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| Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff | 
 enlarge | Author: Rosemary Mahoney
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $23.99
Buy New: $3.22
You Save: $20.77 (87%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $3.22
Avg. Customer Rating:  (24 reviews)
Sales Rank: 39463
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1
ISBN: 031610745X
Dewey Decimal Number: 916.20455
EAN: 9780316107457
ASIN: 031610745X
Publication Date: July 11, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A beautiful and thoughtful book. March 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
What a beautiful and thoughtful book. Rosemary Mahoney sees and describes clearly using unique combinations of words that illuminate an alien landscape and culture. A literate voice with an honest eye.
I enjoyed the adventures she shared with us and admire the courage she showed in undertaking them.
Delighted to discover this writer March 1, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Over the past couple of months I've read all five of Rosemary Mahoney's books. The first one I read, Whoredom in Kimmage, I picked up because I have an interest in Ireland. I couldn't put the book down, mainly because of the author's perceptions, style, and voice. After Whoredom in Kimmage, my favorite of her books is Down the Nile. This story is so quirky and funny and informative and, like all her books, well-written. I gave the book to a friend of mine, an American, who lived in Cairo for four years. He, too, loved it and even confessed he envied her nerve to do what she had done: find a boat and row 125 miles down the Nile. (I read only one negative review of this book here at Amazon, also from an American who lives in Cairo. that person's criticisms reek of some kind of sour grapes. And envy. In fact, that person's review is not only misleading but flat-out dishonest. Nothing he says is true of this book. And he completely ignores the heart of the story: Mahoney's beautiful friendship with a graceful Nubian captain, a story that makes the book worth reading TWICE. Mahoney is neither condescending nor fearful and as far as I can see she accepts each person she meets on their own terms. I myself could not imagine being as trusting, open, respectful and sympathetic to a bunch of foreign strangers as this woman was)
My Cairo friend said that the thing that he noticed the most in Down the Nile was how accurate Mahoneys descriptions of the peoole and the place are. he said he was a little hestitant to read the book , because he never likes books about places he knows really well. Usually doesn't agree with them. But this one he loved. So, that says something for the book. But you don't have to know anything about Egypt, really, to love this book. You don't even have to have an interest in Egypt. It's a book all about human fragility and curiosity and the problems that come up when there's cultural misunderstanding. it's such a relevant book for the present times. It's full of entertaining hisorical anecdotes and interesting facts and, more than anything, very engaging stories. Mahoney is a storyteller of the first order.
Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff January 22, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book was as excellent as I expected from one of my favorite authors. The purchasing process was smooth & quick, no problems.
Stunning Book December 9, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
You can't know what this book holds in store for you until you read it. A beautifully written first person account of a woman traveling alone on a brave and determined adventure in Egypt, including much history of the region as well as current interactions with the people and the landscape. But really it is the story of what it is like to be a woman, particularly an independent woman, traveling alone, and traveling specifically in Egypt. The whole book builds toward a riveting climax, and the journey is riveting as well. A brilliant piece of work, and thrilling to read.
Any who would understand Middle Eastern traditions and culture needs Down the Nile December 4, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Two hundred years after Napoleon invaded Egypt author Rosemary Mahoney, a rower, decided to take her own solo trip down the Nile in a small boat - and in a seven-foot skiff helped by Muslim sailor Amr, she begins a boat journey which will ultimately sail her right into the culture and poverty of rural Egyptians. Egyptian women don't row on the Nile, and tourists aren't allowed to for safety purposes - so Mahoney must first fight culture and legal challenges to embark on her journey. Any who would understand Middle Eastern traditions and culture needs Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff, especially general-interest public lending libraries strong in Middle East cultural experiences and travel.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
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