The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

· Sold by Vintage
4.1
147 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Wager comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction “with all the pace and excitement of a movie thriller”(The New York Times) that unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century—the story of the legendary British explorer who ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization and never returned.

"[Grann is] one of the preeminent adventure and true-crime writers working today."—New York Magazine


After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed writer David Grann set out to determine what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z. For centuries Europeans believed the Amazon, the world’s largest rain forest, concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. Then he vanished. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.”
 
In this masterpiece, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle.

Look for David Grann’s latest bestselling book, The Wager!

Ratings and reviews

4.1
147 reviews
A Google user
April 28, 2017
This book was a good read and I am excited about viewing the movie this weekend. The author, David Grann, has a writing style that keeps the story interesting. Even though we know what happens in the end since it's a true story, Fawcett's process of exploration and discovery was very revealing and educational for those interested in an explorer's life during the Victorian era up to PHF's disappearance in 1925. It's even more tragic that his young son Jack and Jack's best friend had to perish along with PHF. Also, I enjoyed reading about the indigenous people in the Amazon.
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A Google user
June 14, 2010
The Lost City of Z is a wonderful book written to document the search for two treasures, the mythical Lost City of Z (a large civilization in the middle of the Amazon), and Col Percy Fawcett, who disappeared in the Amazon searching for Z. Once I began reading The Lost City of Z I couldn't put the book down. It alternated between background information on both the List City of Z and Col Fawcett. I enjoyed the book tremendously until I reached the final chapter. Here the tone of the book changes and the ending was very anticlimactic. I recommend this book to anyone with a sense of adventure and history. But, the ending is disappointing.
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Kamas Kirian
February 6, 2016
A wonderful and compelling story. I've been interested in anthropology and archaeology since I was a kid, and this is one of the big questions about the history of the early america's. Were there any large settlements in the Amazon or was Carvajal's description of Orellana's trip down the Amazon a tall tale or a true accounting? Ancient civilizations fascinate me. The dual narrative of the life of Fawcett and the search for Fawcett was well told and well paced. The eBook was formatted well, with a few punctuation errors (mostly hyphenated words that didn't need to be).
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About the author

DAVID GRANN is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and THE LOST CITY OF Z. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON was a finalist for The National Book Award and won an Edgar Allan Poe Award. He is also the author of THE WHITE DARKNESS and the collection THE DEVIL AND SHERLOCK HOLMES. Grann's storytelling has garnered several honors, including a George Polk Award. He lives with his wife and children in New York.

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