Free "Into the Heart of the Himalayas" - A travel memoir

[admin]

We have received 2 review copies of the soon to be released travel memoir "Into the Heart of the Himalayas" by Jono Lineen, which will retail for about $30. See Into the Heart of the Himalayas by Jono Lineen - Books - Random House Books Australia.

I have paged though it, and it looks like a pretty good read.

Given what's on offer, the criteria for this giveaway is that you need to have published at least 1 Trip Report which has had a minimum of 1,000 views as at yesterday (13 March), and be an active AFF member (i.e. posted on a regular or semi-regular basis).

I'd also ask that you publish a review of the book on AFF and/or explain how you will use the information in your travels.

 

[get me outta here]

My elderly neighbour climbed the Himalayas w' Fred Hollows from Nepal, so if there are no takers I know he'd love it to read - though I do not meet the reqm'ts,

 

[RB]

We have received 2 review copies of the soon to be released travel memoir "Into the Heart of the Himalayas" by Jono Lineen, which will retail for about $30. See Into the Heart of the Himalayas by Jono Lineen - Books - Random House Books Australia.

I have paged though it, and it looks like a pretty good read.

Given what's on offer, the criteria for this giveaway is that you need to have published at least 1 Trip Report which has had a minimum of 1,000 views as at yesterday (13 March), and be an active AFF member (i.e. posted on a regular or semi-regular basis).

I'd also ask that you publish a review of the book on AFF and/or explain how you will use the information in your travels.

Hello Admin. I would like to be considered for one of the copies. I wrote a trip report of our holiday in Northern India that we did last Nov

 

[admin]

My elderly neighbour climbed the Himalayas w' Fred Hollows from Nepal, so if there are no takers I know he'd love it to read - though I do not meet the reqm'ts,

I'll hold back a while to give others who meet the criteria a chance to respond.

 

[admin]

Hello Admin. I would like to be considered for one of the copies. I wrote a trip report of our holiday in Northern India that we did last Nov

Please PM me your address and I'll mail your copy to you on Monday. (BTW: I did enjoy that Trip Report!)

Still got one more copy to give away...

 

[kpc]

Still got one more copy to give away...

I'm interested. [see signature for TR]

 

[admin]

I'm interested. [see signature for TR]

Done! Please PM me your address and I'll mail it to you.

Have now given away both copies, so entries are closed. Looking forward to hearing what you both think of the book.

 

[get me outta here]

Thanks for drawing this to my attention, I will buy it at some stage as it will make a great present for him.

 

[RB]

Thanks for drawing this to my attention, I will buy it at some stage as it will make a great present for him.

If it is OK with Admin I will "regift" the book to you to pass on to your neighbour. Will do the reading first & then the review

 

[JessicaTam]

Blast. Only just found this thread. And have a recent TR!

Looking forward to the reviews.

 

[get me outta here]

Thanks for that thought RB, that's a lovely idea. I would tell Tom and he would be doubly touched.

If it is OK with Admin I will "regift" the book to you to pass on to your neighbour. Will do the reading first & then the review

 

[RB]

Well both Mrs RB & I have read the book & loved it. Thank you to Admin for the generous giveaway. We are both far from qualified to give a professional review of the book BUT

As per Mrs RB
What a wonderful and addictive read –

The book brings together a lot of the threads that make up the political, social, and religious aspects of the sub continent in so much as it can ever be understood, in an entertaining, accessible, and non judgemental way. Through the experience of his brothers’ death it also shows the relevance of the way of life in the Himalayas to our own western existence.

The landscape being walked through is brought to life without losing sight of the practicalities and physical effort of the trip. The interactions with the local people are presented in a realistic, empathetic and sometimes humorous fashion.

Part journey of discovery and part ripping yarn, it helped make more sense of our recent experience (the lazy way by car) to some of the areas mentioned in the book. We only touched the surface!
Keep walking!



And my modest but I hope useful feedback/ponderings




Rather than a formal review I thought I would make some general observations re the book.

I really enjoyed the relaxed style of the book with the events categorised in a daily order.
To begin I thought I may be overwhelmed by the “flowery” style of writing but I either became used to it or the author relaxed into a somewhat less descriptive manner

The subject “A solo walk the length of the Western Himalayas” appealed to me as we had twice visited India & we find it a fascinating nation.

Our experiences in India helped me relate to some of the frustrations that the author confronts during his journey-We have felt free & happy in India despite the massive overcrowding, seemingly endless waste of potential in the population, the seemingly illogical actions of many, the government failings, social/religious/family/career interactions etc

The author bought attention to the role of the sexes in India & how the people are coping with change
I learnt a great deal from the author via his musings/explanations of the beliefs of the various religions/followings he encountered
While not big on geographical content the tale managed to bring an awareness of the vastness and diversity of the environment that was encountered
I thought perhaps the author underplayed the toughness he displayed to complete his journey but at various times he managed to convey the distances he covered and the challenges he faced.
I thought perhaps the last week or so of the trek seemed rushed in the book-perhaps I was just enthralled & kept reading quickly as I wanted to know the final outcome. While I believe I understand the reason for the way the tale finished, I would have liked a bit of an epilogue style to give me more of an idea of how he now feels/where he is with his life years down the track & how he refitted into society after the journey
The loss of his brother receives a lot of mention but I thought the author was very clever in his entwining his feelings into the various situations/events he encountered in the book.
It is interesting knowing that the adventure took place quite a while ago. We noticed massive changes in India between our 2 visits (2007 & 2013).

 

[kpc]

hmm...I better got on with the book; I started reading but fell asleep which is more a reflection on my tiredness than anything else. Have been preoccupied tho. all this week sorting out the damage from a lightning strike to my neighbourhood with insurance claims etc

 

[get me outta here]

RB, thanks - the reviews sound good.

And, I concur, staying asleep after reading one page is hard.