The Lost City of Z
A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
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4.2 • 261 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Killers of the Flower Moon
In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.” In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 1925, renowned British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett embarked on a much publicized search to find the city of Z, site of an ancient Amazonian civilization that may or may not have existed. Fawcett, along with his grown son Jack, never returned, but that didn't stop countless others, including actors, college professors and well-funded explorers from venturing into the jungle to find Fawcett or the city. Among the wannabe explorers is Grann, a staff writer for the New Yorker, who has bad eyes and a worse sense of direction. He became interested in Fawcett while researching another story, eventually venturing into the Amazon to satisfy his all-consuming curiosity about the explorer and his fatal mission. Largely about Fawcett, the book examines the stranglehold of passion as Grann's vigorous research mirrors Fawcett's obsession with uncovering the mysteries of the jungle. By interweaving the great story of Fawcett with his own investigative escapades in South America and Britain, Grann provides an in-depth, captivating character study that has the relentless energy of a classic adventure tale.
Customer Reviews
Incredible story
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author, Grann, had researched Fawcett and all the other explorers who traveled with him. So much interesting information about South America, the geographical areas, the various Indians that inhabit the countries, the cultures, and the race between the countries and various explorers to not only map the Amazonian region, but to find a lost city in a quest for fame, glory and wealth.
Not all that interesting
I really liked "Collapse" and "Born to Run" and was hoping to learn something about nature and human hardships but this book focused more on exploring the main character's emotional toll he put on himself, his family, and his expeditioners. The last chapter was very fascinating however.
Hard to follow
The constant shuffling between time periods and interlaced stories made for difficult reading. I really enjoyed all the backstory of various characters etc, but feel the title of the book is misleading. I wanted to go on a mental safari but instead had to fight through to the finish.