| The Snow Leopard (Picador Books) |  | Author: Peter Matthiessen
Publisher: Pan Books
Category: Book
List Price: £4.95
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £4.94 (100%)
Used (31) Collectible (2) from £0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 48372
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 312
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
ISBN: 0330261614
EAN: 9780330261616
ASIN: 0330261614
Publication Date: October 10, 1980
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Good condition has been read so will have signs of use Very light cover creasing. pages have yellowed due to age Sent within 1 working day by UK seller, available by email for queries.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 10 | | NEXT » |
 Exquisite January 5, 2008
account and one of my very favourites of all time. For those coping with bereavement, those travelling to Nepal, intending Buddhists, or even all those wanting more meaning in their life, get it. You won't be disappointed. The scenes from this wonderful book will live in you for years to come, and provide balm for your soul. I recommend more stories, and books like this in my book Travelling Magically: How to Turn Your Journey into a Life-changing Experience
a story of a journey that follows you November 6, 2007
I bought the book for its travel and nature writing perspective. It's very enjoyable on those fronts, but what really strikes deep into your thoughts and heart is the thread of zen buddhism running throughout, from the people he meets along the way, to the prayer stones, walls, and flags, the lamas and their spoken wisdom and Matthiessen's own inner trials and quest towards the sacred. I was in the habit of turning down a page of interest for further pondering when I came across it, but I had to give up when every other page was getting folded.... it will have to be read, and read again, to let the deep quiet meaning of the book seep in. Even after the book is finished, half of my mind is still in the Himalaya whilst washing up- it takes you there.
 Matthiessen's strange book August 31, 2007
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
In "The Snow Leopard" Peter Matthiessen takes a long length of rope and proceeds to hang himself.
- As implied by his own words, the man is a primadonna: a large ego, easily bruised. Not your ideal trekking companion.
- He abandons his son when he needs him the most, then milks the situation for dramatic effect.
- His ex-wife's cancer death gets similar treatment.
- He prints her incredibly bad poetry to show what a wonderful person she was. Shouldn't he as a writer have at least some aesthetic judgment?
- He catches a fleeting glimpse of an animal but can't quite make out what it is. Matthiessen's conclusion: It's the Yeti!
- One of the Nepalis in the group is a liar and a thief. Matthiessen has been warned about him, but is impressed by the man's countenance and suspects he may be a guru sent to enlighten him. There follow several predictable incidents with the 'guru', but Matthiessen in his New Age fog assumes that the master is just testing him, checking if he can see past facades. Later he actually takes the man to a trekking agency and gives him a glowing reference! Pity the poor trekking group that hires this scoundrel based on Matthiessen's recommendation.
I could go on, but you get the picture. Nevertheless, the book is recommended as an exercise in reading between the lines: What the author says; what really happened.
Vertigo with heart November 17, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
As a present from a dear friend, this was a marvellous read.
The author heads for the Himalayan heights to seek out the elusive and precious mountain cat with the eminent mammalogist Schaller. Matthiessen writes of the mountains there and the grand hospitality from Nepal and hermits on their mountain retreats and the book harks back to elements of his wife's death and explorations of what life involves. He analyses the lives and manners of the people he encounters and describes the ruggedness of mountain climbing marrying together endurance with views, storms and tales of blue sheep and the mythical Yeti. This is for a discerning reader wishing to pause from the rat race to really take in a big picture and to weep silently.
The snow Leopard March 3, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Matthiessen’s book, written in beautiful, otherworldly prose, is a masterpiece. The book describes the physical and spiritual journey the author undertakes to the far North-West of Nepal with the renowned naturalist George Schaller. Mathiessen undertook this trek shortly after the death of his first wife - and whilst wrestling with the loss of a loved one, the shackles of modern western life and Mathiessen own spiritual exploration of Buddhist philosophies – the words drip off the pages like honey. The pace of the narrative and the nuggets of spiritual and philosophical truth found within these pages echo in the readers mind and far outlive the reading of the book. The people, the culture and the landscape come together and thrust the reader into a forgotten land at the time untouched by western influence. One of those classic reads you’ll be sure to tell friends and loved ones about and probably force them to read!
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