Book Review: 800 Leagues on the Amazon

I wish my copy looked like this one.

I had never heard of this book by Jules Verne. I found it as a freebie download for my Kindle, and having enjoyed several of his other books, I thought I would give this one a try. 

Set in the 1850's in South America, 800 Leagues on the Amazon tells the story of Joam Garral, a wealthy property owner who is the head or "fazender" of a settlement/ranch called Iquitos in the depths of the Peruvian jungle. He wasn't born to this property, instead it came into his possession through marriage. Years before he had inexplicably stumbled out of the jungle, half-starved and alone. The kind-hearted owner welcomed the poor fellow into his home, into his family. For years Joam served the settlement faithfully and under his supervision and management the settlement was thriving and prosperous. 


When the old fazender was on his death bed, he insisted that Joam marry his daughter. They were in love, but for some unknown reason Joam was reticent. Under the circumstances though, refusal was not an option. He humbly received the precious gift and spent two decades faithfully serving his wife Yaquita, a son Benito, a daughter Minha, and all the people who lived or worked at Iquitos, never leaving the settlement. 


As the years passed there seemed to be an underlying sadness in Joam. No one understood it and he never spoke of it. But one day things came to a head when his son's friend Manoel, who was considered one of the family, wanted to marry Joam's daughter. Because this young man's mother lived in a city down the Amazon, he wanted the marriage to take place where his mother could attend. Suddenly it became obvious that Joam did not want to leave Iquitos. No one could understand his reluctance. 


Joam suddenly resolved the issue in his mind and decided he would indeed leave Inquitos. The entire family would, in fact, make the trip down the Amazon across the frontier into Brazil and the wedding would take place in the city where Manoel's mother lived. To accomplish this, they constructed an enormous raft. 


The jangada, as the raft was called, was so large they were able to construct a small village on it. Think modern cruise ship. There was even a small chapel. Structures were constructed for the family toward the rear and more for the servants and crew toward the front. Stores were set in as well as furniture and lots of wares for the markets they would pass through. When all was ready, the family, servants and 40 crew members boarded and cast off. 


The journey takes months and during this time the mystery of Joam's sadness deepens. He spends almost all of his time in his quarters writing, no one knows what. About halfway through the journey, the jangada takes on an additional passenger, Torres. Benito and Manoel had met Torres many weeks earlier near Iquitos. Oddly, now he was here at this town almost as if he had been waiting for them. And that is exactly the case. Torres is the villain in the story. And it is through him we finally find out the mystery behind Joam's deep and abiding sadness. 


Before Joam had stumbled out of the jungle years before, he had been accused, tried and convicted of planning the robbery of a shipment of gold and the murder of the guards. Torres knew about Joam's past and his true identity. He had decided to blackmail Joam and force him to allow Torres to marry Minha. Joam, true to his nature, refused to do anything so dishonorable. Instead he shocked Torres when he admitted that he was indeed the convicted criminal. But instead of hiding anymore, he had already planned to go back and face the charges because he was innocent of the crime and he was tired of living a lie. He also refused to have such an honorable young man marry into a family without knowing the truth. 


The resolution of this conflict involves prison, a duel with machetes to the death, a giant electric eel attack, a diving suit (remember this is in the 1850's), a dive to a depth of 80', a jail break, and a cryptogram. Truth does set Joam free and restores his good name. 


It really is a good tale, but the first half of the book is terribly slow. There is an excessive amount of detail concerning the flora, fauna, and topography that the reader must wade through. I'm sure Verne wanted us to have an appropriate appreciation for the wonderful countries of Peru and Brazil, but I sure was ready for some action. The last half of the book is filled with adventure and sets a good pace for the reader. If you decide to read this book, just remember that it is okay to buzz through sections that get bogged down in profuse description. I was glad that I stuck with it long enough to get to the good stuff. 


And that's it for my #8 in the quest for 52 in 52.