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sydneyalexis119's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this book up because I will be traveling in China this Summer and I was looking for a book that is more about China today rather than Chinese history. In that sense, Troost certainly succeeded in telling me what I thought I wanted to hear. However, I have to say, I am no longer looking forward to my impending trip.
Troost's description of the country can be summed up in three sentences: There is pollution. There is prostitution. There is dodgy food.
Now, if anyone has any book suggestions about China that will fix what Troost has done to me, I will be happy to hear them.
As far as the author's writing goes - He was moderately funny and he definitely had some interesting stories to tell, but the book really seemed to be dragging along half way through and I can confidently say that I would have put it down after chapter two if I were not going to China this Summer.
Now I wish I hadn't finished it, though; what used to be excitement about my trip has been replaced with anxiety. So, if you're still reading this review - I can't say I recommend the book, it was often boring and, I either became immune to Troost's humor or he stopped being funny halfway through. Either way, I feel like my time put into trudging through this book could have been better spent on a different piece.
Troost's description of the country can be summed up in three sentences: There is pollution. There is prostitution. There is dodgy food.
Now, if anyone has any book suggestions about China that will fix what Troost has done to me, I will be happy to hear them.
As far as the author's writing goes - He was moderately funny and he definitely had some interesting stories to tell, but the book really seemed to be dragging along half way through and I can confidently say that I would have put it down after chapter two if I were not going to China this Summer.
Now I wish I hadn't finished it, though; what used to be excitement about my trip has been replaced with anxiety. So, if you're still reading this review - I can't say I recommend the book, it was often boring and, I either became immune to Troost's humor or he stopped being funny halfway through. Either way, I feel like my time put into trudging through this book could have been better spent on a different piece.
meginsanity's review against another edition
2.0
The good things about this book, the things I enjoyed:
- Maarten’s sense of humor, making sometimes difficult subject matter easier to get through.
- The sheer amount of information, useful for anyone interested in China’s current culture, recent history, or travel opportunities.
- The “everyman” sense that the author exuded, making him likeable.
- The first half of this book is a quick, humorous read.
The things I did NOT enjoy, are, unfortunately, a little more numerous.
Firstly, the premise of the book is flawed. In the beginning, the author states that he is going to visit China in order to discern whether or not the country is suitable to bring his family (a wife and two young sons) to live for a year or two. Once he’s in China, it’s obvious that he’s not there for that purpose. He considers briefly the affect that the smoggy air in China, and the altitude, might have on his children. But not once does he look into China’s educational system, the job outlook for whatever it is his wife does, the lives of ex-pats and foreign residents in China, the likelihood of obtaining permission from the government to live there, etc.
So, we’ll put aside that premise. Why is he here, in China? Is he here to write a book? He never says whether he had that in mind before the visit. I believe he was there just to putter around China for awhile and learn what there is to learn, which is fine… when you’ve got a slightly more open mind than Maarten has. Towards the end of the book he says he’s afraid he’s a “travel snoot”, and he is, unfortunately.
He’s not shy about making judgments on the Chinese people, or their culture – even his title refers to PLANET China, as though the concept of foreign culture is so completely alien to him that he assumes it must not exist on Earth. China’s weird, but lots of foreign cultures are. That attitude doesn’t quite leave him as he travels through China, and by the time the book’s done, it’s obvious he’s very, very tired of his wandering life there.
He also needed stronger editing. I don’t like seeing several typos in a published book. They’re typos spell-check would have caught. His editor should have also cut down several of his diatribes, like his completely random review of Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons.” Plus there’s just bad writing. At one point, he’s talking about a cruise he took. He takes a paragraph to talk about some peculiar facts about of a group of men they encounter on their cruise (I don’t want to give anything away). Next page… a scene where a Chinese person explains, guess what? The same peculiar facts about the same group of men. We don’t need to read this twice.
Overall, it’s an interesting book, though likely one that will become dated in just a year or two. It’s an interesting, informational read, once you get past the Western biases of the author.
- Maarten’s sense of humor, making sometimes difficult subject matter easier to get through.
- The sheer amount of information, useful for anyone interested in China’s current culture, recent history, or travel opportunities.
- The “everyman” sense that the author exuded, making him likeable.
- The first half of this book is a quick, humorous read.
The things I did NOT enjoy, are, unfortunately, a little more numerous.
Firstly, the premise of the book is flawed. In the beginning, the author states that he is going to visit China in order to discern whether or not the country is suitable to bring his family (a wife and two young sons) to live for a year or two. Once he’s in China, it’s obvious that he’s not there for that purpose. He considers briefly the affect that the smoggy air in China, and the altitude, might have on his children. But not once does he look into China’s educational system, the job outlook for whatever it is his wife does, the lives of ex-pats and foreign residents in China, the likelihood of obtaining permission from the government to live there, etc.
So, we’ll put aside that premise. Why is he here, in China? Is he here to write a book? He never says whether he had that in mind before the visit. I believe he was there just to putter around China for awhile and learn what there is to learn, which is fine… when you’ve got a slightly more open mind than Maarten has. Towards the end of the book he says he’s afraid he’s a “travel snoot”, and he is, unfortunately.
He’s not shy about making judgments on the Chinese people, or their culture – even his title refers to PLANET China, as though the concept of foreign culture is so completely alien to him that he assumes it must not exist on Earth. China’s weird, but lots of foreign cultures are. That attitude doesn’t quite leave him as he travels through China, and by the time the book’s done, it’s obvious he’s very, very tired of his wandering life there.
He also needed stronger editing. I don’t like seeing several typos in a published book. They’re typos spell-check would have caught. His editor should have also cut down several of his diatribes, like his completely random review of Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons.” Plus there’s just bad writing. At one point, he’s talking about a cruise he took. He takes a paragraph to talk about some peculiar facts about of a group of men they encounter on their cruise (I don’t want to give anything away). Next page… a scene where a Chinese person explains, guess what? The same peculiar facts about the same group of men. We don’t need to read this twice.
Overall, it’s an interesting book, though likely one that will become dated in just a year or two. It’s an interesting, informational read, once you get past the Western biases of the author.
hildamarie's review against another edition
3.0
Very funny and entertaining account of traveling through China. You definitely get the feeling that the author does not really enjoy china, but the book is great for an overview of the country. Also, it addresses some cultural differences and shares some tidbits about China's history. It piques your interest to learn more about the country.
miacasey16's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
gapagrin's review against another edition
3.0
Even though it's Troost's third book, this is actually the first of his that I read. I found it in the small English-language section at the local bookshop when I lived in Japan and thought it looked interesting. It was about China, which is always a fascinating country to read about and it was in English, so I bought it.
The author travels to China in an attempt to convince his wife, with whom he'd lived in the South Pacific, and who was currently in California with their two sons, that the next place the moved should be China. His first experience of China was with Beijing and the predominant thing that I remember from that section of the book was of pollution. I found the book much more interesting once he left Beijing and got into the countryside. Or at least to cities slightly smaller than Beijing.
I found the book much more interesting once he got into the areas of the country that I've read less about (I haven't actually been to China yet and so until then am armchair travelling through books). I did enjoy reading about the some of China's many ethnic minorities, as I know much less about them.
However, I got the impression that the author was exaggerating the negatives and the strangeness for an attempt at humour for the sake of the book. I've not yet been to China, but I have lived in Asia and while a lot of things do seem strange, there's also a reasonable amount that's familiar. While I'm sure Troost was trying to stay with his theme of China being practically another planet and so had to emphasise the differences, it did leave me questioning whether it was truly that bad or that different. Well, I suppose the thing to do would be to go to China and see for myself!
The author travels to China in an attempt to convince his wife, with whom he'd lived in the South Pacific, and who was currently in California with their two sons, that the next place the moved should be China. His first experience of China was with Beijing and the predominant thing that I remember from that section of the book was of pollution. I found the book much more interesting once he left Beijing and got into the countryside. Or at least to cities slightly smaller than Beijing.
I found the book much more interesting once he got into the areas of the country that I've read less about (I haven't actually been to China yet and so until then am armchair travelling through books). I did enjoy reading about the some of China's many ethnic minorities, as I know much less about them.
However, I got the impression that the author was exaggerating the negatives and the strangeness for an attempt at humour for the sake of the book. I've not yet been to China, but I have lived in Asia and while a lot of things do seem strange, there's also a reasonable amount that's familiar. While I'm sure Troost was trying to stay with his theme of China being practically another planet and so had to emphasise the differences, it did leave me questioning whether it was truly that bad or that different. Well, I suppose the thing to do would be to go to China and see for myself!
tjeoconnor's review against another edition
4.0
This book was about what I expected it to be - an irreverent comedic travelogue. Most of it was funny, but there were some passages that felt too judgmental. Still, it was all done in god humor, I think. It did make me want to visit China, while simultaneously unsure I could survive such a trip. I enjoyed hearing the audiobook read by Simon Vance; some of the voices he used were a little cheesy, but overall I liked his reading.
avelasco7's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
claireh6's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Death
bridgettesbitchinbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.5