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The Teatime Islands: Adventures in Britain's Faraway Outposts | 
 enlarge | Author: Ben Fogle
Publisher: Penguin
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
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You Save: £9.98 (100%)
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Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 100974
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.9
ISBN: 0141010460
Dewey Decimal Number: 910
EAN: 9780141010465
ASIN: 0141010460
Publication Date: August 5, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 A fair effort. August 8, 2008
Matthew L. J. Bodycombe
I bought this book because of its subject matter and I must admit that Ben is an engagng travel companion. However I found that his his writing style got on my nerves. There seems to be a school of thought, particularly in travel writing that states that you should find a simile for everything and I found some that Ben used particularly laboured. This grated on my nerves but did not spoil the book for me. The book is clearly an attempt to cash in on Ben's post castaway celebrity status and that is fine. However the book would have been much better with some decent editing. Ben makes a genial presenter but sadly he is writing leaves a bit to be desired is endearng in some respects as it is like an enthusiastic teenage boy's holiday diary and you can't help liking Ben. He seems to get on with the people he meets and his disappointment is palpable when he is refused landing on Pitcairn ( by a "sort of official looking man"). It makes a change from Simon Winchester's book Outposts which is beautifully written but comes across as aloof and contemptious a lot of the time
An easy read January 28, 2007
Josh Clayton
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an easy, undemanding book about those few islands that only travel writers, the military or extremely rich people can visit. It's certainly well written, but "fantastic", "amazing" and the superlative used by other reviewers, it ain't. For many of the chapters you would probably find no greater insight than it could be gained from looking up this information on the web. Fogle is good narrator, but he describes places 'on the suface', so you gain the same insight as if you looked through a photo album of these remote islands. There are cameo descriptions of individuals propping up from time, but these are very brief and Fogle lacks the experience, or the time, to delve deeply into their personalities. The best chapter by far is the one on Pitcairn. This is odd, because Pitcairn is the only island Fogle does not manage to visit, but his deep sense of let down, his anger and depression, lead him to analyze the social background of this island with true passion, managing to reveal far more of this place than of any of the other islands previouosly described. A light book to while away a wintry weekend, but nothing more perceptive than that.
 Bloomin' Brilliant! August 24, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I loved this book - Ben's style of writing and his choice of subject not only makes this a fascinating read, but his self-depreciating wit ensures the reader laughs out loud every few pages. I can't wait for the next book - Offshore - which is published in 2006.
Commision Based Writing? June 29, 2005
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The more I read this book the more I wondered if he was being paid commision by the amount of times he mentioned he had starred in a reality TV show (which, I must add, I had not heard of until reading this book). I could not find more than two consecutive pages throughout the book not mentioning this claim to fame. The subject matter was what made me buy the book but unfortunetly his descriptions of these places were very poor. He strikes me as an upper-crust public schoolboy who seemed a bit lost amongst regular folk although I seemed to like him, then again it may have been more feeling sorry for him than liking him. The book is based around a nice idea but it does tend to drag.
Enjoyed every page - almost as good as being there! April 20, 2005
ork100 (Orkney)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I loved this book. Ben Fogle seems to be able to get along with everyone in such an easy way and his enthusiasm for adventure and new experiences shines through. For each island he includes the history of the place and gives a fair and interesting account. He has a real eye for detail and I loved all the little observations that brought the people he met to life. Thank goodness he didn't finish the book on Pitcairn though - what happened there was such a shame (read the book and you'll see what I mean). This book should be in every school library in the country as reading about people fulfilling their childhood dreams is very inspirational.
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