
Blood River
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Narrated by:
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Tim Butcher
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By:
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Tim Butcher
About this listen
Making his way in an assortment of vessels including a motorbike and a dugout canoe, and helped along by a cast of characters from UN aid workers to a campaigning pygmy, he followed in the footsteps of the great Victorian adventurers. Butcher's journey was a remarkable feat, but the story of the Congo, is more remarkable still.
©2007 Tim Butcher (P)2008 W F Howes LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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How I Found Livingstone in Central Africa
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Overall
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Critic reviews
Bloody River and Country
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Depressing but wildly interesting!
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is a fairly interesting presentation of history & geography along the Congo river for anyone wanting to learn more about West Africa, or colonialism-fallout.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Yes, the author's excellent portrayal of *un*development in action... the strange and hard to believe idea that someone's grandparents had reasonably contemporary educations, hospitals, motorized vehicles, etc., but that are missing today. It's like Atlantis existed, and then poof... back to throwing rocks at each other.An interesting presentation of a sad history
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The very fast reading of the author however got on nerves.
Great book but read very fast
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What did you love best about Blood River?
Darn--I really really wanted to read this book. But the narrator talks so fast, its like some sort of joke! How could the company have released this book like this? I tried putting the ipod on that 1/2 speed setting but that just makes it echo and get garbled. Its probably worth a read by reading the hard copy book. You would have to concentrate very hard to understand what's being said in this book! Maybe you have to be British?Impossible to listen to!!
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A great tale of adventure
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Recommended, although Butcher's narration at a gazillion words per minute got tiring often. There were times I wanted to stop listening, and had to wait a while for a pause to do so, rather than stop in mid-torrent.
Leave narration to professionals!
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What did you love best about Blood River?
Adventure-travel writing at it's most enjoyable. It's a treat to hear author Tim Butcher narrate his own story, in simple, unpretentious, thought out prose. As if you were right there in the congo traveling with him. He does a fantastic job providing historical context and his own take on things. Only criticism is that I would have liked more vivid description of jungle fauna and flora.Wish I were brave enough to attempt this!
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Even better the second time around.
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priceless insights
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