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Bottom of the pile
11
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
5/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Paolo Cognetti, Stash Luczkiw
Publisher:
HarperOne
Date:
June 23, 2020
In 2017, Paolo Cognetti returned to Nepal, not to conquer the mountains but to journey through the high valleys of the Dolpo with a copy of Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard in hand. Drawing on memories of his childhood in the Alps, Cognetti explored the roots of life in the mountains, truly getting to know the communities and the nature that forged this resilient, almost mythical region.
What The Reviewers Say
... an exquisite book by a writer of rare wisdom and grace. Its rhythms move at the pace of the walking step and the flowing stream.
Cognetti presents a delightful travelogue of his transformative visit to the Dolpo region of Nepal.
The emerging parallels in their stories unfortunately expose Cognetti’s weakness as a storyteller. The author is a fine travel writer, investing his narrative with vivid insights into the present-day Nepalese region and sharing the often grueling physical effects of traversing through these high altitudes. Yet his personal context for the undertaking is vague. Matthiessen’s physical and spiritual journey is deeply enhanced by the intimate and emotional experiences of his past; his spiritually enlightening memoir is often moving. Readers unfamiliar with Cognetti’s previous work may come away from this slender narrative feeling they know little about him.
