Dusk on the Campo: A Journey in Patagonia

A very descriptive view of daily life on the estancias of Patagonia. This could be the equivalent of Chatwin-in-the-north but written with even more of a personal touch than Chatwin and a degree of personal story-line. Its localized to living on the Peninsula Valdés in contrast to passing thru in the way of Chatwin. Reviewers often use the word 'riveting'. Thats one word I would choose for this book. A friend of mine in Argentina recommended Chatwin to me. Apparently he is well known in the country and is required reading for bookies down there. Somehow, Sara Mansfield Taber never achieved equal acclaim but she is surely deserving of being on the same bookshelf in Argentina or elsewhere.

I read this book while spending a month travelling through Chile and this book was the best reading I did on my trip. Patagonia is huge, empty, and stunningly beautiful. The people who live there are hardy and often very, very isolated. The author spends time getting to know the people, especially the women, who live a place with long, bitter cold winters, where their nearest neighbors can be 30 miles away down terrible, pitted roads, where trips to the grocery store may be once month at best, where they have many children not just to help with the ranch work but also to ease the intense loneliness on the estancias, and where the growing cities (even small ones) are slowly changing this way of life. She considers not just their daily existance and individual personalities, but the sociology of living such isolated lives. The author's descriptions are intense, warm, and beautiful. I gave away my only copy, and repurchased the book when I returned home.