What do you think?
Rate this book
Naked and Marooned: One Man, One Island
What do you do after you walk the Amazon?
Ed Stafford—adventurer extraordinaire and Guinness World Record holder for walking the length of the Amazon River—likes a challenge. Casting about for an adventure that would top the extraordinary feat he recounts in Walking the Amazon, Stafford decides to maroon himself on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. His mission: to survive for sixty days equipped with nothing—no food, water, or even clothing—except the video cameras he would use to document his time. Detailing Stafford’s jaw-dropping sojourn on the island of Olourua, Naked and Marooned is a tale of unparalleled adventure and of one man’s will to push himself to the outer limits—and survive.
Ed Stafford—adventurer extraordinaire and Guinness World Record holder for walking the length of the Amazon River—likes a challenge. Casting about for an adventure that would top the extraordinary feat he recounts in Walking the Amazon, Stafford decides to maroon himself on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. His mission: to survive for sixty days equipped with nothing—no food, water, or even clothing—except the video cameras he would use to document his time. Detailing Stafford’s jaw-dropping sojourn on the island of Olourua, Naked and Marooned is a tale of unparalleled adventure and of one man’s will to push himself to the outer limits—and survive.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2014
52 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
September 5, 2014
I'm a HUGE Ed Stafford fan. I watch very little TV, and one of the only shows that my husband and I watch together is Marooned. Ed Stafford is the king of survival shows, making them educational, interesting, and accessible. He is also just a super likeable guy. I was riveted by the televised version of the 60-day survival journey on Olourua that was the basis of this book, and couldn't wait to get my hands on this story. However, while the show was awesome this book was... not.
I'm just going to put it out there: Ed Stafford is not a great writer. And you know what, that's okay. He is wonderful at so many things and is such an interesting person that people will buy this book regardless. But, despite my interest in the topic, this book was hard for me to get through.
First off, the language is overly descriptive and purple.
An emotional attack helicopter rose from my belly, rotors lacerating my chest until it smashed violently into my ill prepared brain. Logical thought was the victim and I was left stunned like an impotent witness of a brutal, bloody crime.
Huh? Ed needed a firm hand from a competent editor to steer him away from phrases such as seen above. Sentences like that one are strewn throughout the book, which was a big problem for me.
Another issue that this book has is the pacing. I know that the day to day of survival is pretty mundane. We heard a lot about vomiting, crapping, eating raw coconuts, eating raw snails, repeat, repeat, repeat. Now, a good writer could have turned even those boring details into something exciting to read, but Ed Stafford doesn't have those skills. The pages drag on and on, especially in the beginning when it is most crucial to grab your reader. The show makes all of these activities interesting, but in book format, it was difficult to read.
This book does have some bright moments. Ed is a funny, charismatic guy and that comes through from time to time on page. However, I think many fans of the show will be let down by the book. The special on which this book is based is much more entertaining, and that is coming from a hard-core reader like myself. I can't help but feel disappointed in this one.
**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I'm just going to put it out there: Ed Stafford is not a great writer. And you know what, that's okay. He is wonderful at so many things and is such an interesting person that people will buy this book regardless. But, despite my interest in the topic, this book was hard for me to get through.
First off, the language is overly descriptive and purple.
An emotional attack helicopter rose from my belly, rotors lacerating my chest until it smashed violently into my ill prepared brain. Logical thought was the victim and I was left stunned like an impotent witness of a brutal, bloody crime.
Huh? Ed needed a firm hand from a competent editor to steer him away from phrases such as seen above. Sentences like that one are strewn throughout the book, which was a big problem for me.
Another issue that this book has is the pacing. I know that the day to day of survival is pretty mundane. We heard a lot about vomiting, crapping, eating raw coconuts, eating raw snails, repeat, repeat, repeat. Now, a good writer could have turned even those boring details into something exciting to read, but Ed Stafford doesn't have those skills. The pages drag on and on, especially in the beginning when it is most crucial to grab your reader. The show makes all of these activities interesting, but in book format, it was difficult to read.
This book does have some bright moments. Ed is a funny, charismatic guy and that comes through from time to time on page. However, I think many fans of the show will be let down by the book. The special on which this book is based is much more entertaining, and that is coming from a hard-core reader like myself. I can't help but feel disappointed in this one.
**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
January 2, 2016
I tried to explain the premise of Naked and Marooned to my husband and his first reaction was, "What is wrong with that guy that he chooses to put himself in that position?" I said that he was probably addicted to thrill seeking, which it seems that he was, but Naked and Marooned is more than just a survival story. After the fact, Stafford digs around in his own head a little bit and manages to come to terms with why he behaves the way he does. So, beyond the adventure part of the story, which I found fascinating, this is also a book about a man struggling to learn what makes himself tick and fighting the shadows in his own mind in a very real, life changing way.
There is something fascinating about survival stories. While reading Naked and Marooned, I couldn't help but think about other books that I've read about the same topic like The Island of the Blue Dolphins or Robinson Crusoe. Also, I thought about the popularity of survival video games like ARK and others of the same type. There is a sense of accomplishment that comes with seeing where you start (with nothing) and what you're able to build from that. I really liked seeing how Stafford came into his own on the island. If you put his first day next to his last, he seems like a completely different person. It made me wonder how much we change in sixty days without putting ourselves in such stressful, life threatening situations. It made me wonder if I could have managed as well as he did...
Which, in all honesty, I probably would have had to call out. All of the raw snails, sores on his feet, and then that thing with the goat... yeah, I could NOT have handled that.
If you enjoyed Naked and Marooned, you may want to try The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard or Giving the Finger: Risking It All to Fish the World's Deadliest Sea by Scott Campbell Jr.
There is something fascinating about survival stories. While reading Naked and Marooned, I couldn't help but think about other books that I've read about the same topic like The Island of the Blue Dolphins or Robinson Crusoe. Also, I thought about the popularity of survival video games like ARK and others of the same type. There is a sense of accomplishment that comes with seeing where you start (with nothing) and what you're able to build from that. I really liked seeing how Stafford came into his own on the island. If you put his first day next to his last, he seems like a completely different person. It made me wonder how much we change in sixty days without putting ourselves in such stressful, life threatening situations. It made me wonder if I could have managed as well as he did...
Which, in all honesty, I probably would have had to call out. All of the raw snails, sores on his feet, and then that thing with the goat... yeah, I could NOT have handled that.
If you enjoyed Naked and Marooned, you may want to try The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard or Giving the Finger: Risking It All to Fish the World's Deadliest Sea by Scott Campbell Jr.
June 2, 2021
The author decided he wanted to maroon himself on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific (I believe in Fiji) for 60 days with nothing, including no clothes! Now, because he got a tv deal, he did have to take a camera and microphone, and there were daily “checks” (via note), if needed; also the drop place for the notes was also meant to replenish batteries. The notes were not to include anything to motivate.
This was interesting. I listened to the audio, though, so as is often the case, I did lose interest at times. I had a real hard time listening to how he hunted and killed, though. (Even the tv show did not air one of his (more brutal) kills.) The book not only looked at how he survived, but also he reflected on his mental state being so isolated.
This was interesting. I listened to the audio, though, so as is often the case, I did lose interest at times. I had a real hard time listening to how he hunted and killed, though. (Even the tv show did not air one of his (more brutal) kills.) The book not only looked at how he survived, but also he reflected on his mental state being so isolated.
November 11, 2014
This is the self-told story of a man, Ed Stafford, who went to a small island near Fiji so he could spend two months without human contact and the surroundings of modern life.
One has to resist the urge to scream “WHY?” not counting his contract and no doubt quite a bit of money from the Discovery Channel. He says it himself: “I wondered why anyone would volunteer to put themselves through such a challenge. What was wrong with me?” This from a man who walked the entire length of the Amazon for two years and apparently didn’t learn his lesson. . .
At some point in history, especially during the great explorations of the late 1400s and 1500s, this must have happened a few times, a solo castaway without even clothes on his back. On the other hand, that person was probably better suited for such a catastrophe than a modern human used to many many amenities. He does, after all, have video cameras, and he finds debris from the ocean, particularly water bottles, that he uses. But if you can do that, get past that huge question as to the whyness of it all, this book actually becomes enjoyable. The author certainly derives great pleasure from his metaphors, like, “An emotional attack helicopter rose from my belly, rotors lacerating my chest until it smashed violently into my ill-prepared brain.” Another one that made me laugh and shake my head simultaneously was, “Then fortune decided to twist my nipple and spit in my face.” Okay, one more. “I could feel brain cells being elbowed awake by their neighbors.”
His first preoccupation, as one would expect in such situations, is fresh drinking water. If I could ask him one question, it would be why he didn’t think to wonder where the native animals, particularly the goats, found theirs. It doesn’t take him long to feel the stress of being alone; I wonder if his isolation psychology is applicable to long space travel. It’s a fine line whether he’s talking to himself or the cameras, but I do have to admit there’s plenty to laugh at here, which is okay because he laughs at himself often. Like his reaction when he finally got his first fire started: “Fire was, after all, one of the greatest discoveries in the evolution of humankind. All I had to do now was invent everything from the wheel through the moon landings and the internet.” On the other hand, he’s quite happy with just this, not so much to keep warm but so he could have a nice cup of tea, mentioning how something normal, even if it wasn’t essential, made for a positive shift in his mental state. Said mental balance fluctuates a lot, though often he blames it on lack of nutrients. Still, he noticed that cooked meals taste a lot better than raw. . . yet he also says, “Hunger is the sweetest of sauces.”
Maybe the most important thing for him, even more so than the fire, was how he dealt with missing his loved ones. He and his fiancée had agreed to think of each other at exactly the same time every day, keeping time zones in mind, which to me was the most human moment of the whole book.
One thing I found amusing was the chapter breaks; at the start of each new section it mentions how many days into this grand experiment he’s in, but it’s done like tickings on a wall, with four lines and a slash representing each five. Not sure why this made me laugh so hard, but it does. I’m just glad I can still count in that style.
Another moment of self-realization occurs when he finally realizes there’s no point in being angry at the rain. “There is nothing serene about being frustrated by the weather, your age, or the passing of time. It is utterly pointless and a bloody waste of energy. So you relax about the things outside your control quite simply because they are outside your control. No brainer.”
This for me was the most telling moment, and a perfect example as to why I would never do something like this: “By the fire I ate termites off a rotten log as they tried to escape the fire. This wasn’t because I needed the calories—they were insignificant—it was out of boredom, a distraction. When you find yourself eating termites for entertainment— that’s boredom.”
Towards the end he becomes sick, and it’s painful enough that he gets on the emergency sat-phone to a doctor, who says that if he’d been in a city he’d take him to a hospital right away. Can’t help but wonder if, had this happened earlier in the two months, he would have given up, but being so close to surviving the whole thing he decided to keep going, albeit after receiving medicine along with his routine drop of batteries and memory cards. As though to answer my question from above, there’s a postscript about meeting up with a psychiatrist after he gets back to England, who tells him he’s suffering through a form of PTSD. “There is no doubt that what you are experiencing is the effects of psychological torture. The unique thing about your case is that you opted to be put in this situation.” Which again leads me to the all-important question of why?” I don’t feel this was satisfactorily explained, though I doubt that answer was the point of the endeavor. In fact, I don’t think he knows, even after all that. . .
But I suppose he was heartened when the psychiatrist told him that feeling as he did made him 100% normal. I’m not sure I would go that far. . .
3.5/5
;o)
One has to resist the urge to scream “WHY?” not counting his contract and no doubt quite a bit of money from the Discovery Channel. He says it himself: “I wondered why anyone would volunteer to put themselves through such a challenge. What was wrong with me?” This from a man who walked the entire length of the Amazon for two years and apparently didn’t learn his lesson. . .
At some point in history, especially during the great explorations of the late 1400s and 1500s, this must have happened a few times, a solo castaway without even clothes on his back. On the other hand, that person was probably better suited for such a catastrophe than a modern human used to many many amenities. He does, after all, have video cameras, and he finds debris from the ocean, particularly water bottles, that he uses. But if you can do that, get past that huge question as to the whyness of it all, this book actually becomes enjoyable. The author certainly derives great pleasure from his metaphors, like, “An emotional attack helicopter rose from my belly, rotors lacerating my chest until it smashed violently into my ill-prepared brain.” Another one that made me laugh and shake my head simultaneously was, “Then fortune decided to twist my nipple and spit in my face.” Okay, one more. “I could feel brain cells being elbowed awake by their neighbors.”
His first preoccupation, as one would expect in such situations, is fresh drinking water. If I could ask him one question, it would be why he didn’t think to wonder where the native animals, particularly the goats, found theirs. It doesn’t take him long to feel the stress of being alone; I wonder if his isolation psychology is applicable to long space travel. It’s a fine line whether he’s talking to himself or the cameras, but I do have to admit there’s plenty to laugh at here, which is okay because he laughs at himself often. Like his reaction when he finally got his first fire started: “Fire was, after all, one of the greatest discoveries in the evolution of humankind. All I had to do now was invent everything from the wheel through the moon landings and the internet.” On the other hand, he’s quite happy with just this, not so much to keep warm but so he could have a nice cup of tea, mentioning how something normal, even if it wasn’t essential, made for a positive shift in his mental state. Said mental balance fluctuates a lot, though often he blames it on lack of nutrients. Still, he noticed that cooked meals taste a lot better than raw. . . yet he also says, “Hunger is the sweetest of sauces.”
Maybe the most important thing for him, even more so than the fire, was how he dealt with missing his loved ones. He and his fiancée had agreed to think of each other at exactly the same time every day, keeping time zones in mind, which to me was the most human moment of the whole book.
One thing I found amusing was the chapter breaks; at the start of each new section it mentions how many days into this grand experiment he’s in, but it’s done like tickings on a wall, with four lines and a slash representing each five. Not sure why this made me laugh so hard, but it does. I’m just glad I can still count in that style.
Another moment of self-realization occurs when he finally realizes there’s no point in being angry at the rain. “There is nothing serene about being frustrated by the weather, your age, or the passing of time. It is utterly pointless and a bloody waste of energy. So you relax about the things outside your control quite simply because they are outside your control. No brainer.”
This for me was the most telling moment, and a perfect example as to why I would never do something like this: “By the fire I ate termites off a rotten log as they tried to escape the fire. This wasn’t because I needed the calories—they were insignificant—it was out of boredom, a distraction. When you find yourself eating termites for entertainment— that’s boredom.”
Towards the end he becomes sick, and it’s painful enough that he gets on the emergency sat-phone to a doctor, who says that if he’d been in a city he’d take him to a hospital right away. Can’t help but wonder if, had this happened earlier in the two months, he would have given up, but being so close to surviving the whole thing he decided to keep going, albeit after receiving medicine along with his routine drop of batteries and memory cards. As though to answer my question from above, there’s a postscript about meeting up with a psychiatrist after he gets back to England, who tells him he’s suffering through a form of PTSD. “There is no doubt that what you are experiencing is the effects of psychological torture. The unique thing about your case is that you opted to be put in this situation.” Which again leads me to the all-important question of why?” I don’t feel this was satisfactorily explained, though I doubt that answer was the point of the endeavor. In fact, I don’t think he knows, even after all that. . .
But I suppose he was heartened when the psychiatrist told him that feeling as he did made him 100% normal. I’m not sure I would go that far. . .
3.5/5
;o)
July 19, 2022
La fel ca și în cazul lui Dave Metz, extraordinară aventură, însă o lipsă totală de talent creativ în scris. M-am chinuit destul de mult, din nou la fel ca în cazul lui Dave Metz, să termin de citit cartea asta, care nu se apropie, nici pe departe, de cele scrise de aventurieri cu talent și-n ale scrisului, cum ar fi Sylvain Tesson, Jon Krakauer sau clasicul Thoreau.
https://silviureut.ro/2019/02/10/sing...
https://silviureut.ro/2019/02/10/sing...
December 20, 2014
As a kid, I loved "Island of the Blue Dolphins." That 1960 work, still on many school reading lists, was based on a true story of a girl inadvertently left behind on an island. "Naked and Marooned: One Man. One Island" rekindled those feelings of escapism and survival lore.
I was in the mood for a marooned saga. Stafford's tale of island survival and then, flourish, was just right. So many endurance tomes become just that-endless slogs through to the end. This one is paced well and some humor sprinkles along the way helps the medicine (and snails?) go down.
I ended up rooting for Stafford and his construction projects, his explorations, his nutrition ups, downs...and outs. There is that nice vicarious feel of being there-what a good travel book should do.
Stafford philosophizes the whole deal at the end. In everyday terminology and examples, he applies what he learned to add meaning to his life and his relationships.
I was in the mood for a marooned saga. Stafford's tale of island survival and then, flourish, was just right. So many endurance tomes become just that-endless slogs through to the end. This one is paced well and some humor sprinkles along the way helps the medicine (and snails?) go down.
I ended up rooting for Stafford and his construction projects, his explorations, his nutrition ups, downs...and outs. There is that nice vicarious feel of being there-what a good travel book should do.
Stafford philosophizes the whole deal at the end. In everyday terminology and examples, he applies what he learned to add meaning to his life and his relationships.
January 4, 2015
I enjoyed the general,storyline of this book but agree with some other readers that Ed Stafford's use of language, though real, gets a repetitive at times in this book. I learned quite a bit from this book about mental attitude while living in a solitary situation which is helpful as I travel regularly on my own in remote wilderness. I recognize some of his thought patterns as similar to my own. Using the aboriginal concept of the stone circle to cope with stress is brilliant and something I will use in my future adventures.
The epilogue in my mind is the highlight of the book. In it he wraps up the mental and social aspects of his time alone on the island. I won't offer a spoiler but the last paragraph is quite reflective of my own sense when I spend time alone in the wilderness. Nice to know other people get that same sense.
The epilogue in my mind is the highlight of the book. In it he wraps up the mental and social aspects of his time alone on the island. I won't offer a spoiler but the last paragraph is quite reflective of my own sense when I spend time alone in the wilderness. Nice to know other people get that same sense.
November 21, 2019
Not taking away the accomplishment of Ed Stafford, been "naked" (I did not see any nude photos in this book) and "marooned" (he chose to be dropped next to Olorua) this book gets a one star.
You can not compare what Ed went through to someone that survived Auschwitz. That is really a disgrace. People never had a choice to be sent to Auschwitz where as Ed had a choice to be dropped next to Olorua. Plus where Auschwitz was hell-on-earth, Ed only lost 10kg. Seems more like he went to a health spa.
Then the poor goat that had a spear stuck in his eyes was brutal.
How Ed Stafford can be seen as a modern day hero I can't fathom. And he should maybe have taken shaving cream and a razor with.
You can not compare what Ed went through to someone that survived Auschwitz. That is really a disgrace. People never had a choice to be sent to Auschwitz where as Ed had a choice to be dropped next to Olorua. Plus where Auschwitz was hell-on-earth, Ed only lost 10kg. Seems more like he went to a health spa.
Then the poor goat that had a spear stuck in his eyes was brutal.
How Ed Stafford can be seen as a modern day hero I can't fathom. And he should maybe have taken shaving cream and a razor with.
July 9, 2014
I heard Ed Stafford on Radio 4 and this book was mentioned so I pre-ordered it. As I read it on my kindle I only saw the pictures at the end and I wish I had seen them as I was reading as they obviously enhanced the vision of the island and the sense of isolation.
Yes, I enjoyed this and it was a fascinating insight into survival and what we take for granted every day. The pace was good and the detail in the earlier parts reflected the effort in achieving the most basic of requirements. The epilogue took me by surprise but no spoilers...
I don't think I will look at snails in the same way again.
Yes, I enjoyed this and it was a fascinating insight into survival and what we take for granted every day. The pace was good and the detail in the earlier parts reflected the effort in achieving the most basic of requirements. The epilogue took me by surprise but no spoilers...
I don't think I will look at snails in the same way again.
April 17, 2017
I was enjoying the book until the bit with the goat. If he didn't have the resources to dispatch the animal humanely, then he shouldn't have attempted it. Saying it was him or the goat and that he had to do it to survive is utter rubbish. He was on the island at his own choosing and could leave at any time. Did he really have to put an animal through a prolonged and painful death ultimately to make an entertainment programme? I don't think so.
I could say other stuff about his fragile ego and his need to perform for the camera but he does a lot of self examining and gets therapy. I hope he is in a better place now.
This is not really a survival book but a book about making a tv show.
I could say other stuff about his fragile ego and his need to perform for the camera but he does a lot of self examining and gets therapy. I hope he is in a better place now.
This is not really a survival book but a book about making a tv show.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2014
It's only natural that since I am fascinated by survival stories in fiction that I should also look to some crazy real-life stories. That's exactly what caught my eye when I saw Ed Stafford's book. NAKED AND MAROONED is a heck of a title and a little bit of marketing genius. Who could pass something like that up? Then, upon further reading, I noticed that he spent his time in the South Pacific and, given my recent time spent in the Pacific, I had to know what it was like.
Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Sept. 14, 2014.
Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Sept. 14, 2014.
June 7, 2016
I started with enthusiasm to read about this experience. Ed Stafford went naked on Olorua island - Fiji to not only survive for 60 days, but to build from 0 a shelter and useful tools. I find it interesting that he studied neurolingvistic programming as brain exercise for this experience. But at the middle of the book, it became somehow boring, as his days were all more or less the same. Even he says he was eating termites because he was too bored. So you can only read half a book ..
November 6, 2014
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I actually expected it to be some dude posturing about what a hard man he is, but Ed Stafford was much more than that. He was honest and open about his vulnerabilities during this adventure, and it was so much more than just the physical challenges he faced.
November 16, 2014
Lessons from a 60 day 'maroonment': it takes all your time to feed and shelter yourself. And we civilized folk are so dependent on civilization. I doubt the author would have lasted another 60 days. And he's one in a million.
February 25, 2021
I'm a huge fan of Ed Stafford, and this was my second attempt at reading his second book, Naked And Marooned. The book tells the story of the self imposed exile on the uninhabited Fijian island of Olorua, where Ed battled to survive for 60 days as a challenge for a mini series on the Discovery Channel.
First thing I'll mention, and I can't sugar-coat it, this book is actually pretty depressing. It's not a happy tale for about 75% of the time. Ed is candid with the reader in how his mental and emotional state fluctuated during his sixty days on the island. He constantly struggles with the four main principles of survival (food, water, shelter, fire) as well as the internal conflict of wanting to do this challenge alone, but feeling the crippling effects of loneliness. As opposed to the documentary, which I've come to realise is heavily edited, the book is a much more visceral telling of the story and some of Ed's wildly fluctuating mood swings take a toll on the reader. By the time I got to chapter 6, "Thriving", I was anything but. I was knackered!
It's natural to compare one book to another when you're dealing with the same author, but it's perhaps a little unfair in this respect because Ed is only translating onto the page what he felt in real time. However, that being said, I did enjoy "Walking The Amazon" a bit more than this offering. Where "Walking The Amazon" was a story that had a lengthy journey and a purpose, "Naked And Marooned" focuses on the passage of time, which doesn't necessarily make for the best reading. When reading of Ed's Amazonian adventures in his previous book, I was filled with images of differing landscapes, towns, people, food, weather...and in this setting not a lot of these factors really change. It's the same fight that Ed experiences day after day and it doesn't force the reader t use his/her imagination an awful lot. It also doesn't help that I've seen the documentary a couple of times, which I'm not complaining about, but there's no sense of wonder about what happens next. Where does Ed end up? Who does he meet? What sights does he see? None of that matters in a setting where the protagonist is trapped on a desert island, and it is literally just a daily battle that is put down on paper and almost rips at your mental health while reading.
The psychology of isolation is particularly pertinent during a pandemic and the times we are facing, so I couldn't help feel a slight wave of emotion come over me, like I'd been on a journey myself and it was coming to an end in a bittersweet fashion. Definitely check this book out if you're in any way inclined to read about overcoming physical and mental adversity, but be prepared for the bumpy road to get there!
First thing I'll mention, and I can't sugar-coat it, this book is actually pretty depressing. It's not a happy tale for about 75% of the time. Ed is candid with the reader in how his mental and emotional state fluctuated during his sixty days on the island. He constantly struggles with the four main principles of survival (food, water, shelter, fire) as well as the internal conflict of wanting to do this challenge alone, but feeling the crippling effects of loneliness. As opposed to the documentary, which I've come to realise is heavily edited, the book is a much more visceral telling of the story and some of Ed's wildly fluctuating mood swings take a toll on the reader. By the time I got to chapter 6, "Thriving", I was anything but. I was knackered!
It's natural to compare one book to another when you're dealing with the same author, but it's perhaps a little unfair in this respect because Ed is only translating onto the page what he felt in real time. However, that being said, I did enjoy "Walking The Amazon" a bit more than this offering. Where "Walking The Amazon" was a story that had a lengthy journey and a purpose, "Naked And Marooned" focuses on the passage of time, which doesn't necessarily make for the best reading. When reading of Ed's Amazonian adventures in his previous book, I was filled with images of differing landscapes, towns, people, food, weather...and in this setting not a lot of these factors really change. It's the same fight that Ed experiences day after day and it doesn't force the reader t use his/her imagination an awful lot. It also doesn't help that I've seen the documentary a couple of times, which I'm not complaining about, but there's no sense of wonder about what happens next. Where does Ed end up? Who does he meet? What sights does he see? None of that matters in a setting where the protagonist is trapped on a desert island, and it is literally just a daily battle that is put down on paper and almost rips at your mental health while reading.
The psychology of isolation is particularly pertinent during a pandemic and the times we are facing, so I couldn't help feel a slight wave of emotion come over me, like I'd been on a journey myself and it was coming to an end in a bittersweet fashion. Definitely check this book out if you're in any way inclined to read about overcoming physical and mental adversity, but be prepared for the bumpy road to get there!
May 24, 2025
There certainly are some things to be said, many of them not flattering, about extremophiles- folks who get off on assuming life-risking challenges against nature- and their ability to either grow from the experience (and gain a little common sense) or surrender their lives to an eternal search for adrenaline spikes.
Mr Stafford seems one of those types, and hopefully, after his many other previous resume-builds around risk and danger, managed to grow up enough to put those desires for constant states of panic behind him.
Myself being a "lentil eating hippy" of course, I share none of Mr Staffords words of graciousness he lends to those former occupations of his- Roayl Marine, Afghanistan duty, Amazonian explorer, etc etc, but it's still one thing someone put in a little epigram speaks of survival addicts like him:
"Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun"
Mr Stafford seems one of those types, and hopefully, after his many other previous resume-builds around risk and danger, managed to grow up enough to put those desires for constant states of panic behind him.
Myself being a "lentil eating hippy" of course, I share none of Mr Staffords words of graciousness he lends to those former occupations of his- Roayl Marine, Afghanistan duty, Amazonian explorer, etc etc, but it's still one thing someone put in a little epigram speaks of survival addicts like him:
"Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun"
August 1, 2018
Clueless former member of the military has walked the Amazon and is then backed into a corner with, 'WHAT'S NEXT!'
He responds with Spend 60 days on an island, ALONE. He spends a couple days on a nearby island without asking for ANY advice then gets dropped of with NOTHING but camera equipment as he hopes to TRANSFORM into...TARZAN!
Food, clothing, shelter, fire, and pooh. He is benefited by sea trash! Initially engaging it becomes a lumbering slog. Swearing.
He responds with Spend 60 days on an island, ALONE. He spends a couple days on a nearby island without asking for ANY advice then gets dropped of with NOTHING but camera equipment as he hopes to TRANSFORM into...TARZAN!
Food, clothing, shelter, fire, and pooh. He is benefited by sea trash! Initially engaging it becomes a lumbering slog. Swearing.
February 2, 2024
He walked the length of Amazon River for Guinness World Record. He wrote how he survived on Island for 60 days with no cloths, food, except video camera to document his time.
“It was cool to read about what he all did to survive. I wondered why he didn’t follow the goats to see where they got their water from.
I would like to read his other book, Walking the Amazon”.
I love books like this.
“It was cool to read about what he all did to survive. I wondered why he didn’t follow the goats to see where they got their water from.
I would like to read his other book, Walking the Amazon”.
I love books like this.
June 26, 2024
Ed Stafford takes the reader along on his spectacularly difficult adventure in Naked and Marooned: trying to survive on an uninhabited south Pacific island. Stafford had nothing with him - no knife, no matches, no shoes or clothes. His story is riveting and compelling - a fantastic read.
December 29, 2019
Naked and Marooned
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was such a difficult task and I was with the author on every step of his journey. Amazing! How would you cope given his situation? Essentially we are a gregarious animal and we need other people.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was such a difficult task and I was with the author on every step of his journey. Amazing! How would you cope given his situation? Essentially we are a gregarious animal and we need other people.
Read
January 5, 2020Because of this bloody reality shows of survival innocent animals are being killed. I totally understand if you had to kill an animal for survival, if you truly are hungry and/ or are a villager that kills for survival. But for a reality show?!
November 19, 2017
Decent enough story
January 15, 2019
A quick read.
September 24, 2019
Your video inspired me ... I want to make content like there ... can you help me
April 26, 2022
Man gets dropped off naked on a small island so they can make a series about it. Umm, he seems a little needy
January 8, 2023
A captivating story about one man's survival. I didn't love all the long descriptions but I definitely wanted to keep picking it up and see how he was getting on!
March 31, 2024
Typical adventure book.
January 13, 2015
This book is more complicated than it first appears. Ed Stafford, the adventurer who walked the length of the Amazon River, sets up an endurance/survival test for himself - sixty days alone on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific. He can't bring any tools, not even any clothes. Except that the adventure is all part of a Discovery Channel program, so he has several cameras, an emergency OK signal he must send every day, a panic phone, and help available on the next island. So he's not really marooned.
Still, the story is compelling, partly as a study of the damage done by isolation. Ed Stafford, the author, has extensive survival training, yet he becomes very emotionally fragile as the days go by.
He goes through severe ups and downs constantly, sometimes putting on a happy face for the camera and then falling into black despair once he's on his own. He seems restless, always. However, he manages to set up a water system, make fire, and build a shelter. Junk washed up on the island provides a variety of useful tools.
The scene where he kills a feral goat was so gruesome it was not used by the Discovery Channel, but Stafford improves considerably afterwards.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the afterward, where he seeks mental health treatment and comes to terms with some demons that were unrelated to the deprivation of the island but accentuated by it.
While the set-up is somewhat forced and the camera creates a weird other presence, the story is compelling on a very individual level, and Stafford is pretty honest about the problems he faces.
Still, the story is compelling, partly as a study of the damage done by isolation. Ed Stafford, the author, has extensive survival training, yet he becomes very emotionally fragile as the days go by.
He goes through severe ups and downs constantly, sometimes putting on a happy face for the camera and then falling into black despair once he's on his own. He seems restless, always. However, he manages to set up a water system, make fire, and build a shelter. Junk washed up on the island provides a variety of useful tools.
The scene where he kills a feral goat was so gruesome it was not used by the Discovery Channel, but Stafford improves considerably afterwards.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the afterward, where he seeks mental health treatment and comes to terms with some demons that were unrelated to the deprivation of the island but accentuated by it.
While the set-up is somewhat forced and the camera creates a weird other presence, the story is compelling on a very individual level, and Stafford is pretty honest about the problems he faces.
March 23, 2016
Nu am ascuns niciodată că una dintre cărțile mele preferate este Robinson Crusoe și că sunt înnebunit după cărțile și filmele despre supraviețuire.
Pe Ed Stafford îl cunoșteam de la cartea sa despre expediția pe jos pe Amazon, așa că eram conștient că este nebun cu capul
emoticon smile
. Aici trece la o altă etapă a nebuniei (pe care parțial o recunoaște și el spre finalul cărții), dorind să supraviețuiască pe o insulă pustie din Pacific, fără niciun mijloc modern (nu are nici haine, nici unelte, nici apă, doar două camere TV), timp de 60 de zile.
Foarte incitantă, foarte palpitantă, o lecție de supraviețuire și de psihologie. În plus, un semnal inconștient de alarmă pentru poluarea acestei planete (Ed găsește pe insula zeci de peturi, alte obiecte aruncate de locuitorii insulelor din jur).
Pe Ed Stafford îl cunoșteam de la cartea sa despre expediția pe jos pe Amazon, așa că eram conștient că este nebun cu capul
emoticon smile
. Aici trece la o altă etapă a nebuniei (pe care parțial o recunoaște și el spre finalul cărții), dorind să supraviețuiască pe o insulă pustie din Pacific, fără niciun mijloc modern (nu are nici haine, nici unelte, nici apă, doar două camere TV), timp de 60 de zile.
Foarte incitantă, foarte palpitantă, o lecție de supraviețuire și de psihologie. În plus, un semnal inconștient de alarmă pentru poluarea acestei planete (Ed găsește pe insula zeci de peturi, alte obiecte aruncate de locuitorii insulelor din jur).
November 2, 2014
(Spoilers)
Ed (who holds the Guinness World Record for walking the whole Amazon) decides to be dropped off naked on an uninhabited tropical island for 60 days. The idea is to provide all the necessities of life - food, shelter, fire, clothing - from scratch, with no outside help, and to thrive while doing it.
He actually ends up taking antibiotics twice, and has one satellite phone call to a doctor in England, though it would be questionable to endanger one's health just to stick to the rules too closely. Also, Ed uses lots of human flotsam and debris, like pop bottles and tin cans, so it is not a true wilderness experience. On the other hand, these are items that would be available to any castaway.
Ed (who holds the Guinness World Record for walking the whole Amazon) decides to be dropped off naked on an uninhabited tropical island for 60 days. The idea is to provide all the necessities of life - food, shelter, fire, clothing - from scratch, with no outside help, and to thrive while doing it.
He actually ends up taking antibiotics twice, and has one satellite phone call to a doctor in England, though it would be questionable to endanger one's health just to stick to the rules too closely. Also, Ed uses lots of human flotsam and debris, like pop bottles and tin cans, so it is not a true wilderness experience. On the other hand, these are items that would be available to any castaway.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews