The Lost City of Z - David Grann

The Lost City of Z

By David Grann

  • Release Date: 2009-02-24
  • Genre: History
Score: 4
4
From 588 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Wager comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction “with all the pace and excitement of a movie thriller”(The New York Times) that unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century—the story of the legendary British explorer who ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization and never returned.

"[Grann is] one of the preeminent adventure and true-crime writers working today."—New York Magazine


After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed writer David Grann set out to determine what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z. For centuries Europeans believed the Amazon, the world’s largest rain forest, concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. Then he vanished. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.”
 
In this masterpiece, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle.

Look for David Grann’s latest bestselling book, The Wager!

Reviews

  • Incredible

    5
    By Geneviève Wallace
    I couldn’t put it down
  • Percy

    5
    By medicmatt2
    An absolute great read
  • One of the best books I’ve read

    5
    By atyler123
    I’ve reread this book three times and it’s topic still fascinates me. Grann explores Fawcett’s disappearance from multiple perspectives as he retraced his steps through the Amazon. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone!
  • Hard to follow

    3
    By Griffinstrings.com
    The constant shuffling between time periods and interlaced stories made for difficult reading. I really enjoyed all the backstory of various characters etc, but feel the title of the book is misleading. I wanted to go on a mental safari but instead had to fight through to the finish.
  • Incredible story

    5
    By thankyoudmb
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author, Grann, had researched Fawcett and all the other explorers who traveled with him. So much interesting information about South America, the geographical areas, the various Indians that inhabit the countries, the cultures, and the race between the countries and various explorers to not only map the Amazonian region, but to find a lost city in a quest for fame, glory and wealth.
  • Loved it.

    5
    By Burleyboy
    I was lost in this book the entire time I read it. I was oblivious to the story and it was told in a way that kept me wanting to read more
  • Obsessed

    5
    By cryptowizard
    I'm a little obsessed with the jungle myself now. This book is awesome! It sucked me right in, and it was hard to believe such a gripping adventure could happen in nonfiction.
  • Not all that interesting

    2
    By Chris Strode
    I really liked "Collapse" and "Born to Run" and was hoping to learn something about nature and human hardships but this book focused more on exploring the main character's emotional toll he put on himself, his family, and his expeditioners. The last chapter was very fascinating however.