Darwin Slept Here: Discovery, Adventure, and Swimming Iguanas in Charles Darwin's South America

by Eric Simmons

Darwin Slept Here is an innovative and thrilling new look at a familiar subject from a compelling new writer to watch.
One snowy day in Ushuaia, Argentina, the self-proclaimed “southernmost city in the world,” writer Eric Simons picked up a copy of Charles Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle. Simons had just hiked the mountains overlooking Beagle Channel, and he found himself engrossed in Darwin's account. Like Simons, Darwin was in his mid-twenties when he traveled to the continent. Simons followed Darwin further into South America—to stand where Darwin had stood and to explore the histories, legends and people that had fascinated him two centuries before. Simons trekked to as many of the locations Darwin wrote about as he could find to see if he could see these places through Darwin’s eyes, and to learn what South Americans know about Darwin.

Genres: Travel, Science, Nonfiction, History, Ebooks, Evolution, Biology

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I didn't think too much of the atmosphere of collegiate high spirits that characterizes this book. There are too many derivative travel books in which a writer today follows in some famous writer's or traveler's footsteps. They never seem, however, to arrive at what made the original work so admirable. Charles Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle is a wonderful book, because the English naturalist visited South America when it was far wilder and more strange than it is today.

As the book went along, it seemed to get better, until the scenes in Chile, where everything seems too saturated with American pop culture to remind one of Darwin.

One odd thing about this book was the fault of the publisher, not Eric Simons, the book's author. I have never seen such a bad job of kerning. For example, instead of Sierra Ventana, one might encounter something more like S i e rra Ven t a na. Very odd, and totally unnecessary.

In the end, Darwin Slept Here is an amiable shaggy dog of a book, not bad for entertainment, but too far from Darwin's probing intelligence and bravery. To have spent much of his five years voyage suffering from dire seasickness. Small wonder that the naturalist eschewed adventure travel for the rest of his life.

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected more about the authors experience in the Galapagos Islands, but it did not quite get there. Still it made me laugh. Sweet quick read.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book lacked a great deal. I found his adventuring to be rather tame, his connections to Darwin to be weak and his writing style to be pedestrian. I found myself always wanting more about Darwin or more about the places visited but instead readers get anecdotes from his friend Josh (who actually seemed more interesting than the author) or exaggerations of the road quality, the rental car workers disbelief or challenging "peaks" summited. I guess I should of picked up a book by someone more in tune with nature, science, and exploration or someone with a better imagination so better connections could have been made. And no Galapagos! All in all I was left disappointed but I kept turing pages, it was an easy read, so I guess because I didn't give it up it deserves two stars.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool but idea, but gets lost in the details. Not as much ecology as expected. Read over a couple years.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up from the library on a whim; the combination of a South American travelogue and following in Darwin's footsteps intrigued me. I wasn't disappointed. This book taught me a bit about Darwin, while also providing an entertaining view of the author's travels. I appreciate how Simons juxtaposes the land and people from Darwin's time with those of the present day. He liberally sprinkles quotes from Darwin's diary throughout his account, giving his journey a sense of purpose and depth.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be mildly entertaining and enjoyable but not too exciting. It was a quick read and had some interesting descriptions of the South American landscape and the author was sometimes pretty funny. Not my favorite non-fiction read by any means but it was a quick and informative read.

[Jrobertus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors follows parts of Darwin's 3-year journey in South America. He begins in Brazil where Darwin was amazed and overwhelmed by the beauty of the jungle and appalled by the slavery. Indeed, he became a major anti-slavery spokesman as a result. The story moves down to Patagonia and the boring scenery there, although the archaeology was informative. The culmination is at Tierra del Fuego and the abysmal weather and plight of the Indians. It turns out the Beagle captain, Fitzroy, had picked up 4 Indians on a previous voyage and was returning the now "civilized" natives to their antipodean homeland. The trip moves up the west coast through the rain drenched island of Chiloe and then to Concepcion where Darwin arrived shorty after an earthquake had leveled the place. North to the wine growing region and then to the blistering desert of north Chile. Along the way, Simons quotes from Darwin's diary and describes the contemporary setting. He has a crisp style with insight and humor and I found this to be a fun read.

[Fallon Rowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had potential to be a cool idea (I love Darwin, geology, and traveling in South America), but it was poorly executed. It didn't seem like the author had a strong connection to Darwin. Nothing exciting happens in the book. It feels like a bored rich kid wandered around for a while without making any deep observations... It was a quick read, but not worth it.

[Kenneth Laddish · Rating 1 out of 5]

listened to the Audiobook- old British narrator mismatched with smug 20-something American protagonist in this would-be gonzo travel history joint

Not good on its own merits either

[Dupinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable. I was curious about Comodoro Rivadavia, which the author passed through, but didn't read anything about it in this book.

[Alexi Ssss · Rating 2 out of 5]

this reads like it was written by a 14 year old who thinks he’s clever

[Carl Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because I wanted to be thrilled by exotic south american travel stories with a tinge science/history seriousness.

Plus side was that it was very easy to read, and I was inspired by the thrill of exploring new places even in unglamorous destinations. It made me laugh out loud many times. Also, this book gave me a surprisingly keen sense of seeing the world through the eyes of a young Darwin with nothing more serious on his mind than exploring the world and coming to grips with it. As Darwin is quoted, the effect of traveling "ought to be to teach ... good-humored patience, freedom from selfishness, the habit of acting for himself, and of making the best of everything...or in other words, contentment" Not the Darwin we think of as the old bearded genius.

On the not-so-great side, the book didn't have crazy adventures, just normal ones you might expect. It seemed to spend a lot of time describing locations and scenery, but really could have used a map. And although the author is clearly passionate about Darwin, at times it seems he's trying a bit too hard to connect all of his experiences back to Darwin. But perhaps it's through this unpretentious process he is freed to explore who Darwin could have been - the man, not the myth.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simons traveled to many spots Charles Darwin visited in Argentina and Chile. Instead of taking a ship, Simons travels mostly by bus. This account mixes his take on those places, many of them largely unchanged physically, with Darwin's thoughts as recorded in his diary and later book The Voyage of the Beagle.
Simons comes across as funny, curious, and oddly naive in places--as does Darwin, but then, both of them were young men traveling outside their comfort zone.
I enjoyed the book--and now I need to read Darwin's book of his voyage.

[Jake Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a detailed account of Darwin's journey, stick to the Journey of the Beagle. This book celebrates the timelessness of adventure and discovery for those who open their eyes to possibilities and at that is succeeds in spades. It's a breezy read; often I was sad to see Simons jump to his next location so quickly, but that's more a testament to his affable prose than a criticism of his pacing.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick enjoyable read. Very light and humorous but informative. I liked the interplay between Darwin's travels and the author's modern travel in South America. The author does not try to go into much detail but kind of skims along the highlights in a delightful fashion. It is surprising how nice the people he met were to a Gringo California American. It must have fun to be a young (in 20s) carefree adventurer as were both Darwin in 1830s and the author, Eric, 170+ years later.

[Lump · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book to be pretty contrived - his whole premise, following in Darwin's footsteps, came off as just an excuse for a journalism student to take a cool trip. His accounts of places he went, the questions he asked people in those places ("what do people here think if Darwin"??), and even his connection with and interest in Darwin seemed quite superficial, and not much more than a topic he chose for a school project.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at South America viewed through the eyes of a young journalist following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. The book is primarily a travelogue but also includes insight into how Darwin's travels shaped his ideas. The book also gave a good look into how South American culture has changed in the ~180 years since the voyage of the HMS Beagle.

[Dan Vine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A travelogue based on Darwin's travels in South America. Remaindered at Readings for $7. Readable enough. There are some interesting and thoughtful parts early on but a tendency to that hokey dialogue that seems to be favoured by North American journalists. From about halfway through I found myself thinking that I should be reading The Voyage of the Beagle myself.

[Carlos Vallarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the spirit of youthfulness of this book, how he made one be part of the scenery, and all that latino stuff one can relate too. I had all but forgotten about Chadwick who is quoted in the book, makes me want to check about Patagonia again.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially a travelogue, but with a twist. The author travels through South America following the path of Charles Darwin and offers commentary on the contemporary relevance of the journey of the Beagle. This will never be a definitive travel guide, but offers some interesting insights.

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun travelogue of one man's quest to see each small town and trail that Darwin visited while on his 5 year journey on the Beagle doing research for what became of his famous treatise. Nothing Earth shattering, just a fun, easy book on Argentina, Chile, Peru and the Galapagos

[Judith]

selected as an early reviewer for LibraryThing -yay!

[Turi Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun excursion through modern South America, retracing some of Charles Darwin's voyages. Good insight into Darwin, youth and travel.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book. I read this as an entertaining and easy introduction to Voyage of the Beagle and the young Darwin, and it served that purpose quite well.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the author - he is my old boss' son

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, fun read. After finishing the book, I wanted to go hiking in the rain. I would love to have a beer with young Charles Darwin and Eric Simons.

[LeeAnn Heringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly interesting as a companion book for Darwin's original "Voyage of the Beagle". Interesting to see how his adventures translate into the 20th / 21st century.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Breezy read. I'll never travel to South America so the arm chair version was a night away from home.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst copy editing I’ve ever come across in a published book. Couldn’t read it because all I could see were the mistakes

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting travel narrative, though at times it seemed the author had to really work to get in the Darwin connection.