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Keep Australia On Your Left: A True Story of an Attempt to Circumnavigate Australia by Kayak
Two men as different as night and day. One kayak. And 10,000 miles of the most beautiful but treacherous coastline in the world. You'd have to be crazy to think you could kayak around an entire continent, right?
But Eric Stiller "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
But Eric Stiller "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
352 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 19, 2013
it's hard to ignore the author's accomplishment (see: title), but it's even harder not to be annoyed by the continually shallow navel-gazing and wafer-thin assessments of the world around him. stronger ability at describing australia's fascinating landscapes may have made the overlong narrative a bit more bearable. as is, the strongest point of interest may be the re-casting of A Separate Peace with two guys on a kayaking adventure. but a whiny, lovelorn fratboy and a high-handed dilettante model are no Gene & Phineas.
June 9, 2009
You will either love this book or hate it. Or maybe both. Or neither. This is a book that can be experienced on many levels, and you'll just have to choose your own. Reduced to its essence, a name-dropping kayak supplier to the stars meets boy model from down under and together they fail to circumnavigate Australia (counterclockwise, of course, hence the title).
I do not mean to denigrate their accomplishment -- they truly experienced an adventure of epic proportions. But the whiny tone of the author as he alternately loathes his paddling partner and pines for his stateside pre-departure one night stand wears a little thin. There are portions that reflect the excitement and danger of the journey, and they are excellent, but overall I found myself wishing they quit sooner than they did.
So read it for the sheer gutsy adventure of the trip, but if it's soul searching you want, you'd have better luck flipping over a pair of plimsoles, mate.
I do not mean to denigrate their accomplishment -- they truly experienced an adventure of epic proportions. But the whiny tone of the author as he alternately loathes his paddling partner and pines for his stateside pre-departure one night stand wears a little thin. There are portions that reflect the excitement and danger of the journey, and they are excellent, but overall I found myself wishing they quit sooner than they did.
So read it for the sheer gutsy adventure of the trip, but if it's soul searching you want, you'd have better luck flipping over a pair of plimsoles, mate.
May 18, 2007
These guys had to be crazy - they attempted to sea kayak around Australia. Good adventure/travel read, but gets a little long toward the end.
April 18, 2021
2021 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book that takes place mostly outdoors.
there was a lot of fighting in this book. Which is understandable but annoying to constantly have to read. I don't know if being a kayaker would make this book more interesting, but I found it fairly boring interspersed with a few interesting passages.
there was a lot of fighting in this book. Which is understandable but annoying to constantly have to read. I don't know if being a kayaker would make this book more interesting, but I found it fairly boring interspersed with a few interesting passages.
November 3, 2018
This book gets tired quickly. The only reason to read the entire thing is if you intend to circumnavigate Australia in a small craft.
April 30, 2020
A steaming pile of literary bile.
April 17, 2015
The actual descriptions of the journey, the places and the kayaking itself were engaging; however, I began to really dislike the author's constant whining about his fellow paddler, who probably deserves a medal for putting up with him for so long. The author even frequently goes into detail of how he whinged to numerous people along the way about his partner, including one time when he overheard! The author also goes on and on in a tiresome fashion about a woman he met just before he left on the journey and then appears to refuse to accept that she doesn't wish to continue their "relationship". His constant description of his phone calls and letters to her trying to get her to change her mind comes across as rather creepy to be honest! For some weird reason he also seems to find it necessary to frequently mention her ethnicity. If that wasn't enough to spoil the book for me, his frequent name-dropping was.
Such a shame; this could have been a really good book because their efforts to make it as far as they did were commendable.
Such a shame; this could have been a really good book because their efforts to make it as far as they did were commendable.
May 19, 2008
Great combination for kayaking around Oz. The laid back aussie & his more organised technical partner. This book offered a great insight into a hither to unknown kayaking world; great attention to detail. But just a little bit to lengthy. However, good on ya!
March 17, 2009
Fascinating in theory, but the writer's way too self-absorbed, and there's over-the-top prose on occasion (also he uses words without knowing their meaning from time to time). Good for kayak lovers, though.
June 30, 2008
a great adventure...of course i need to fininsh that trip :-)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews