Wow! I was completely enchanted by this lyrical novel. The character development is outstanding and the mood really grabs you and gives the words a sense of depth and intense presence.

Toru Watanabe is a young man coming into his own and deciding how to live. He does choose to live though, when so many others around him are choosing to die. It is powerful to see his struggles to "wind his spring" as so much comes crashing down around him and he deals with the monotony of life.

He is torn between two loves, until Reiko shows him that it is wonderful to be able to love at all, it is a gift, and that he should not feel bad for loving two women. Naoko and he have a relationship on the edge of life and death which intoxicates him and draws him to her. Midori is an amazing character (I absolutely loved her!) and so full of life that it helps keep him connected to the living world.

I especially enjoyed how sex was used in such creative ways. Sex was used to help us identify with the characters, to illuminate the difference between flesh and soul, to illustrate the frustrations of growing up, to form a friendship, to share passion, just to be alive!

This book did remind me of the Japanese version of The Catcher in the Rye, and Toru does read that novel quite often. There is just something about this book that transcends language and explanation. I loved this book and will definitely enjoy reading it again! A must read!

I am not sure what it was, but after finishing this book I have a bad taste in my mouth. I applaud the intentions of the author and the subject matter is irresistibly interesting. However, it was hard for me to get into at first because the book kind of rambles and it takes a while to get into her style. The style ended up suiting the journey very well as it was a slow and haphazard journey through the various aspects of Vietnam.

Karin suffered many difficulties on her travels and I got very frustrated for her. She made it seem so difficult to travel around Vietnam (and she speaks Vietnamese!) that I am not sure that I want to go anymore. She experienced horrible guides that only wanted to squeeze as much money out of her as possible and a motorcycle that I was frustrated with and would have ditched long before she ever did! After reading some of the other reviews, I can now see why others would say that she is arrogant and haughty. It is almost as if she tries so hard to say that she isnt, that she comes across as being so...

It was hard to get a feeling for her relationship with other people. She was an excellent observer and I really enjoyed her colorful metaphors and descriptions, but was frustrated because I was unable to grasp her feelings for Jay and her Mom. She has a strange journey with Jay and I couldn't quite figure out how they interacted together. Also, she talks about her Mom incessantly, but never really discusses her Dad.

I was also very frustrated with her attempt to rescue some endangered species. She decided to support the illegal black market trade in endangered species because she felt that she could save a few animals. I was very disappointed with the reception that she received from the nature reserve, but am not really sure how she could have resolved the situation any better.

Karin has an interesting writing style, although it may seem forced at times, and I was impressed that she did not romanticize her trip. She provides an honest portrayal of her backpacking experience and I definitely want to check out her documentary and the website to gain a more accurate portrayal of her journey and who she is.

I was not so impressed with this novel and felt that the author was too caught up in her own drama to take the reader on an interesting voyage with her. It was a decent read, but I can't say that I would highly recommend it. To read a great book about a woman traveling, check out Rita Goldman Gelman.

This book was interesting, but after reading the Peace Corps novel by Peter Hessler, this one just did not compare.

I was not impressed by the style of the writing, the book was organized around journal entries and poems that the author wrote. It just left the book feeling empty and contrived.

It seems like the author was most concerned with getting to know herself through her journal entries, which is entirely understandable, as most of us would do the same. However, I just don't think there is enough interesting material about herself to justify my time in a novel.

I wanted to get to know the Peace Corps experience and her country better, but feel like I only got to explore her thoughts and feelings rather than a deeper connect with something that would interest a third party.

She is definitely a great person and someone that would be great to be friends with, but it is not really worth reading a whole book about her journal entries.

It would be impossible for me to give this book less than a perfect rating because it is a first hand account of how a child sees the Khmer Rouge. That being said, that is all it is and if the reader is looking for more than it may fall short of your expectations.

I think this book could be improved if the author had included historical data and information about what was going on in Cambodia with the Khmer Rouge at the time that she is recalling. That would have been very helpful for me, because there is still much I feel I need to learn about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodian politics that I was not able to get from this novel.

However, the firsthand accounts of what it was like to be a helpless child in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge are extraordinarily moving and I would definitely recommend reading this book. It is important to understand what living in these conditions were like and this novel holds implications for all children that are exposed to national atrocities.

I read this book a few months ago and still find myself drifting off and thinking about it quite often. It was an excellent book, but I must warn that it is a dangerous read if you have a bit of wanderlust in you (and I definitely do!)That said, it is an amazing book that I would highly recommend!

Rita takes us along with her over several years as she travels through many different countries. She writes very honestly and is a very interesting woman to get to know along the way. It is nice to read because she is an older woman that rediscovers a new way of life after a divorce. I travelled around the world as a backpacker and mostly encountered other people in their early 20s, so it is nice to get a perspective from an older woman, and also refreshing to know that it is never too late!

Rita has a website that you can check out first to figure out if she is someone that you would be interested in reading a book about. I really enjoyed this book and definitely think it is worth reading! For me, it was an amazing way to read about the lifestyle that I can only dream about now! It definitely has made me think (quite often) about quitting my job, writing a book, and traveling around the world!

This book was great if you are interested in exploring the tropics through the eye of an academic. It was interesting to see how the world of academia has changed since Crump was a graduate student.

I liked this book because Crump teaches interested tidbits about the life of amphibians and tropical ecology interwoven with her stories of fieldwork. It was great to learn how Crump deals with the challenges of motherhood and fieldwork at the same time.

I thought everything about this book was great, but could see how some might think this book is a little dry if you aren't into biology. Other than that, the only reason this book did not receive 5 stars is because the ending just sorta leaves the reader with a giant question mark.

I was so sad to finish reading this book! It is definitely one of the best books that I have read in a long time! I felt like I was along for the entire journey and was sad when it came to an end! It is very interesting because it gives you a rare opportunity to get to know a small city in China very well. I loved how Peter intertwined local history into an interesting story.

It is also a great book to read to better understand the Peace Corps experience. It presents a very honest portrayal of what volunteering with the Peace Corps is actually like. I really appreciated Peter's honesty of emotion as he experienced things in Fuling, they helped to make the experience all the more real.

Peter has a wonderful writing ability. The book flows as smoothly as the Yangtze and encompasses rich detail. After reading this book you feel like you were able to accompany an interesting person on his voyage to better understand China. This book is excellent!