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sarahlreadseverything's review
4.0
Honestly it seems that some of the people who have written previous reviews of the book seem to have a personal grudge against the man, or at least the way he makes his living. Although by no means a travel guide to NZ, this book is beautifully written and a brutally honest portrayl in more of the style of a memoir. Joe Bennett highlights the positive, the negative and the neutral of living in one of the youngest and most isolated countries in the world. There were passages that made me cry not out of sentimentality but rather just the straight honesty of how he sees NZ and how it's changing. I would recommend to any New Zealander or anyone who knows NZ well, rather than a traveller looking for a guide to a country.
rpc_2024's review
2.0
I started this book while touring New Zealand but stopped because although witty the writer is curmudgeonly and miserable. Despite the original ambition to hitchhike most of the North Island is travelled by car. He drinks a lot of beer in bars smokes and stays in dreary motels. It's hardly positive and his conclusion that he will stay seems surprising.
Eventually finished the book but couldn't recommend it.
Eventually finished the book but couldn't recommend it.
tinnytree's review
4.0
I feel that me giving this 4 stars comes down to three things, 1. I'm male and this was written in a very male orientated way, 2. I lived in New Zealand during the time Joe travelled so I can to relate to the current events (of 2003) and 3. I've travelled around a vast area of New Zealand visiting most of the places Joe visited. If it hadn't been for these 3 things, his writing and personality probably would have worn me down and I would have struggled to finish this book.
vonitapplebum's review
1.0
DNF.
I found it hard to read this book. It's like talking to a person without humor who constantly tries to throw a joke.
I found it hard to read this book. It's like talking to a person without humor who constantly tries to throw a joke.
mazza57's review
2.0
It was Ok but not riveting although he does have a good descriptive phrase from time to time.
christinevellis's review
Some may say this is funny but for me it's filled with snark and disdain that took away any enjoyment from it.
qofdnz's review
4.0
Joe Bennett is like the Bill Bryson of New Zealand in this book. Even though he's british.
beckyann1110's review
3.0
I struggled a bit with forming my opinion of this book, because while I was interested in the perspective of NZ from the hitchhiker's eyes, he had a tendency to write heavily about the negative, as if he thought that was the way to differentiate himself from a guidebook. (At the same time, he's got a point about a lot of the canned tourist "attractions" one inevitably finds when traveling, which are much mentioned throughout.) He does manage to delve deeeper than many travel writers do into fascinating, detailed anecdotes about the places he visits, and his writing goes beyond just documenting a trip, showing some of the introspection that hours [b:on the road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21E8H3D1JSL._SL75_.jpg|3355573] with an outstretched thumb must lead to. He finally feels positive around the last third -- but the change in focus to the pleasant rather than curmudgeonly almost feels like he's trying to remind the reader (and himself?) why he's focused his efforts on documenting a trip he only seemed to half-enjoy.