Rated of 5
by Barbara The White Mary
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The writing and the story are engaging and the author's knowledge of Papua New Guinea is insightful. The main character's journey, both physically and emotionally, through unchartered territory is compelling. The author's descriptions of the privations, dangers and diseases encountered along the way are at times difficult to read, but they are never gratuitous and remain integral to the narrative. Many good book club discussion points about hope, healing, and the search for life's meaning.
Rated of 5
by Elizabeth The White Mary
I was so excited to read this book--a journalist who draws from personal experience in some of the most war-torn and unstable places on the planet as well as a personal journey in a place we rarely hear of in the news. I was disappointed to find a novel with few interesting scenarios that ultimately fell flat and rang hollow.
I know writing is challenging--non-fiction or otherwise, but the writing here is poor. And the omniscient narrator doesn't work. I really wanted to feel the experience of going deep into Papua New Guinea, but the descriptions were cursory and didn't bring it alive to me at all. Then the novel seems to want to be an allegory for emotional redemption and instead sounds like some ridiculous self-help advice. Even if you suspend disbelief this novel doesn't work. For a real journey into the jungle I would recommend skipping it and reading Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski.
Rated of 5
by Stephen The White Mary
This is an incredible debut novel by Kira Salak. The novel follows in the tradition of Conrad's In the Heart of Darkness.The adventure scenes leave one speechless and brings back the story of Stanley's search for Livingston. This tale of spiritual quest will inspire and change the reader's view of the world. It is a tale of survival and enlightenment.
Rated of 5
by Ann The White Mary by Kira Salak
Adventurous journalist Marika Vecurs has dedicated her life to writing about the world's "hell holes", During a particularly arduous trip to Papua New Guinea, she realizes that though she has dared death many times, that it ultimately takes more courage to live than it does to die. This adventure story would appeal to anyone who delights in reading about faraway places and high adventure.
Rated of 5
by Lois Enthralling, Mesmerizing, and Riveting, this book held me to the spot!
From the moment I turned the cover to read the first page until I closed the book at the end, I was right there. Marika Vecera, a young journalist, has patterned her career after that of Richard Lewis. Lewis being an award winning, outstanding Journalist that had committed suicide a couple of years earlier.
Marika decides to write a biography of Richard Lewis. She begins to gather information about him.and comes across a letter that suggests that Lewis might not be dead after all. This sets Marika on a journey that is unlike anything she has ever experienced before.
Kira Salak in her Authors Note just inside the front cover tells us that some of the information about Marika is from her own life. Which made it all the more interesting to me.
I found this book to be an excellent read.
Rated of 5
by Mary A True Heroine, The White Mary!
This is a riveting, and sometimes harrowing, adventure tale which at times I found to bounce between a love story and a "nail biting thriller". Marika is a gutsy heroic journalist and a fearless survivor who attacks the harsh realities of war zones and untamed jungles. She is a hero to inspire all adventure "junkies - a character you will never forget! This book is all fast paced action and for me was mesmerizing - I definitely felt like I was under a spell and couldn't wait to read the next page. I read the book all in one sitting! It is obvious that Kira Salak as a reporter herself has lived through similar adventures and that is how she can capture the beauty of exotic places like Papa New Guinea at the same time as the violence of war zones and political upheaval. I can't recommend this book enough - I LOVED IT!!!
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
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