Book Review (Speaking: 1110L; CEFR B1)
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A new book has arrived onto my review pile for this week: Walking Beside the River. It’s a non-fiction story of one man’s experiences as he walked along a part of the Nile River.
Chapter 1 transports me into the writer’s mind as he explains his reasons for walking the Nile and writing this book. Colorful descriptions and beautiful photography create amazing images and feelings as we experience his adventure. He fills the pages with interesting facts and stories of life on the banks of this magnificent river. We learn about the Nile’s history and the ways it is used in the present day, which gives us a deeper understanding of the people and nature he finds.
Throughout the book, we live the writer’s high and low moments. For example, there are days when he is too tired to write, or the weather makes walking difficult. Sometimes extremely hot temperatures or wet ground mean he must go slowly or stop for a while. Then there are more enjoyable days full of beautiful scenery and unusual wildlife, including hippos and softshell turtles.
The slow, thoughtful reading experience of Walking Beside the River can be too slow at times. The author considers some ideas and questions which I found boring – I often wanted more drama in some parts of the book. For example, the author devotes a lot of space to describing how stars move in the night sky, but he only mentions in passing how traditional healers living along the river make snakes sleep by playing a musical instrument.
Is this book for everyone? I’m not sure. . . . If you like traveling and thinking about different ways of life, then yes! But for those readers who like fast action stories, I’d recommend the following two books that are also about river adventures: Return to the Water, which describes a traveler’s expedition along the River Thames across England; and Floating Around, which is about fascinating travels through the Amazon in South America. Readers will find these two books more exciting than Walking Beside the River.
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