The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend At the age of twenty-six, Maarten Troost—who had been pushing the snooze button on the alarm clock of life by racking up useless graduate degrees and muddling through a series of temp jobs—decided to pack up his flip-flops and move to Tarawa, a remote South Pacific island in the Republic of Kiribati. He was restless and lacked direction, and the idea of dropping everything and moving to the ends of the Earth was irresistibly romantic. He should have known… Product details and pricing info |
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103 Customer Reviews Posted
- A Marvelous Read!
- Over 100 reviews and only one person gave a one-star rating, that should tell you just how marvelous this book is. This book is both entertaining and informative. I actually laughed out loudly several times (not a good idea if you are on a train) as I read this book. Troost's writing style is wonderful, he has a way with sentences that will have you in stitches. The one-star reviewer has offered to give this book away for free. If you haven't bought the book yet, I advise you take him/her up on his/her offer, you'll be very happy that you did!
- 2009-01-05, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Hilarious, laugh-out-loud fun read!
- I don't know what inspired the eye-catching title, but the book was a great read despite its somewhat misleading name. It is basically an autobiographical account of the author's adventures (and misadventures) for 2+ years during his 20s where he and his wife moved to an atoll in the South Pacific for two years.
Maarten's style is as he mentioned in the book "not too serious, not too stupid" and 100% enjoyable. As someone who grew up in South-East Asia, I recognized many habits and practices of the I-Kiribati that Westerners might view as strange. Reading the book truly made me forget the daily stresses and let me temporarily escape into a bubble of fun and comedy.
I enjoyed Maarten's no hold barred, anything-goes, candid writing style. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to take his/her mind off anything or to anyone who wants/needs a good laugh. - 2008-12-16, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Fun and eye-opening read!
- I had my own picture painted about what I thought life on a remote island in the Pacific would be like. This book is far from my picture. This book is written in a way that gives you a really interesting idea of the reality of remote island living from an outsider's perspective. The author talks about the troubles that he and his girlfriend have adjusting and dealing with such a new type of life. And it's funny. It is really funny. The book is a great escape. You kind of feel involved in the story in a light-hearted way. I recommend this for a good read to just relax with.
- 2008-12-03, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Wonderful book about real life in the Pacific
- This is a marvelously humorous and accurate account of living in a small country in the Pacific. Highly recommended!
- 2008-11-05, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- THE ULTIMATE IN A TRAVEL BOOK
- I would not advise the reader to travel to Kiribati, but the book is a must read for those who've never really left their comfort zone in the U.S. The author paints a beautiful picture of the riveting blue ocean, the palm trees, the colors of the sunset. But he also paints a vivid portrait of a land that the world has forgotten; the terrible conditions that the natives endure daily, the lack of food and health system. I found myself cringing as I read of the reef-toilet, the soiled diapers floating in the water, and could picture it all.
Yet, Maarten pulls you into this story so well you find yourself admiring the daily trials he had to endure, and laughing at the self-deprecating way he tells the story. It was educational, hilarious and amazing. That his marriage lasted is the amazing part.
As an expat living in Iran in the 70s, I thought I had it rough. My idea of roughing was standing in the reservation line at the Ritz Carleton. But after reading this book, Iran was like living in Paris at the Ritz Hotel.
Dodie Cross, author of A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles. - 2008-10-06, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
