Getting Stoned with the Savages

A Trip through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu

By: J. Maarten Troost

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Getting Stoned with Savages again reveals Troost's wry wit and infectious joy of discovery in a hilarious account of life in the farthest reaches of the world.

After two grueling years on the island of Tarawa, Troost was in no hurry to return to the South Pacific until he began to feel remarkably out of place in modern America. He knew it was time to set off again for parts unknown. Here he tells the story of his time on Vanuatu, a cluster of islands where he struggles against typhoons, earthquakes, and giant centipedes but finds himself swept up in the laid-back, clothing-optional lifestyle of the islanders. When his wife Sylvia gets pregnant, they decamp for slightly more civilized Fiji, a fallen paradise rife with prostitutes and government coups, where their son takes quite naturally to island living.

©2006 J. Maarten Troost (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Thank you!

An insightful capture of an honest investment into island life. Thank you so much for sharing the manificant details and giving us a chance to live our dreams through your perspective. I enjoyed your vocabulary and couldn't wait to continue the story each day.

Hubby Recommended it - but was just OK for me.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I got bored with it.

Would you be willing to try another book from J. Maarten Troost? Why or why not?

Maybe.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration might have been the problem.

Could you see Getting Stoned with the Savages being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Not sure

Any additional comments?

Didn't finish it.

Still on a roll

Troost gives you an insiders view of the remote Pacific islands of Vanuatu and Fiji outside the walls of the luxury resorts. Not quite as many chuckles as his first book but still an enjoyable listen.

Listen again & again

This book is a really terrific travel companion. Laugh-out-loud, embarrass-yourself-on-a-plane funny. Author has a fantastic gift for description, and the narrator does a great job of interpreting the author's voice. A MUST HAVE!

think Michael Palin

Would you consider the audio edition of Getting Stoned with the Savages to be better than the print version?

think Michael Palin with alot of funny antidotes. sometimes cynical views, but right on! would think better listening than reading-Great on long car trips.

Fabulous

The combination of Troost's writing and Vance's reading is impossible to match; they are both amazing.
Troost writes a very good, incitful at times and always funny narrative. Vance is, if not THE master of audible, then one of the very best- his tone, timing and overall delivery add a lot- these 4 are must listens!

Laugh- out- loud funny!

Highly entertaining way to spend time on the treadmill at the gym. You may find people staring at your burst of laughter. Warning: a few F words used, but so funny I chose to overlook them.

Another informative entertaining adventure!

I am so grateful that Maarten Troost wrote so wonderfully of these adventures! Now I can scratch that off my bucket list, having lived vicariously through him;)! And another stellar reading by Simon Vance how I would love to have dinner with him if for no other reason than to hear him talk! (Though I'm sure I'd have a million questions;))

Wrong choice for narrorator!

I really wanted to love this book. I read Maarten Troost's first book and really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to his brand of sarcastic humor as I a prepared for a research trip to Fiji. Unfortunately, the narrator is poorly cast and it brings down the whole tone of the book. I believe the narrator is the same as the Lawrence Anthony books, for which he was very appropriately cast. Those books had a serious tone and he delivered the story with an air of knowledge and calm that was very fitting. For this book however, that same tone made it very difficult to remain engaged. Frankly, I was just bored while listening and found that most of the humor in the writing was lost. I only made it 1/2 through before I just couldn't do it anymore. I would give it another try if it were re-recorded by someone with a more dynamic style.

My new favorite author!

I LOVED this book! It is hilarious, from beginning to end. Maarten Troost does a phenomenal job of putting you front and center into the experience of the story and leaves you wanting more. This story has a lot of adventures that cover several different aspects of travel, from actual travel itself on crappy ships and scary airplanes, to the culture of cannibals, tourists and ex-pats. I just wish it was longer and that he would hurry up and write another book!!!