- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press; illustrated edition edition (Feb 10 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0553815504
- ISBN-13: 978-0553815504
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 259 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#26,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific > Papua New Guinea
- #66 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Travel Writing
- #73 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Travel > Adventure
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
“It is, like all the best travel narratives, a resonant interior journey, and offers wisdom for our times.”
—Edward Marriott, author of The Lost Tribe
“Kira Salak is tough, a real life Lara Croft…unlike many travel writers, she is hip to her inner workings.”
—New York Times
“Kira Salak is a rare find – a gifted storyteller who is also a daring journeywoman.”
—Mary Morris, author of Nothing To Declare: Memoir of a Woman Travelling Alone
Book Description
At the age of 24, Kira Salak undertook a three-month solo journey across Papua, New Guinea. Four Corners, her account of that trip, is an extraordinary travel memoir. Amid the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, Salak traversed this island, known as the last frontier of adventure travel, by dugout canoe and on foot. Along the way, Salak stayed in a village where people still practiced cannibalism behind the backs of the missionaries, met the leader of the OPM, the separatist guerrilla movement opposing the Indonesian occupation of Western New Guinea, and undertook an epic trek through the jungle. Four Corners is also an interior journey as Salak explores her dysfunctional family past, and the demons that drive her to experience situations that most of us can barely imagine.
Reading more like a thriller than a travel book, Four Corners is compulsive armchair travel at its very best.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Four Corners,
By
This review is from: Four Corners (Paperback)
If you've ever longed to trek through a jungle or wade through a swamp, to explore the wild and savage places and test your mettle, this book is for you. Kira Salak is a first-rate writer. She writes with beauty and economy, all the while keeping us on the edge of our seats as she takes us on a wild adventure through the jungles of New Guinea and an even more harrowing ride through her own psyche. What happens after you face your worst nightmare? What compels a woman to seek out the most dangerous places on earth, to repeatedly put her own life in danger? Kira Salak shares these truths that she learns through her own hard-won experience. A fascinating read. I couldn't recommend this book more highly.Constance R. Brochet
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.7 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews) 25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK I'VE EVER READ,
By Avid Travel Reader - Published on Amazon.com
This book COMPLETELY engaged me from beginning to end. It tells the story of a young woman drawn to danger and adventure in one of the most remote locations on earth. She reaches distant tribes that haven't seen any white people, where the kids all run off in terror, thinking she's yellow-haired ghost. She spends time with other tribes still practicing cannibalism, puts up with unsavory local traders, meets shamans and fanatical missionaries and all manner of colorful characters. This is an adventure book on two different levels--we not only learn about the fascinating country of New Guinea, but we learn what drove Ms. Salak to go on such a dangerous and remarkable journey. And more incredibly, she went on this journey ALONE. My hat goes off to her.If you're looking for some dry, academic kind of book on New Guinea culture--like the previous reviewer seemed to be--then I suggest you go to the library and pick up some scientific journals and go nuts. But if you'd like a great, really readable adventure story that will hold your interest from beginning to end, that won't be a waste of your time or money, then this is the book for you. I've shared this gem with all of my friends--world backpackers and arm-chair travelers alike--and they all loved it. 34 of 42 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Harangue in disguise,
By Innominate - Published on Amazon.com
Being keen on New Guinea biota, I have been working to collect all the literature I can on the area. Most resources one finds are by missionaries, anthropologists, or military stories of World War II. Fairly useless for learning of the flora and fauna. Thus, seeing a book of a peregrination along hundreds of miles of lowland territory was intriguing.Now, I'll concede there are no rules for writing a book about exotic adventures. However, I *did* have some preconceived expectations of travel writing about such an exotic destination. I did not expect her to spend 1/10th of the book talking about how dangerous Africa is. I did not expect her to mention how dangerous PNG is on nearly every page, and manage to elaborate on it over and over with each mention. If she wants to cross PNG, sure, admit it can be a little dangerous. However, it gets old reading it page after page after page. I really feel as though she could have packed twice as much information into the pages as she did. I felt as though I got to know few of the characters, and there was scant mention of the background settings. It was all about her, her thoughts, and how she is growing as a person. Now, this is all fine and dandy for some people, but I really wanted to read more about the characters she encountered, adventures she took. It was her book and she is allowed to write as she pleases. It just was NOT what I expected. I especially find it incredible how she was able to cross the main landmass, and write so little about the flora and fauna she encountered. New Guinea is a mecca for wildlife, and you could write entire books on the subjects you find in 1 metre square. There is almost no mention of any plants or animals. Despite my criticism, Ms. Salak indeed has a gift for writing and journeyed through one of the Earths most amazing regions. My review offers a poor rating because the book really wasn't about New Guinea, it was about a confused young woman trying to "find" herself. 6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wish there were more Salak books out there,
By earthmother3 - Published on Amazon.com
I have read both of Kira Salak's books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I am hoping she will write another one soon. Four Corners was great and I was able to compare much of my trip to hers (although mine was not quite as adventurous). I don't feel she spoke too much on the dangers of PNG, as one reviewer wrote. The dangers are very real and different than other countries. I also enjoyed the excerpt on her travels through Mozambique included in this book. She has a gift for writing. Hurry up Ms. Salak and write another book soon!
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