The Mango Orchard: Travelling Back to the Secret Heart of Mexico

There are already 23 5* reviews of this book when I began this review. Why bother? Sometimes books live up to their hype and this one certainly doesn't fail. Haven't read much about Mexico but Mr Bayley's family story is amazing and all the more so because of the living link he had through his grandmother to his forbearer's 'wild oat sowing' in Mexico and what a harvest that produced. It is both an affectionate and exciting portrait of a family mystery unravelled. A glimpse of a long-forgotten Britain in the most unlikely of places. A great story.

An extremely heartwarming story,well told.Have recommended this book to many people who have all loved it

Interesting family history quest. Brings Mexico alive. Robin Bayley has perseverance and a huge stroke of luck along the way. Enjoyable read.

This story, of the author's journey to uncover the truth about his great grandfather's 'other life' in Mexico, is a wonderfully paced and beautifully written mix of history, investigation and romance. Robin Bayley's writing simply and elegantly conveyed the images and characters, and I was drawn along by the mystery he sought to uncover. I don't write reviews often, and I certainly wouldn't award many things 5 stars. This book was a joy to read from start to finish, however, so I break my rules for it. I'll be keeping an eye out for anything else Robin Bayley writes as well... Highly Recommended!

A brilliant evocation of Mexican life.Normally I'm drawn to travel books about European destinations,places I've visited myself, but was given this as a present and could not put it down.Read it from cover to cover in two days.It has everything- a whole range of emotions that can't fail to engage the reader.One moment you're laughing out loud, the next you're crying.I'll certainly be looking out for more from Robin Bayley. He's opened my eyes to a whole new range of travel literature.

The numerous 5 stars here are, unfortunately, completely unwarranted. Robin Bayley has written a book that does little, if anything, the enhance the readers perception of Mexico and its people. I wonder if the other reviewers here, and indeed the author, had read books by more notorious and accomplished writers - such as Theroux, Dervla Murphy, Laurie Lee etc, there would be a greater grasp of what it means to read and write a travel book. The author falls down on many fronts, firstly in that the book represents little more than a chronological diary of his monotonous comings and goings. The story is a self-centred trip where it seems that author is interested primarily in the destination and not the journey. There are little, if any, historic details of the towns, places and people of Mexico and Central America with no self ameliorating knowledge to be attained from this book. The story reads more like a work of fiction such are the constant coincidences that I find difficult to believe.Like all good - and abysmal - works of fiction, the story has a love interest running through its core. Unfortunately it's the lead core of a pencil, with the authors forerunning member leading his unrelenting pursuit of a semi-crippled native beauty - who clearly is not interested - which reminds me of the worst kind of city nightclub creep - a personality to which I am not endeared. His personal standing equally plummets when he complains of the nasty bed bugs in a hotel as he is more used to 5 star city hotels. Ultimately if you looking for a mind numbing cheap bargain bucket book to destroy a few brain cells, look no further. If however, like me, you wish to learn something about Mexico in an entertaining manner, avoid.

I'm not big on travel writing really but this book took me quite by surprise, and reminded me of one of the first books ever to captivate me as an adult reader - 'My Family and Other Animals' by the late great Gerald Durrell. Robin Bayley's story has that same fascinating description of an exotic country, funny character portraits and above all a riveting story line. More than a portrait of hidden Mexico, it's the story of a writer's journey to find the hidden truths of his own family history and ultimately himself. However it's also a damn good read. Hope he has another waiting for release...

I read this book on the reccommendation of my mum. I read it over three days and missed my stop on the tube twice as a result. Very well written and really makes you want to go out and do some travelling yourself. Thoroughly reccommend it! There is just the right amount of humour, mystery and adventure to really keep the readers attention the whole way through. I will definitely be looking out for his next book....