Brazilian Eden

This was a better book than I expected. I had expected travel lite - in around 1960, a blonde, Brazilian actress travels to the jungle of the Matto Grosso to film the action sequences of a movie with ‘real' Indians, and writes a book about the experience.
It is very good. It gives a careful account of the background and culture of the three tribes visited, it builds a narrative well, it discusses the group of actors, technicians that accompany her, including the guides, minders and pilots etc, and even has a detailed chapter about the disappearance of Fawcett, with an interview of four elderly Calapalo warriors who knew Fawcett, his son and their travelling companion, and while no spectacular evidence is provided, they tell her about their interactions with Fawcett and tell a few contradictory tales of his death.
To complete the necessary filming, they not only spend six weeks in the Matto Grosso, but then travel on to Marajo Island, in the Amazon mouth near Belem, where they spend time on a somewhat remote fazenda (farm), where they indeed encounter various wild animals, often up closer than intended.
There are some interesting story lines through the book, which I don't mention here to avoid spoiling some twists and turns, but it really is a good read, from a spirited, brave and stubborn actress, who perhaps missed her calling in writing more books.

4 stars.