Blood River: Summary and book reviews of Blood River by Tim Butcher, plus links to an excerpt from Blood River and a biography of Tim Butcher.

Published to rave reviews in the United Kingdom and named a Richard & Judy Book Club selection—the only work of nonfiction on the 2008 list— Blood River is the harrowing and audacious story of Tim Butcher’s journey in the Congo and his retracing of renowned explorer H. M. Stanley’s famous 1874 expedition in which he mapped the Congo River. When Daily Telegraph correspondent Tim Butcher was sent to Africa in 2000 he quickly became obsessed with the legendary Congo River and the idea of recreating Stanley’s legendary journey along the three-thousand-mile waterway. Despite warnings that his plan was suicidal, Butcher set out for the Congo’s eastern border with just a rucksack and a few thousand dollars hidden in his boots. Making his way in an assortment of vehicles, including a motorbike and a dugout canoe, helped along by a cast of characters from UN aid workers to a pygmy rights advocate, he followed in the footsteps of the great Victorian adventurers. An utterly absorbing narrative that chronicles Tim Butcher’s forty-four-day journey along the Congo River, Blood River is an unforgettable story of exploration and survival.

BookBrowse

The title, Blood River, speaks volumes for the history of the region that Butcher describes as 'Africa's broken heart'. Interweaving anecdotes and historical accounts from earlier colonial explorers (such as H.M. Stanley and David Livingstone), Butcher portrays a Congo that is mostly forgotten, misunderstood, little known and destroyed.  (Reviewed by Fiona Lorrain).

Full Review (1206 words).

Media Reviews

Library Journal What Butcher's tale lacks in political analysis is redeemed by the honesty of his writing and his genuine attempt to bring international interest to the Congo and the struggles of its citizens.   Publishers Weekly Butcher's story is a full-throated lament for large-scale human potential wasted with no reasonable end in sight.   Kirkus Reviews Starred Review. After [Butcher's] trip, so eloquently described here, he may be the only Western journalist with such a handle on that vast region . . . A brilliant account of a broken land, one that certainly deserves the attention this excellent book brings.   The Guardian Blood River is a gripping, passionate and deeply disturbing portrait of central Africa today. In its final pages, Butcher writes of his extraordinary journey, I "touched the heart of Africa and found it broken". We can weep for this betrayed, failed land, but please don't go there. William Boyd The day of the solitary intrepid traveler is not over. Tim Butcher's extraordinary, audacious journey through the Congo is worthy of the great nineteenth-century explorers. Completely enthralling but also a thoughtful and sobering portrait of modern Africa. John Le Carre Quite superb ... a masterpiece. Alexander McCall Smith A remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years.

Recent Reader Reviews

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