From Independent Publisher
Spectrum Guides emphasize their photography and well they should: With over two hundred full-color photographs per title one leafs through the text in silent astonishment. Mauritius seems to be the ideal subject for a photographer with good equipment and an unlimited expense account. There are ocean views, mountain views, submarine views, jungles, natives in colorful garb, waterfalls, sunsets, para-sails, helicopter shots. The armchair traveler sits at home and licks his lips. With 205 miles of coastline the island is actually quite tiny and the text covers it exhaustively: history, culture, climate, topography, flora and fauna, industries, architecture, beaches, roads. The only failing occurs in how little attention is paid to what it's all going to cost. The book seems best suited to those who are never going to get there but wish to absorb a total experience of the place or for those who don't have to worry about a silly little thing like money. Sue Heady's prose is expert but there are odd repetition of material that bespeak sloppy editing and writing by committee.