 
Amazon Dream
Average Rating: 2.5 Total Reviews: 3
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 On: 2005-11-12
Very odd, makes me wonder how this book ever got published in the first place, doesnt really make the Amazon appealing. It almost reveals more about Allen than about the area she toured, alone, in 1987 when she was 41. It prepared me for rain, mud, and all the insects in the world. And so much of it, to Allen, was dirty, and poverty-laden, and slovenly. She kept trying to find meaning in everything, searching for something she obviously needed. She is always fearful, feels alienated, and men seem to scare her, though she seems to fall for almost every one she meets, especially her guides. Maybe being alone makes a difference. She had no group support to fall back on. This book has very little of beauty, or wonder, or just plain fun. It is haunting, but in a thoroughly depressing way.
by: frizzle_mt On: 2005-09-02
This book details the experiences of a New York artist shopping for tribal pottery in the Amazon region of Peru in the late 1980s. Allen starts off from Iquitos, spends time in Belen, and Callao, before reaching Pucallpa where she wishes to visit members of the Shipibo tribe to observe their work and purchase pottery bowls from them. She had always been fascinated with the rain forest since she was a small child. But once she arrived in the towns near the jungle, she found herself overwhelmed with the Third World conditions. She hired guides to take her up the rivers to visit villages and see wild life. Not everything worked as planned, and sometimes the guides werent willing to go, or sometimes she wasnt ready mentally to face the hardships on the river. In the end, though, she finally makes it to some Shipibo villages, buys a few pots, and returns home again.
Allen acknowledges her New York sensibilities, noting how careful she is about letting her guard down. One part of the motivation for her trip seems to be the thrill involved with leaving behind the stable, predictable life in the big city to descend into the unknown, uncomfortable and poverty stricken surroundings of the Third World, if only for a few weeks. In the trip described here, which seems to have lasted no more than about two months, she meets no one other than guides and First World tourists like herself. Her dealings with the guides are confined to work related duties, and she holds herself aloof from the other tourists. Most of her interactions seem to be inside her own head. Although she seems to have traveled in the area before, shes not what you might call a seasoned traveler. For instance, on an expedition to a remote area, she finds herself so dirty that she feels compelled to bathe with the groups drinking water, much to the dismay of the guides and other tourists. In this book, Allen doesnt devote much space to vivid descriptions of the scenery. She also never gets around to telling us about the unique characteristics of the Shipibo art. All in all, this is simply a travel journal covering the superficial events of a journey in the Third World.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-08-13
HAVING BEEN RAISED ON A FARM IN THE APPALACHIANS AND A DEGREE IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, I FOUND THIS TO BE AN AMAZING BOOK. TO SEE HOW A "NYC GIRL" WHO FANTASIZES ABOUT THE JUNGLE, DEALS WITH THE HARSH REALITY OF JUNGLE LIFE IS ENTERTAINING TO SAY THE LEAST. HER DESCRIPTIONS ARE FASCINATING AND AT TIMES HUMOUROUS, AND HER HONEST STRUGGLES WITH DEALING WITH REALITY VERSUS HER FANTASIES OPENS THE DOOR TO SEEING WHERE ONESELF HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AT TIMES, THOUGH WED LIKE TO BELIEVE WE DONT. AMAZON DREAM IS A REALLY GOOD AND FUN BOOK FOR THOSE OF US WHO FIND CITY PEOPLE FUN AND ENJOYABLE TO OBSERVE, BUT ALSO FOR EXPLORING ONES OWN FEARS, STRUGGLES, IDEAS AND HIDDEN DESIRES FOR ADVENTURE.
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