Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “A fascinating book about the real travels of Marco Polo and company. Interesting information on customs at the court of the Khans.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Detail overload.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“Halfway through it. A bit plodding compare to his otehr books. I think the dearth of historically reliable info from the 13th century about a nomadic tribe makes it tricky to write such a book with historical coherence.”
Ron C wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A fascinating book about the real travels of Marco Polo and company. Interesting information on customs at the court of the Khans.”
Cynthia C wrote this review Tuesday, August 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I loved this book. I was glad to see that it made it to paperback. That means there are enough people out there interested in the subject.”
pB wrote this review Monday, June 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I stopped reading the book. Detail overload.”
Grandpa wrote this review Tuesday, March 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Marco Polo is a book about a boy who leaves China in 1271 with his father, Niccolò, and his uncle, Maffeo. They make a huge trip traveling and learning about the many places which surround their home country. I found this book very appealing because it was an adventure story that told the story of interesting characters. My dad told me about this book and that he read i as a kid, so I decided to give it a try and to my surprise, it wasn't all that bad. I felt it was slow at times because of the amount a time Bergreen (the author) takes to explain setting and not the actual plot. Overall, a good read, which is probably why it is a classic.”
JEREMY K wrote this review Friday, January 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Detail overload.”
TheLibrarian wrote this review Friday, August 22 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A fact to keep in mind while reading this book. Bergreen is quick to mention that the Muslim leader of Cairo burnt down the holy sepulcher, but does not tell his audience about how he was criticized for it in the Muslim world. The Muslims were the ones who rebuilt it for the Christians and to this day Muslims hold the key and open the door for the Christians every morning. After the crusaders took over Jerusalem they themselves describe the scene of their destruction to the Vatican by saying that their horses were up to their knees in Muslim blood, in fact they even killed a lot of Christians. In comparison when Saladin the great took back Jerusalem from the Christians, he did not go after the Christian and Jews of Jerusalem, he gave everyone freedom to practice their religion and washed the religious sites with rose water. I Know the book is about Marco Polo but in these times with so much hatred towards Muslims I believe its irresponsible for a writer such as Bergreen to only mention one side – the side that just happens to go against the Muslims”
Wardah K wrote this review Thursday, August 7 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Polo (the book) was highly educational and Bergreen’s account was very approachable... but frankly, I was bit disappointed. The book just fell short of my expectations. I appreciate Bergreen’s monumental task; How to lift an ancient travel writing from another world, century and language and turn it into a three dimensional modern adventure biography. Instead, Bergreen delivered a two dimensional story that never appeared fully formed. Another interpretation of my flat response could be argued - my beef may not be with Bergreen, but with the subject, Marco Polo. The excerpts of Polo’s popular books are highly flamboyant. He is clearly obsessed with riches, power and with the sexual appetite of Eastern rulers. Polo often brags in excess and supports his sensational stories with endless numeric tallies (5,000 wives, 10,000 boats, etc.) The book left me hungry for the real story behind the endless lists and dusty caravans. Maybe I’m asking for Historical Fiction (which I deplore) but I don’t think so. If Jared Diamond can write a compelling and running story about the entire history of Man’s civilizations (Guns Germs and Steel) in one fire cracker of a book, Laurence Bergreen could have lifted it up a notch.”
Garcon wrote this review Monday, June 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Amazon review: Even in his own day, the famed 13th-century travel writer Marco Polo was mocked as a purveyor of tall tales—gem-encrusted clothes, nude temple dancing girls, screaming tarantulas—in his narrative of his journey to the Chinese court of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. In this engrossing biography, Bergreen (James Agee: A Life), while allowing that mere facts... were never enough for Marco, finds him a roughly accurate and perceptive witness (aside from the romantic embellishments and outright fabrications concocted with his collaborator Rustichello of Pisa) who painted an influential and unusually sympathetic portrait of the much-feared Mongols. Bergreen follows Polo's disjointed commentary on everything from Chinese tax policy to asbestos manufacturing, crocodile hunting and Asian sexual mores—Polo was especially taken with the practice of sharing one's wife with passing travelers—while deftly glossing it with scholarship. Less convincing is Bergreen's attempt to add depth to Polo's lurid taste and over-heated imagination by portraying him as both a prophet of globalization and a pilgrim and explorer of the spirit. Polo's spiritual trek didn't take him very far, since he ended his days back in Venice as a greedy, litigious merchant. Still, the result is a long, strange, illuminating trip. 16 pages of photos, 3 maps. (Oct. 25) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. ”
Zevs wrote this review Sunday, April 6 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I'm so glad I read this book! It was very interesting, which can be difficult for me with non-fiction. This book helped me realize how little I knew about Asia's contribution to modern-day society. Also I learned: Marco Polo never brought noodles to Italy from China---noodles came from Turkey! For some reason no one I tell that to seems to care :-)”
julie s wrote this review Sunday, February 24 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
