilling adventure story of courage, obsession and determination set in one of the most inhospitable environments on earth. While hacking through impenetrable jungle plagued by hordes of mosquito’s and other life threatening insects and in danger from wild creatures or paddling up the Amazon river infested with flesh-eating Piranha fish, or encountering hostile Indian tribesmen (while sitting comfortably at home!) you will thrill with horror at the dangers endured by the self-styled Colonel Fawcett and his various teams. You will read how they succumbed to the dangers of the jungle and dropped by the wayside (more often than not, literally!) leaving only the extraordinary Colonel Fawcett forging relentlessly ahead with iron-willed determination and seemingly with an iron constitution impervious to every danger whether from nature or native Indian in pursuit of his dreams of fabulous wealth and everlasting fame. The author skilfully weaves his own story of following in Fawcett’s footsteps with the narrative of the Explorer’s adventures. It reads like a thriller with a satisfying and unexpected ending. This is a fascinating story and would be unbelievable if it were not true! My Recommendation : Cons: Thrills galore, but once the ending is known, like all mysteries, that’s it. Pros: Compulsively readable, thrilling and well written. ( )1 TheTortoise | Sep 11, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century": what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?
In 1925, Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. For centuries, Europeans believed the world’s largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions helped inspire Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of millions around the globe, Fawcett embarked with his twenty-one-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilization—which he dubbed “Z”—existed. Then he and his expedition vanished.
Fawcett’s fate—and the tantalizing clues he left behind about “Z”—became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades, scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett’s party and the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been captured by tribes, or gone mad. As David Grann delved ever deeper into the mystery surrounding Fawcett’s quest, and the greater mystery of what lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle’s “green hell.” His quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett’s fate and “Z” form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:22 -0400)
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