This is the thrilling novel behind the Oscar-winning film. What would it be like to become Idi Amin's personal physician? Giles Foden's best-selling thriller is the story of a young Scottish doctor drawn into the heart of the Ugandan dictator's surreal and brutal regime. Privy to Amin's thoughts and ambitions, he is both fascinated and appalled. As Uganda plunges into civil chaos he realises action is imperative - but which way should he jump? This recording is unabridged. Typically abridged audiobooks are not more than 60 per cent of the author's work and as low as 30 per cent with characters and plotlines removed.
The Last King of Scotland
und über 1,5 Millionen weitere Bücher verfügbar für Amazon Kindle. Erfahren Sie mehr
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kurzbeschreibung
Produktinformation
|
Mehr über den Autor
Entdecken Sie Bücher, lesen Sie über Autoren und mehr
Produktbeschreibungen
Amazon.de
No, we're not talking Bonnie Prince Charlie here. The title character of Giles Foden's debut novel, The Last King of Scotland, is none other than Idi Amin, the former dictator of Uganda. Told from the viewpoint of Nicholas Garrigan, Amin's personal physician, the novel chronicles the hell that was Uganda in the 1970s. Garrigan, the only son of a Scots Presbyterian minister, finds himself far away from Fossiemuir when he accepts a post with the Ministry of Health in Uganda. His arrival in Kampala coincides with the coup that leads to President Obote's overthrow and Idi Amin Dada's ascendancy to power. Garrigan spends only a few days in the capital city, however, before heading out to his assignment in the bush. But a freak traffic accident involving Amin's sports car and a cow eventually brings the good doctor into the dictator's orbit; a few months later, Garrigan is recalled from his rural hospital and named personal physician to the president. Soon enough, Garrigan finds himself caught between his duty to his patient and growing pressure from his own government to help them control Amin.
From Nicholas Garrigan's catbird seat, Foden guides us through the horrors of Amin's Uganda. It would be simple enough to make the dictator merely monstrous, but Foden defies expectation, rendering him appealing even as he terrifies. The doctor "couldn't help feeling awed by the sheer size of him and the way, even in those unelevated circumstances, he radiated a barely restrained energy...I felt--far from being the healer--that some kind of elemental force was seeping into me." And Garrigan makes a fine stand-in for Conrad's Marlow as he travels up a river of blood from Naiveté to horrified recognition of his own complicity. As if this weren't enough, Foden also treats us to a finely drawn portrait of Africa in all its natural, political, and social complexity. The Last King of Scotland makes for dark but compelling reading. --Alix Wilber, Amazon.com -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.
Pressestimmen
"The most original and interesting novelist of his generation." The Scotsman "Genuinely beautiful and disturbing." The Village Voice "Audacious, shrewd and spirited." William Boyd"
In diesem Buch
(Mehr dazu)
Nach einer anderen Ausgabe dieses Buches suchen.
Nach einer anderen Ausgabe dieses Buches suchen.
Kundenrezensionen
Die hilfreichsten Kundenrezensionen
1 von 1 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von anonymous
Format:Taschenbuch
The title itself is the perfect eye-catcher. The novel is about a young Scottish doctor who starts out in a small hospital in the bush of Uganda and ends up with the position of the "personal phyician" of the dictator Idi Amin. What makes it so readable? It catches the athomosphere of Africa perfectly, has a very well developed and nuanced main character (most of the time you think you read a biography not a novel!) as well as a fascinating view on Idi Amin. It also makes you think about the price Africa had to pay in the Cold War when East and West were financing dictators in order to prevent them to turn to the other block.
If any novel deserves a five star rating, it is this one!!
If any novel deserves a five star rating, it is this one!!
1 von 1 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Format:Taschenbuch
The moral dilemas are acute in this story of a Scots expatriate physician forced into service as the personal physician of Idi Amin of Uganda. Thought provoking and gripping.
1 von 1 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Von Mr. K. Mahoney
Format:Taschenbuch
This is an exciting debut novel. It is the story of one Nicholas Garrigan, a young Scottish doctor who is assigned to be the personal physician to Uganda's famous dictator, Idi Amin. Yet the young doctor discovers, to his own cost, that one can never be totally removed from the wild excesses of others... I read the first half of this novel breathlessly. The depiction of Uganda is intriguing. Perhaps this is due to morbid fascination: most people will be aware of Amin's bloody history. The knowledge that everything will go wrong draws you further into this book. Foden presents a compelling portrait of Amin, even to the extent of making him likeable. For instance, there is Amin's eccentric love of all things Scottish, and the peculiar messages he sends to other heads of state. But there is always a palpable fear for Garrigan whenever he's in Amin's presence. Amin is dangerous, for Garrigan never knows what he's going to do next, and how he will become embroiled in his bloody vengeance... I found the resolution to be quite disappointing. In his bid to escape Uganda, Garrigan literally stumbles across the worse excesses of Amin's regime, almost tripping over a pile of corpses. This is the only part of the novel where Foden's otherwise excellent research overwhelms. Uganda's bloody history is already well known, and it would have been far more effective for Garrigan to have remained in ignorance about the worst excesses. Garrigan becomes a mere cipher in Foden's bid to depict the downfall of Amin. But this is only really disappointing in contrast to the excellent first part. Overall, it well deserves its critical success.
Die neuesten Kundenrezensionen
4.0 von 5 Sternen
Dynamic debut
I never heard of Giles Foden but his title and premise looked interesting so I gave it a try. What a find! His imagination is ripe for satire and dark humor which I devoured. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 9. März 2000 von Matt Johnston
4.0 von 5 Sternen
Na Na Na Na, Idi Dada, Hey Hey, Goodbye
Idi Amin Dada was the Gargantua of moral nightmares. He ruled post-colonial Uganda with the guile of a court jester, a likeable chap who kept the West in stitches while he flayed... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 23. Dezember 1999 von mrpennysworth
4.0 von 5 Sternen
Great things yet to come...
...with "king of scotland" Giles Foden establishes himself as an author truly worthy. It is a book with a central message that sneaks up on the reader as slowly as it... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 27. Mai 1999 von brince@voy.net
5.0 von 5 Sternen
excellent
Very haunting and yet realistic. I wish it had been written before I travelled through Eastern Africa in 1992 Including Uganda Burundi & Rwanda.
Veröffentlicht am 23. April 1999 von greg.watson@advantage-uk.co.uk
4.0 von 5 Sternen
Interesting narrative with some uneven character development
Foden's novel is a fascinating glimpse into Amin's Uganda. For anyone interested in the cult of Amin or his demise, this is a must read. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 15. Januar 1999 von msmith@cstcc.cc.tn.us
5.0 von 5 Sternen
Words can't do this book justice
Deciding it is time to cut the parental cord, Scotsman Nicholas Garrigan, who recently became a doctor, accepts an assignment in Uganda. Lesen Sie weiter...
Am 3. Dezember 1998 veröffentlicht
5.0 von 5 Sternen
Intense, surreal and a tragedy for all concerned
Deciding it is time to cut the parental cord, Scotsman Nicholas Garrigan, who recently became a doctor, accepts an assignment in Uganda. Lesen Sie weiter...
Am 25. November 1998 veröffentlicht
4.0 von 5 Sternen
Compelling insight into living in Uganda during Amin's rule.
The title was what grabbed my initial attention. The second paragraph had my complete attention and fascination - Giles Foden writes: "Back in my old neighbourhood, I'd seen... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 1. August 1998 von K Bekker (budsports@mega.bw)
Kunden diskutieren
|
Das Forum zu diesem Produkt
Fragen stellen, Meinungen austauschen, Einblicke gewinnen Aktive Diskussionen in ähnlichen Foren
Kundendiskussionen durchsuchen
|
Ähnliche Foren
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lieblingslisten
|
|
Ähnliche Artikel finden
Ihr Kommentar
Möchten Sie die Produktinformationen aktualisieren oder Feedback zu den Produktabbildungen geben?
|
