George Meegan

A truly remarkable journey, but a less than remarkable book. George Meegan may be a born walker, he's not a born talker. I have read much worse, but a better editor might have served him well.

A second reason for my moderate rating is that for the first three quarters of the book I found it difficult to relate to him. It was only when he was travelling in the United States and Canada that I connected to the story. It might have something to do with leaving his wife and daughter to their own devices while he was pursuing his personal dream. Of course it is more nuanced than that, and entirely subjective, but still, the feeling was there during a large part of the story. The last quarter is much better when the author and his wife form a well working team.

The end of the main story is beautiful, but what is Appendix III (A Short Romp Amid Latin Bureaucracy) doing there? A completely superfluous and chaotic account of a Central American border crossing. Why didn't the author include it in the main story, instead of tagging it to the end - unedited, so it seems? For me, it spoiled the end of the book.… (mehr)