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Average Customer Rating:

A superb historical rescue mission

Customer Rating:

This really is a magnificent biography. Well written, gripping and shedding new light on a fascinating & complex subject. Most people will know no more about Stanley than "Dr Livingstone, I presume?", but this book expertly cuts through the many myths and misunderstandings that have dogged Stanley's reputation for over a century. What we are left with is a portrait of a unique individual who certainly managed to keep his head while all around were losing theirs. The excesses for which Stanley took the blame are largely shown to have been the work of others, indeed, the utterly dreadful behaviour of some of his British officers during the infamous 'Rear Column' episode only highlights Stanley's own strength of character. Like the expeditions it describes -- Long, sometimes harrowing, complex but ultimately totally absorbing.

Redressing the balance

Customer Rating:

Unfortunately a couple of reviewers have given this book one star based on their own prejudices rather than on the merits or otherwise of this book. So to redress this balance I give a well deserved 5 stars because quite simply this is one of the best biographies I have read for years. I have read The Scramble for Africa, and King Leopold's Ghost, and this book does nothing but add to the knowledge and understanding of this specific period of history. I think this book is remarkably well balanced, trully "warts and all", but it opens Stanley up for inspection in a vivid and detailed manner. Of course with the benefit of hindsight we can instantly pick at all of Stanley's faults, but he was of his time, a remarkable man then and would be now and if we should berate him for anything it is that he seems to be amongst the first to have mastered journalistic "spin". So he wasn't shy in emphasising his "successes" and burying the less wonderful aspects of his experiences and there are passages detailing brutality that still shock but there are more accounts of his bravery, his willingness to alleviate natives' suffering and a genuine wish to "explore" that he surely comes out ahead of the game in that regard. His was a fascinating and endlessly exciting life and this book offers a gripping account of it

Outstanding

Customer Rating:

I knew little of the history of the western colonialisation of Africa and less about Stanleys reputation prior to reading this book. Tim Jeal paints the picture of a desperatly flawed man desperate for the respect of others, and convincingly tells the tail of H M Stanleys life. Acknowledging his role in opening up the heart of Africa it highlights a man out of his depth when out of the Jungle but beyond compare when leading his expeditions through it. Buy read enjoy!

Outstanding

Customer Rating:

As a committed Afrophile I always felt perplexed by Stanley; I generally accepted the negative post-colonial view of Stanley and indeed the view of some during his lifetime. I often wondered if this man from very humble beginnings was indeed the racist monster he was often portrayed as. Tim Jeal's excellent revisionist biography of Stanley is superbly written, very well researched and well balanced. Jeal portrays a man who by the standards of his day was not racist, a man whose toughness and resolve is astounding and a man whose exploration journeys almost defy modern comprehension. Sure Stanley was not perfect and he did live in a more sanguinary time but by any standards it is clear he was not the monster he has so often been portrayed as; Stanley and many of his fellow travellers deserve this biography.

Excellent Adventure

Customer Rating:

In one of these reviews a gentleman has said the truth about Stanley should not be known in light of the tragedy of events in the Congo. That man acts as if he has read this book cover to cover. Maybe if he had as I have he would have known that his argument is way off base. Stanley cared about the African people. He devoted his life to leading the fight against slavery and was beloved by his Wangwana followers. He died just as King Leopold's evil schemes came to light. One can call him blinded by Leopold's rank and lies but to be honest every major statesman in Europe at the time believed Leopold was a good guy and didn't know of his slave labour ideas or the way people in the Congo were being killed and mutilated. Moreover recent history in the Congo has NOTHING to do with Stanley but again we are reminded that because it is a sad place now it is ok for Stanley's good name to be dragged through the mud. It is precisely because of such injustice that the truth must be told. He was a great man, not perfect but a good man too. Read it for yourself and don't be put off by people with an agenda of their own. Quite how it is insensitive to rescue a good man's reputation when others suffering was not affected by him in any way is beyond me. Respect the Congo's brutal history, cry for it, but to cry is not to defame the dead who should be honored. Read it today too, it's a great read, best book ever in my view. But then it's my current flavour of the month. Last month it was Toll's 'Six Frigates' . :)