Magdalena: A Story of Colombia

Anyone who wishes to understand this mysterious corner of the world deserves Magdalena. It is a capacious, generous and illuminating book -- -Juan Gabriel Vasquez After all our agonies, Wade Davis, through the evocative power of his writing and the clarity of his understanding, gives us all reason to once again love Colombia. That is the wonder of his book, which in many ways reads as a love letter to a nation -- Hector Abad, author of Oblivion Davis stocks his lively narrative with piquant characters, dramatic historical set pieces, and lyrical nature writing. The result is a rich, fascinating study of how nature and a people shape each other * Publishers Weekly * Shimmering... Never wincing from dark histories, yet never abandoning hope, Wade Davis shows us why Colombia stole his heart as a young traveller and holds it still -- Kate Harris, author of Lands of Lost Borders A magnificent, hugely important book, breathtaking in its scope and vision ... a masterpiece ... an epic journey across the nation and into its beating heart ...essential reading for anyone wanting to understand Colombia -- Anna Lewington [Magdalena] is a rallying cry to save the Magdalena from the destructive effects of industrialisation, but it also aims to reset our impressions of the country as a whole... [Davis's] passion for Colombia is better expressed in the depth of information he delivers - and the poetic way in which he captures its extraordinary landscape. Those pondering a trip will be inspired to veer off the tourist path -- Jenny Coad * The Times * Davis is a powerful, penetrating and immensely knowledgeable writer -- Charles Nicholl * Guardian, *Book of the Week* * Davis suffuses his reportage with a visionary tinge. But his subject more than warrants it -- Boyd Tonkin * Financial Times * Magdalena is a revelatory and often enchanting book * Economist * This book is the culmination of a lifetime's work in the country and is suffused with a love and knowledge that only such long acquaintance can bring -- Hugh Thomson * Spectator * Passionate and profoundly engaged... [Davis'] presentation of the great river as Colombia's Mississippi, its fountain of music, the source of its many contradictions...generates an impact that few travel books can muster. -- Brian Morton * Tablet * Music and myth, commerce and colonialism, indigeneity and identity: Magdalena is as impressively exploratory in approach as it is encyclopaedic in scope -- Oliver Balch * Times Literary Supplement * A wonderful evocation of a lifetime's travel in Colombia -- Hugh Thomson * Spectator, *Books of the Year* * Wonderful -- Ilse Crawford * Observer * [An] outstanding travelogue... [Davis] tells epic tales of passion, violence and ambition with tremendous narrative verve -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times, *Books of the Year* * Davis manages this complex story brilliantly, mixing his knowledge of environmental complexity with a historian's grasp of the big picture... Davis's deep understanding and affection for the people and the environment sweep the reader along -- Robin Hanbury-Tension * Geographical, *Book of the Month* *