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Indlæser... Slipping into Paradise: Why I Live in New Zealandaf Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
   Ingen Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog.  LibraryCin | Jun 25, 2016 |   Thank you, Jeffrey, for such a nice way of telling the world about Godzone. (  ) gmillar | Oct 12, 2011 |  ) ORFisHome | Jul 13, 2009 | He is an ardent lefty who revels in being politically correct. But for all his wonderful sympathy for the abused, downtrodden, and historically disadvantaged, he is actually thrilled about New Zealand (mostly) because it is the same Father-Knows-Best, bland, white-bread atmosphere he grew up in, long ago. The other reason is the sunshine, beaches and physical beauty of the place. He goes on and on about rocks and trees for pages and pages. If hiking is your thing, you will enjoy it, otherwise it will get repetitive and boring. Overall the book is disorganized and confused. He extols the founding treaty between Europeans and Maoris that made NZ a country, and thinks its monument should be more important. Yet he then goes on to explain how the treaty was used by the Europeans to oppress, and dispossess the Maori. He says they are better treated than the Aborigines in Australia, and actually tells a Maori that living in NZ is a paradise. She replies that it is for whites, and because they don't have it as bad as the native peoples in Australia, doesn't make it 'good' for them in NZ. He keeps repeating how he feels safe in NZ, and that he didn't in the US, Canada, or Europe. Well perhaps he just picked the wrong places to live. He compares one-road town no-where in NZ to London, and Toronto, and other big cities. Well no kidding. He might try actual small towns in the rest of the world before he decides that NZ is the only safe place. He seems to take both sides of an argument and accept them as true, even when that is not possible. So he believes X at one point, and then later in the same chapter he will say Y is true, even though it contradicts the earlier X. There seems to be no plan to the book, other than what takes his fancy. I have no idea who he is, but the book is really about his impressions, feelings and experiences in NZ, rather than about the country itself, either as tour guide, cultural commentary or popular history. In the end he gives a couple of tour routes for visitors, complete with directions to the little cabins he owns at some road-side attraction. Completely self-absorbed and self-serving. (  )1  FicusFan | Apr 20, 2008 |  ) IFREF | Apr 25, 2007 | ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
In the tradition of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in Provence, here is Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson’s ode to his personal paradise–his adopted home, New Zealand. After living in California, why did Masson settle– out of all the places on earth–in such a faraway land? It turns out that while visiting a beautiful sandy beach just fifteen minutes from bustling Auckland, Masson and his family were utterly seduced by the exotic locale. There was little deliberation. This place, surrounded by lush forest on a bay dotted with volcanic islands, would be their new home. Masson takes readers on a remarkable journey to another world, as he and his family “slip into” the paradise that is New Zealand. For anyone who has ever dreamed of finding utopia, Masson reveals a country where neighbors talk to one another and provide a sense of real community–rarely, outside of the big cities, locking their doors–and where politics are as mellow as the weather. New Zealand is also a land of spectacular scenery, made even more famous for being the shooting location for the Lord of the Rings films. The flora is plentiful. Mangroves, banana plants, papaya trees, and more than ten thousand species of ferns grow wild and freely. The fauna is benign. There are no snakes, tarantulas, or scorpions. Children can walk to school barefoot without a care– there is nothing to sting them, bite them, or give them a rash. In the blue waters near the lush coastline, dolphins and orcas abound. While describing his love affair with the country and his affinity for its citizens, Masson reflects on the meaning of home, the importance of acting on intuition, and what happens when we lose our connection to the place we live in. Responding to an impulse, Masson reveals, he realized a dream. Featuring a its glossary of phrases used by New Zealanders and important Maori words, as well as the author’s recommended travel itinerary, Slipping into Paradise is ideal for anyone planning a visit to this exquisite land. Full of photographs, delightful anecdotes, and little-known facts (jogging, for example, was invented in New Zealand), Slipping into Paradise is also a book for those who fantasize about dramatically changing their lives–and who imagine something better for themselves. Jeffrey Masson’s message: New Zealand awaits. From the Hardcover edition. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing-forfatterJeffrey Moussaieff Masson er LibraryThing-forfatter, en forfatter som har sit personlige bibliotek opført på LibraryThing. Current DiscussionsIngenPopulære omslag
 Google Books — Indlæser...GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)993.0History and Geography Oceania and elsewhere New ZealandLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit: (3.17)
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Masson is an American who has chosen to live in New Zealand, after living in many other countries around the world. He loves his adopted country and is writing about it in this book. He has chapters on the history, the flora and fauna, some travels throughout the country, etc.
I've been wanting to see NZ since I was in high school. There were parts of the book I enjoyed (flora, fauna descriptions, in particular), but the travel section was very specific to places he has travelled to. That makes sense, I guess, but the chapter just didn't flow well, for me. Other than that, I do like his easy-to-read writing style. Some people seem to have taken offense to his political viewpoints, but I suppose I barely noticed, because I mostly agree. (