Kon-Tiki : Across the Pacific by Raft

Difficult Voyage by Brave Men

This is a piece of history well told. Everyone said they would die in the attempt, but they arrived where they set out to go and proved what they wanted to prove.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Adventure Story with Lives on the Line

A tale of bold explorers risking life and liberty for an adventure and to prove an historical hypothesis. This is a great story that reflects 'freedom of spirit' in the world. Refreshing in this day of lazy, arm-chair, Monday morning quarterbacks.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Decent adventure book

The premise of the book is very interesting (how the Pacific Islands were settled) but the book itself grew a little repetitive. I lost count of how many times a large fish came to investigate the raft, or a fish jumped or swam up onto the raft and became a meal. I would have liked the book more if it offered some insight into what the men on board were thinking. This was really not touched upon, instead I felt I was reading the same chapter over and over again.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A good read

Kon Tiki is good read. Notice I said 'good'. This book gave me mixed feelings. At times it dragged on a little, yet at times, it really picks up. I am in the 8th grade, so thats probably why I wasn't as into it as other people. This is a good sea adventure book, unlike Treasure Island. Overall, I liked this book and thought it was a cool story. I would give it 3 1/2 stars, but in a way, it deserves 4. I hope you like this book, and I hope you won't get bored. :-)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Adventure, Adventure, Adventure!!!

You want adventure? You want risk? You want thrills? You want a mind-out-of-body experience while reading? Then, by all means, read KON-TIKI! No one believed he could do it. They all said he was crazy. He didn't even know how to swim! But he sailed across the pacific and proved his controversial theory. I've read it 4 times and will undoubtedly read it 4 times more - at least. It's an amazing, thrilling read. Please don't miss this book. It's one of those books you never forget.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's not just for guys!

After a somewhat slow beginning, Kon Tiki is hard to put down. The book takes almost a documentary approach with Heyerdahl spending almost no time developing characters or leading the reader to extract a theme or moral. Just as well! The action is sustaining with ample discussions of storms, sea creatures, and challenges with the raft. Read the book and then remind yourself that it is a true story that took place during the Truman presidency. No sonar and accompanying yachts here--just pure adventure! Get a copy with photographs; they're terrific.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki: A Sailing Adventure

Kon-Tiki is the tale of Thor Heyerdahl and his crew mates, who attempt to cross the Pacific Ocean in a raft in an attempt to duplicate a similar journey by Polynesians. Their journey spanned 101 days and they ended up crossing 4,300 nautical miles, and ended when they reached the Tuamotu Islands, part of the French Polynesians on August 7th, 1947. A few themes are prominent in the book, namely exploration and as curiosity. The crew embarks on an epic journey with technology as advanced as the Polynesians, only in an effort to prove that it was possible. Their journey, months in length is a remarkable example of perseverance, as well. Overall, it was a reasonable good read. The beginning was easy to get into, and the crews' travels in Peru to create the raft were very interesting. Once the trip was underway, though, the book turned towards monotony, with days and days of nothing noteworthy happening except fish and squid sightings. Some information seemed irrelevant. On the plus side, Heyerdahl creates vivid pictures of the environment, both on clear days of sailing as well as the mid-ocean storms that were endured. However, characters are relatively undeveloped aside from what can be learned from their actions, and it was hard to create connections.
If you are interested in exploration and are fascinated by the ocean, this book is for you. If you are interested in wildlife, you will enjoy the numerous accounts of fishing, whales, squids and other sea creatures. Avoid it if you prefer short and to-the-point stories, or if you think character development it critical to understanding. Also avoid Kon-Tiki if you are a strong animal rights advocate, as many different kinds of fish are eaten. Likewise, if you get sea sick, you might find it necessary to skip certain passages. If you have read this, you might enjoy cruise ship brochures, ocean related documentaries and beach novels. Also, if you find yourself short of time, there is a movie based on the book, though it is exactly recent. In summery, this book is deserving of a 3 out of 5: A predictable, almost documentary like read that tells an interesting tale of an epic journey.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

a great book

this book proves that the indians were able to go all throegh the pacific without tech

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

ouch

while reading this book i thought my eyes were going to spontauiously burst into flames. It was like someone shoving trash into my eyes over and over again

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

great read

after a couple of chapters you wont be able to put it down, its a great read and will certainly make you want to head for the nearest island. to anyone who dreams of the palms and silky sand of the south pacific this will be your book.

terrible

This book was beyond boring. If you would like to fall asleep, and suffer throughout reading a book, Kon-Tiki should be your choice

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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