Slipping into Paradise : Why I Live in New Zealand

Rating:
Summary: Thisty for substance
Review: As the new wife of an amazing New Zealander with solid plans of moving back to his native soil, I purchased this book with a craving for so much more. It is still somewhat informative and his views after living in NZ are in general very positive, as expected from the Book's tittle. Unfortunally, for a US citizen that has only been in NZ for two weeks and is planning to spend a lifetime there very soon; the reading of this book left me thirsty for more. I was expecting a better understanding of the real day to day culture, the politics, arts and indephs of the New Zealand people. His constant reminder of the lack of "Intellectuals" seemed somehow insulting even to me, this is a complex society, a country with a beauty beyond belief, I find both their people and nature incredibly fascinating, but it was hard to read thu so much detail on the flora when I am after more practical information. I only wish he could answer more questions about the new country he lives in and spent less time on writting about himself. We soon will move to Paradise, perhaps in a few years I will find a way with words to descibe the magic of New Zealand.

Rating:
Summary: I don't care why you moved to NZ
Review: I found this to be a strange book, poorly edited, and without much of a focus - except, of course, the author's focus on himself. As others have pointed out, many "facts" are not verified or true. The author's privilege blurs his vision of a land that is beautiful, but very complex. It was almost as if he had a deal with NZ immigration - that if he wrote a book about NZ, he could immigrate there...and the book was pandering to that. The final "travel guide" pages were bizarre - if I had wanted to buy a travel guide, I would have.

Rating:
Summary: It's ok.
Review: I knew very little about NZ before reading this book and I did learn alot from it, so I did get what I wanted out of it. However, the author irritated me at times. I got sick of his philisophical meanderings about whether trees have feelings and world ills.

If you want to learn more about NZ. I suggest it.

Rating:
Summary: Why I'm glad you live in New Zealand
Review: If you like self-aggrandizing and politically correct college professors who think white men are responsible for everything wrong in the world and has met Bill Clinton - then you will love this book

Rating:
Summary: JAFA: Just Another Fluent American
Review: Jeffrey Masson gushes about NZ with passion only a non-native would expose to the public. Our green gem in the South Pacific is depicted as a child-friendly egalitarian social democracy, full of friendly unthreatening people, where women occupy important political posts, and where the sun shines like no other place on Earth. Masson writes best as a social historian: comparing New Zealand to Australia, marking 50 important dates in NZ history, and transcribing a conversation with Sir Ed Hillary. The author advocates for political correctness, but then explains the Maori worldview, a decidedly un-PC deed for a Pakeha.

This 'part memoir, part philosophical reflection, and part travelogue' seamlessly weaves through nine chapters to a conclusion ('Should You Move to New Zealand?'). The NZ bush rates high praise, although facts about fauna and flora often err and conflict: 'The seal was practically the only native mammal in New Zealand', but later Masson describes four (?) native bats. Native parrots 'are rare enough that you are unlikely to spot one', yet the kea parrot appears on the next page, and is well-known to anyone who visits the Southern Alps. Pre-European ecological damage 'was by no means total or irreversible', yet moa extinction cannot be reversed. The author cannot see why feral cats are considered pests, 'because I love them,' argues against 'possum genocide', and sings the praises of ginger and other invasive alien weeds. 'It is hard to see the damage that an "introduced" tree can do, I say let a million plants grow!' Masson states that pukekos get along well with other birds, and he's never seen one fly. In fact, pukekos do fly, and they prey on ducklings, which is why DoC culled thousands of them on Great Barrier Island. The author repeatedly extols Auckland's pristine air quality, attributed to 'southerly airstreams that remove pollution'. Anyone who's spent time in the Big Smoke knows otherwise; the lack of auto emissions control is a national embarrassment.

The book's targeted audience must be armchair travelers, because natives will chafe at the book's inaccuracies. St. Heliers, Kohi, and Mission Bay are depicted as little beach towns. 'Well, town is to big a word for a single street with a bank, a bookstore, a fruit store, a travel agent, a real estate agent, and a post office.' Other offbeat assertions: the reason why children walk barefoot is because there are no snakes. Racism is rare in NZ. All signs in NZ are written in English as well as in Maori. The book would benefit from tighter editing. Describing ferns as 'small babies asleep' is cute the first time, not the third. Repeatedly lamenting a lack of NZ intellectuals gets boring. Masson highlights the 'I' in his book title - we learn about his beautiful intelligent wife (25 years younger than him, told repeatedly), his house, his car, his cats, his kids, the topics of his previous books - animal rights, child welfare, psychoanalysis, the Holocaust. It seems self-centered. Perhaps it's my point of view: an American reviewing a book by another American. Our perspectives certainly diverge, beginning on page one, when he describes falling in love with 'Newzillin' as his plane circled over Auckland. My first aerial view of the city caused a panic attack - Auckland sprawled like Los Angeles! NZ society is more complex than described by Masson, its cities more arty and edgy, and its backblocks wild, exciting and dangerous. Instead of a source for accurate travel information, this book can be recommended as a soft-focus narrative of one man's life-long search for peace and a place to call home.


Rating:
Summary: Sooooo self-indulgent
Review: Jeffrey Masson is clearly the kind of man who just loves the sound of his own voice and talks to hear himself talk. I bought this book as I was moving to Wellington, hoping for some relevant insight from a fellow expat. Unfortunately, "Slipping into Paradise" is just a meandering, self-indulgent, simplistic, ill-informed history, bizarre expose on native flora and fauna, self-aggrandizing bunch of fluff. One chapter relates Masson's interview with Sir Edmund Hilary. Embarrassingly enough, Masson brought a STACK of his own stupid books, one entitled, "The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats," to the home of the most famous Kiwi, the first man to climb Mt. Everest. Whatever!
So many times, I felt like digging out the receipt and running back to the store, demanding my money back. But it was a bit like watching a train wreck, so I plowed through. I guess that says it all.

Rating:
Summary: Life's too short!
Review: My wife & I have been married for 11yrs and wanted to plan a special second honeymoon; sans the three children. Friends urged us to make the trip to NZ. Living on the East Coast it was too far, we thought. We contacted Donna Thomas at New Zealand Travel and she recommended we read "Slipping into Paradise". Mr Masson does a marvelous job at transporting you from the hustle & bustle of the work day to a world (and life) we only dream about. At a time when so many care more about chasing the almighty buck & social status Mr Masson delivers the wake-up call. I enjoyed his unique perspective; as part memoir part travel book Mr Masson carefully blends his personal experiences with recommendations on what to see and where to go. He's lived it! If you're looking for an escape, I encourage you to read Mr Masson's book. It's a wonderful read. Oh, despite the distance & travel time we decided New Zealand would be the perfect spot for our second honeymoon. We'll be slipping into paradise in two weeks.

Rating:
Summary: Not "Peter Mayle"
Review: Not that Peter Mayle is a bad thing occasionally, but if you are looking for the typical travel genre such as A Year In Provence, C'Est La Vie, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, etc, this book is not for you. I found his political and environmental slant on things very interesting. I plan on looking him up when I move to New Zealand......

Rating:
Summary: buy it used
Review: The book is ok. Moderately helpful in parts. However, the author spends huge amounts of space describing trees and plants in tremendous detail. That is not why I bought the book. I wish he would have included a chapter on local politics, demographics, and the differences between the cities. There would have been plenty of space to do so if he had not included page after page of boring tree discussion!

Rating:
Summary: pretty lame
Review: We've visited New Zealand and consider moving there from time to time, like when Dubya gets re-elected! :-) So I bought this book looking for a real review of New Zealand, its strengths and weaknesses. Instead I got is this sappy, sugar coated, drivel about how NZ is just oh, so perfect, and where it's not, the problem is analyzed through rose colored glasses. In actuality, if you can get past the thick coating of sugar, there is some meat - some facts and history in this book. I became too nauseated to go much past half way through. I've never taken the time to write a review on Amazon, but this book is just so lame I'd like to have others spend their money on something more worthwhile, like a travel guide to NZ. You'd get better information that way!