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A nonfiction book that reads like a novel, The Lost City of Z's mix of history, mystery and adventure will likely appeal to nonfiction and fiction readers alike. Grann's quest to understand what happened to the ill-fated party that entered the Amazon looking for the lost city of Z and never returned evolves into an obsession that takes the journalist into the same disease-infested 'gree hell' that swallowed Fawcett. Grann, like any good journalist, provides readers with a detiled account of what led Fawcett and many other explorers, including himself, to the wilds of the Amazon. Accounts of Fawcett's early life and the detailed history of the National Geographic Society slow the book down in parts, but the intrigue surrounding the story and Fawcett himself, a headstrong, brash explorer, keep the reader interested. The graphic descriptions of the disease, infections and injuries that plague the explorers, and sometimes kill them, may sicken some readers. While I feel those parts could have been toned down a bit, they do help illustrate the dire conditions the explorers faced. Overall, a very good book and an excellent recommendation (special appeal for young male readers who don't necessarily like fiction).

2023-02-20 22:01