Job & Edu

Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory

From Harper

Author : Peter Hessler
Binding : Hardcover
DeweyDecimalNumber : 303.48320951
EAN : 9780061804090
Edition : 1
IsAdultProduct : 0
ISBN : 0061804096
Label : Harper
Manufacturer : Harper
NumberOfPages : 448
ProductTypeName : ABIS_BOOK
PublicationDate : 2010-02-01
Publisher : Harper
ReleaseDate : 2010-02-09
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Customer Reviews

Rating:
Summary: Not at all what I expected..
Comment: I just finished reading Country Driving, and it wasn't at all what I expected. Going in, I expected to receive some sort of cohesive narrative regarding China from an American. Instead I got three stories regarding Hessler's journeys across China.

That being said, the book is excellently written. Despite the fact that it wasn't what I expected I did enjoy hearing Hessler's perspective on a country that is rapidly changing.
Rating:
Summary: Rules of the road?...what rules of the road?
Comment: This well written meandering "drive" through China held my interest throughout partly because I've lived and driven China, too. Hessler's experiences ring true throughout. He has lived in China long enough to be fluent in Mandarin (written and spoken!) and, more importantly, sensitive to and appreciative of social mores and customs. It's been nearly three years since I've driven in China and reading "Country Driving" has me itching to hop on a plane and head back to my other home.

I read the Kindle edition on my iTouch and it looked just great!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and terrifying, in a way
Comment: Peter Hessler wrote an excellent book about the hazards of driving in China and while doing so he became a close observer about the (micro)-economic development in China. I found his book hilarious because the many anecdotes he tells should make you laugh out loud. What I found terrifying about this tale are the author's observations about economic life in China. This book should be compulsory reading for a lot of people in the west, if only to understand what is really going on in China.

Part One of the Book deals with Hessler's road trip along the wall and back. Given that foreigners are not supposed to leave Beijing Municipality, this is quite a feat. I couldn't decide whether the many questions he quotes from the Chinese driving exam are for real or if he made them up. I have no idea if it is allowed to bring small amounts of explosive material into a taxi but I would instinctively answer "Yes". Hessler tells many stories about the Chinese style of driving and if you have been to China none of these will be unfamiliar to you. I read somewhere that Peter Hessler was terrified of the Chinese style of driving. I would wager that the Americans were probably more terrified of him, when he re-joined traffic in the US.

In Part Two, Hessler rents a house in some village north of Beijing and it is incredible to observe through his eyes how the place develops with his "Family" developing from a level of poverty hardly any of us would be able to imagine into "the entrepreneur" of the village. One might be inclined to believe that this development was exceptional but as you read on it becomes quite clear that this sort of thing is happening all over China. In Part Three, Hessler writes about a development zone in Southern Zhejiang in general and about a bra ring production plant in particular. And again it is incredible to observe how this development takes place.

All told I found this book a real page turner and I can only highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Insight into life in China
Comment: Having been to China earlier this year I was interested to read what this author discovered from living in China for several years. As a Chinese language (Mandarin) speaker the author was able to interact with many people from many parts of China and the insights are great indeed. Peter Hessler writes with great sensitivity but also great humor and insight. He has a journalists eye for detail but also an appreciation and understanding of history.The result is a fascinating book which takes us into the lives of individuals and families.We care about these people, their careers ,their jobs and their dreams. To sum up , an engrossing book which keeps you reading.
Rating:
Summary: Well done...
Comment: This was a very informative and entertaining book. My favorite part is the author's time spent in the developing village of Sancha a few hours outside of Beijing. Peter is perfectly positioned to be a witness to the largest economic and industrial development in human history.