Linda K. (Alafair) reviewed on 8/5/2009 + 45 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

Amy Tan's lively reading of this audiobook lends dimension to the story. My only criticism has to do with the many little tangential back stories that, while enlightening, at times seem to disrupt the flow of the plot. The behaviors, words and eccentricities of the travelers vis a vis the part of the world they travel in speak for themselves. On the other hand, back stories about the Chinese and Burmese people added valuable insight into how two different cultures can clash at times and yet, at other times, demonstrate how kindness and a gesture of friendship make us all the more human no matter what part of the world we are in. I enjoyed Tan's idea of taking the twelve travelers completely out of their familiar spaces and thrusting them into places and situations where, almost totally defenseless, their perceptions of what is versus what "really" is are rocked to their core. I enjoyed listening to this book and recommend it.

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