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 enlarge | Author: Paul Theroux
Publisher: Ivy Books
Category: Book
List Price: $7.50
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $7.49 (100%)
New (25) Used (163) Collectible (4) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 191354
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0804104549
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9780804104548
ASIN: 0804104549
Publication Date: March 28, 1989
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.
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| Customer Reviews:
 12 years later - is the reality of China still the same? April 3, 1999
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I suspect the reality of China now and then is not so different. Maybe the new economic openness has improved some conditions, but do the Chinese still spit on the floors of the trains? I'm sure Harbin is just a cold, Yunnan as humid and hot and Tibet still as oppressed.
Billions with only one thought on their mind: Change Money? March 9, 1999
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Theroux writes his travel account with one part wit and three parts sarcasm. He casts a jaundiced eye upon everything and everyone. Because of this his account becomes suspect and probably owes more to fiction than non-fiction. Still, who can resist a good story?
 Theroux imposes his ideals on an unsuspecting population May 26, 1998
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
Mr. Theroux, instead of giving an openminded glimse into an obviously foreign environment, shows the reader that he is nothing but a "one trick pony." While he does give an extensively detailed description of his travels and the people he meets, this is all spoiled by an overwhelmingly negative attitude. Instead of taking the country in, he attempts to impose his personal morals on everyone he meets while traveling through China. At every turn, he needles people about their participation in, and impressions of the Cultural Revolution. While I was glad of the historical information, it had gotten old by the third chapter. In the end, I was given nothing but one big bad impression of China: its trains, officials, hotels, and food. The one thing I am sure of after reading this book, is that the author's ego has clouded his ability to give a fair minded impression of a diverse and fascinating country.
 A cynical commentary on one of the world's great nations December 23, 1997
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Paul Theroux must have been in a bad mood when he wastravelling through China. Though immensely well-travelled, he showsnone of the open-mindedness that one would expect of the genuine traveller. In fact, the only people who he neglects to cricise in this book are the Tibetans (perhaps he found their lack of personal hygiene charming?) and the Muslim inhabitants of N.W.China. Fellow travellers, Chinese bureaucrats, intellectuals, Hong Kongers and hotel and railway staff all fall victim.
He know China/Chinese more than most Chinese do December 1, 1997
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Being a Chinese myself, I grew up in China and have been to the most places in the same period of time as Paul described in this extremely entertaining book. I can personally verify the accuracy of his accounts of China. He vividly and accurately depicted the details of the Chinese living and mentality. His perspective on the subject not only provide a great reference for foreign travelers, but also a valuable teaching material for the native Chinese to reflect on. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to have anything to do Chine/Chinese.
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