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classicapricot's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed how Kerr creates a vivid portrait of Bangkok and all it's various eccentricities, such as the antiques markets, dancing, history, religion and how its changed since he first moved there in the early 1990s. I also enjoyed the comparison with Japan, as it shows how diverse the countries of South East Asia can be, such as through gardening, dancing, societal norms etc. Although he does mention some similarities, which is interesting as often Japan is portrayed as having barely any outside influence. So its nice to hear about the broad cultural themes of Southeast Asia, as it shows how it can transcend borders or change from place to place.
nikhilesh's review
4.0
My reading of the book coincided perfectly my five-day trip in Thailand. The book served as the consummate guide while exploring Krabi and Bangkok. I would highly recommend the book to anyone visiting Bangkok on their first or umpteenth trip.
There are a lot of gems in the book. For example, the only reason I visited and understood the significance of City pillar is because Alex Kerr's successfully transfuses his passion for the monument to the reader. Otherwise as the author mentions, it's easy to miss.The author covers are a lot of topics woth great gusto and manages do justice to most. The chapter's are loosely connected essays that cover a lrage range of topics such as art, personal experience, sex, politics and business.
I only found author's guesstimate, of number of anrique pots produced historically (3 million) and his insistence to use the number as sacrosanct, unintentionally hilarious.
Overall the book will be your best companion on your next trip to Thailand.
My family trip to Thailand was much richer thanks to the context provided by the book.
There are a lot of gems in the book. For example, the only reason I visited and understood the significance of City pillar is because Alex Kerr's successfully transfuses his passion for the monument to the reader. Otherwise as the author mentions, it's easy to miss.The author covers are a lot of topics woth great gusto and manages do justice to most. The chapter's are loosely connected essays that cover a lrage range of topics such as art, personal experience, sex, politics and business.
I only found author's guesstimate, of number of anrique pots produced historically (3 million) and his insistence to use the number as sacrosanct, unintentionally hilarious.
Overall the book will be your best companion on your next trip to Thailand.
My family trip to Thailand was much richer thanks to the context provided by the book.
sapuche's review
5.0
I’m quite a fan of Kerr’s writing and have numerous books he’s written about Japan. Having spent 11 years in Vietnam, with numerous trips made to Thailand (starting in 1994), I was keen for his book to help me delve deeper than I was able to manage on my own during the generally short periods of time I spent in "The Land of Smiles." I was also hoping that the focus on Thai culture would help dispel some of the bad taste my travels there had left in me (an airport taxi driver kidnapping me in Krabi and, later with his boss, demanding I pay my own ransom; walking on a sidewalk in Chiang Mai at the moment an overhead sewage pipe burst and rained down on me, causing, a few hours later, a 24-hour, 40C fever that left me hallucinating and requiring a hospital visit; a national airline admitting in person and later on paper that they’d broken my laptop due to their having flung it through the air from the check-in counter to the luggage belt, but refusing to reimburse me any amount whatsoever to replace it; etc.).
I still like Thailand, but bad experiences there have outnumbered the good ones. Or at least they’ve stayed with me. Learning more about Thai culture, when it’s interesting and enriching, I thought might set me on a new path. And the book managed to do this for me. I enjoyed learning the mix of influences on a wide range of things I encountered there: architecture, fashion, cooking, language, dance, puppetry, and so forth. And though the section was short, I enjoyed learning about the distinctive flower arrangements and the uses they’re put to in Thailand. Also, it’s interesting to see a different side of Kerr-the-writer emerge here after having become familiar with the side that’s so deeply knowledgeable about Japan. Overall, it was an eye-opening book in many ways and I really enjoyed the feeling Kerr gave in his writing of including the reader in his wide-ranging discussions.
I still like Thailand, but bad experiences there have outnumbered the good ones. Or at least they’ve stayed with me. Learning more about Thai culture, when it’s interesting and enriching, I thought might set me on a new path. And the book managed to do this for me. I enjoyed learning the mix of influences on a wide range of things I encountered there: architecture, fashion, cooking, language, dance, puppetry, and so forth. And though the section was short, I enjoyed learning about the distinctive flower arrangements and the uses they’re put to in Thailand. Also, it’s interesting to see a different side of Kerr-the-writer emerge here after having become familiar with the side that’s so deeply knowledgeable about Japan. Overall, it was an eye-opening book in many ways and I really enjoyed the feeling Kerr gave in his writing of including the reader in his wide-ranging discussions.
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