A Year in Provence or Fodors Maui 2009

A Year in Provence

Author: Peter Mayl

They had been there often as tourists. They had cherished the dream of someday living all year under the Provencal sun. And suddenly it happened.

Here is the month-by-month account of the charms and frustrations that Peter Mayle and his wife -- and their two large dogs -- experience their first year in the remote country of the Luberon restoring a two-centuries-old stone farmhouse that they bought on sight. From coping in January with the first mistral, which comes howling down from the Rhone Valley and wreaks havoc with the pipes, to dealing as the months go by with the disarming promises and procrastination of the local masons and plumbers, Peter Mayle delights us with his strategies for survival. He relishes the growing camaraderie with his country neighbors -- despite the rich, soupy, often impenetrable patois that threatens to separate them. He makes friends with boar hunters and truffle hunters, a man who eats foxes, and another who bites dentists; he discovers the secrets of handicapping racing goats and of disarming vipers. And he comes to dread the onslaught of tourists who disrupt his tranquillity.

In this often hilarious, seductive book Peter Mayle manages to transport us info all the earthy pleasures of Provencal life and lets us live vicariously in a tempo governed by seasons, not by days. George Lang, who was smitten, suggests: "Get a glass of marc, lean back in your most comfortable chair, and spend a delicious year in Provence."

Book review: Magnet Therapy a Medical Dictionary Bibliography and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References or From the Kitchen to the Parlor

Fodor's Maui 2009

Author: Fodors

Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.

Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Maui!

•Your vacation never looked better. This Fodor’s full-color guide paints an unforgettable picture of Maui with vibrant maps, vividly illustrated features, and stunning color photos.

•Updated annually, Fodor’s Maui provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.

•Fodor’s Maui features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.

•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Maui.

•Experience Maui like a local! Fodor’s Maui includes unique photo-features that impart the islands’ culture, covering the volcanic landscape of awesome Haleakala National Park, the waterfalls and beaches along the storied Road to Hana, Molokai’s beautiful, remote Kalaupapa Peninsula, and much more!

•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers,and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.

•Full-color pullout map

Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.

Grand Canyon Wild or Boston 2010 Entertainment Book

Grand Canyon Wild: A Photographic Journey

Author: John Annerino

Go deeper into the Grand Canyon, beyond its rims, by taking an expedition to the most remote, beautiful, and rarely seen vistas in North America.

Grand Canyon Wild takes you beyond the handful of scenic vistas which have defined the popular concept of the Grand Canyon. A well-known author and photographer of the American West and old Mexico and other coffee table books, Annerino takes you on a visual and spiritual journey down into the land below the canyon's rims. His photos and prose lead into the heart and soul of the canyon, highlighting the historic expeditions, local history, and legends of Native Americans and explorers alike, who bravely lived, and died, within the canyon's perimeters. Full-color throughout, 4 maps, bibliography, notes to photographs.

About the Author
Acclaimed author and photographer John Annerino was born on the edge of the desert and cut his teeth in the American West. In his quest to explore the Grand Canyon by foot, raft, rope, camera, and pen during the last twenty years, Annerino has worked as a Grand Canyon boatman, having logged more than five thousand miles; pioneered ascents of its towering spires; canyoneered the length of its most rugged tributary chasms; and hiked its most awe-inspiring trails. A former contract photographer for Liaison International, the author's credits include Life, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, People, and Scientific American. His more recent assignments include a Grand Canyon feature for National Geographic Adventure and a digital photo spread in the bestseller America 24/7.

Newsweek

John Annerino is one of a handful of photographers with a real empathy for the West. His work has an edge to it, reflecting the sheer size and power of his subject—a subject he treats with respect and love. This land, which is so much a part of the American psyche...is as raw and exciting in Annerino's work as it is in our mind's eye.

Table of Contents:

	Acknowledgments	8
	Introduction	11
I	Horizons: Grand Canyon Country	15
II	Rims: Over the Edge	37
III	Chasms: Mysteries of the Deep	69
IV	Rivers: Romance of the Colorado River	95
	Maps	128
	Notes to the Photographs	132
	Selective Bibliography	141
	Literature Cited	143

See also: Wireless Communications Security or Lightwave 3D 8 Cartoon Character Creation Volume 2

Boston 2010 Entertainment Book

Author: Entertainment Publications

The Entertainment® Book, A.K.A. THE BIG COUPON BOOK, with over $16,200 in savings, offers its members 50% savings and Buy 1 get 1 FREE offers on the things you do every day and in your own neighborhood. Discounts include: Dining (Fast Food, Casual, and Fine Dining), Services (Personal, Home, Garden, and Auto), Shopping, Attractions, Movie tickets, Golf, and Travel. With over 150 local editions throughout North America, the Entertainment Book is ideal for use in and around Boston, Massachusetts or while traveling on vacation.

In Tuscany or Oahu Revealed

In Tuscany

Author: Frances Mayes

From the bestselling author whose memoirs Under the Sun and Bella Tuscany have captured the voluptuousness of Italian life comes a lavishly illustrated ode to the joys of Tuscany's people, food, landscapes, and art.  In Tuscany celebrates the abundant pleasures of life in Italy as it is lived at home, at festivals, feasts, restaurants and markets, in the kitchen and on the piazza, in the vineyards, fields, and olive groves.  Combining all-new essays by Frances Mayes and a chapter by her husband, poet Edward Mayes, with more than 200 full-color photos by photographer Bob Krist, each of this book's five sections highlights a signature aspect of Tuscan life:


La Piazza--the locus of Italian village life.  With photgraphs of the shop signs, the outdoor markets, medieval streets, people, their pets and their cars, and snippets of conversations overheard, Mayes reveals the life of the Piazza in her town of Cortona as well as out-of-the-way places such as Volterra, Asciano, Monte San Savino, and Castelmuzio.

La Festa--the celebration.  Essays and photos of feasts and celebrations, such as the Christmas dinner for twenty-seven at a neighbor's house and a donkey race around the church at Montepulciano Stazione, illustrate how the Tuscans celebrate the seasons--their open ways of friendship, their connection to nature, and most of all, their sense of abundance.

Il Campo--the field.  Here Edward Mayes evokes the deep sense of the shift of seasons as he picks olives before he and Frances head off to the olive oil mill and enjoy the first bruscette with new oil.

LaCucina--the kitchen.  An intimate view of the all-important role of the kitchen in Tuscan culture, including photographs of her own kitchen and gardens, menus from great local cooks, the elements of the Tuscan table, dishes with cultural and culinary notes on each, and, of course, delectable recipes.

La Bellezza--the beauty.  From the quality of the light falling on sublime landscapes in different seasons and Tuscan faces in moments of laughter to a silhouette of cypress trees in the early evening and a wild bird perched on a neigbor's head, In Tuscany features views of beauty that reveal the singular splendor of one of the world's best-loved and most artistic regions.

Publishers Weekly

Riding on the success of her previous books, Mayes, who here collaborates with her husband, returns with a curious amalgam of cookbook, coffee-table book, travel guide and memoir. As in Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, Mayes lovingly admires her adopted Tuscany, where she purchased a villa 10 years ago. Chapters are loosely organized around general concepts: for instance, "Baci (Kisses)" focuses on Italian effusiveness; "La Piazza" centers on the meeting place of Italian village life; and "La Festa (Celebration)" opens with a quote from a song by Jovanotti (an Italian pop band) and goes on to classify the many types of celebrations held in Italy, from Siena's Palio to weekly Sunday lunches. Mayes includes 25 recipes throughout the book, though concentrated in the chapters "La Cucina" and "Il Campo." While there are local recipes such as Onion Soup in the Arezzo Style and Chicken Liver on Little Crusts, some of her choices are puzzling. Mayes freely appropriates non-Tuscan items such as Capri's famed limoncello and Parmesan cheese and even provides a recipe for the mirepoix that is the base of many Italian dishes. A list of resources provides a calendar of festivals in the region as well as addresses and phone numbers for bars, restaurants and specialty stores. Kirst's (Spirit of the Place) endearing photos of Tuscan life fill the pages. (Oct.)

Library Journal

Frances Mayes made a name for herself writing about her love affair with Tuscany, where she bought and refurbished an abandoned villa. She tells the full story in Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy (Broadway. 1997. ISBN 0-7679-0038-3. pap. $15); Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy (Broadway. 2000. ISBN 0-7679-0284-X. pap. $15); and In Tuscany (Broadway. 2000. ISBN 0-7679-0535-0. $35).

Booknews

In her third book about Tuscany, Mayes presents a lush celebration of the region's people, food, landscapes, and art, describing life at home, festivals, feasts, restaurants, and markets. Color photographs, many full page, are by Bob Krist. There is no index or bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Book review: The Brothers Bulger or The State of the University

Oahu Revealed

Author: Andrew Doughty

The most comprehensive yet easy-to-use guidebook series to Hawaii brings you the second edition of Oahu Revealed. Written by the author of the best-selling guides, Maui Revealed, Hawaii The Big Island Revealed and The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. He actually hikes all the trails, rides the boats, scuba dives the reefs, dines in the restaurants, reviews all the resorts, snorkels the coastline, explores the hidden waterfalls and shares all the secrets that he finds. Everything is reviewed anonymously. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes Oahu so exciting.

Chicago or Once in a Lifetime Trips

Chicago

Author: Elizabeth McNulty

Since it first grew up along the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago blossomed into a vibrant, progressive city with a landscape unlike any other. See how much the Midwest's cultural center has changed -- and how much it's stayed the same in Chicago Then & Now. Unstoppably prosperous in the mid-1800's, Chicago was laid to waste by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The remarkable period following the fire gave rise to some of the world's greatest architects and engineers -- in fact, Chicago was rebuilt within two years and was soon known as the "world capital of modern architecture."

Birthplace of the Soaring Chicago School and Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School of architecture, Chicago is a treasure trove of amazing buildings.

Explore some of Chicago's best-loved landmarks like Wrigley Field, Washington Park, Sears Tower, John Hancock Building, and St. Patrick's, the city's oldest church and survivor of the Great Fire, with intriguing archival images paired alongside modern photos.

Whether you're just blowing through the Windy City, or happen to be a lucky resident of the area, you'll find lots of satisfying material in this convenient, take-along edition.

Booknews

This volume pairs archival b&w photographs from the 19th and early 20th centuries with color views of the diverse and dynamic city of today. The images tell how following the Great Chicago Fire on October 8, 1871, Chicagoans went to work, rebuilding the entire city within two years, and hosting the World's Columbian Exposition within the next 12. They show the result of the work of the nation's foremost architects who were on the ground floor of skyscraper technology (so to speak) and designed three of the tallest buildings in the world today. Oversize: 11.5x10<">. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Interesting book: Vietnam or The Grimke Sisters from South Carolina

Once in a Lifetime Trips: The World's 50 Most Extraordinary and Memorable Travel Experiences

Author: Chris Santella

Fly-fish in the virgin waters of the Chilean fjords, arriving by helicopter; navigate Alaska on a boat as luxurious as a four-star hotel but small enough to sail where the big cruise ships can’t; embark on a private-jet tour to the great opera houses in Europe with behind-the-scenes passes: experience the classic links of the British Open. Once in a Lifetime Trips is a trove of ideas for travels that are unique, decadent, and off the beaten path.

Each trip is captured through stunning photography and an essay based on in-depth interviews with experts who have firsthand knowledge of the destination and itinerary. Once in a Lifetime Trips goes way beyond what a standard guide offers: these trips are intended to be distinctive events that you will remember for the rest of your life. Chris Santella distills each experience and describes just what makes it extraordinary–whether it’s the culture of the place, a venue’s incredible isolation, or the unique amenities available to the traveler. Organized by destination–on the ocean, on an island, in the jungle, in the mountains and the desert, in the country, in the city, in the sky–Once in a Lifetime Trips is as much a vicarious and thrilling reading experience as it is a source of ideas and inspiration for anyone in search of a remarkable journey.

Lonely Planet or River Town

Lonely Planet: Spain

Author: Damien Simonis

Discover Spain

Ascend the lofty La Sagrada Familia, then track down Gaudi's superb, lesser-known works
Row vigorously over the lake at Madrid's Parque del Buen Retiro
Relax with Basque tapas and white wine in the bars of San Sebastian's Parte Vieja
Wander home to your casa rural as night falls and silence envelops the narrow village streets

In This Guide:

Nine authors, 4964 kilometers of coastline, 18 exuberant regions
Full-color sections on green travel and the best of Spanish food and drink
Dedicated chapter on the Camino de Santiago by Galician resident and walking guide Nancy Frey
Content updated daily: visit lonelyplanet.com

Table of Contents:

The Authors     18
Getting Started     21
Itineraries     24
Snapshot     31
History     33
The Culture     53
Architecture     71
Environment     76
Spain Outdoors     83
Camino de Santiago     89
Food & Drink     99
Madrid     108
History     109
Orientation     109
Information     110
Dangers & Annoyances     111
Sights     126
Activities     138
Walking Tours     139
Courses     141
Madrid for Children     142
Tours     142
Festivals & Events     143
Sleeping     144
Eating     148
Drinking     154
Entertainment     157
Shopping     162
Getting There & Away     164
Getting Around     165
Around Madrid     166
San Lorenzo de El Escorial     166
Valle de los Caidos     168
South of Madrid     169
Alcala de Henares     172
Sierra de Guadarrama     173
North of Madrid     174
Castilla y Leon     175
The Southwest     176
Avila     176
Sierra de Gredos     181
Salamanca     183
Around Salamanca     190
Ciudad Rodrigo     191
Sierra de Francia     192
Sierra de Bejar     193
The Central Plateau     194
Segovia     194
Around Segovia     199
Valladolid     200
Around Valladolid     204
Zamora     206
Around Zamora     209
Palencia     209
Around Palencia     211
Montana Palentina     212
The Northwest     212
Leon     212
East of Leon     218
West of Leon     218
The East     221
Burgos     221
Around Burgos     227
North of Burgos     229
South to Rio Duero     229
West along Rio Duero     230
East along Rio Duero     231
Soria     233
Around Soria     236
South of Soria      236
Castilla-La Mancha     238
Toledo     239
History     239
Orientation     240
Information     240
Sights     240
Walking Tour     246
Courses     247
Festivals & Events     247
Sleeping     247
Eating     248
Drinking & Entertainment     248
Shopping     249
Getting There & Away     249
Getting Around     249
Around Toledo     250
The West     250
Talavera de la Reina     250
Around Talavera de la Reina     250
Montes de Toledo     251
The South     251
Ciudad Real     251
Ciudad Real Province     252
Southeast to Albacete     255
Albacete     256
Around Albacete     256
The Northeast     257
Cuenca     257
Serrania de Cuenca     261
Around Cuenca     262
Guadalajara     262
La Alcarria & Around     262
Siguenza     263
Around Siguenza      265
Barcelona     266
History     267
Orientation     280
Information     281
Sights     283
Activities     309
Walking Tour     310
Courses     311
Barcelona for Children     311
Tours     312
Festivals & Events     312
Sleeping     313
Eating     318
Drinking     323
Entertainment     325
Shopping     328
Getting There & Away     330
Getting Around     331
Around Barcelona     333
The Outskirts     333
Sitges     334
Montserrat     336
Penedes Wine Country     338
Catalonia     340
Costa Brava     341
Tossa de Mar     343
Sant Feliu de Guixols     345
Platja d'Aro & Palamos     346
Palafrugell & Around     346
Castell de Pubol     348
Girona     349
Verges     352
Torroella de Montgri     352
L'Estartit & the Illes Medes     353
L'Escala      354
Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de L'Emporda     355
Castello d'Empuries     355
Roses & Around     355
Cadaques & Around     356
Cadaques to the French Border     358
Figueres     358
Besalu     361
Around Figueres     361
The Pyrenees     362
Olot     362
Parc Natural de la Zona Volcanica de la Garrotxa     363
Ripoll     364
Around Ripoll     365
Vall Alto del Ter     366
Vall de Nuria & Ribes de Freser     366
Cerdanya     368
Serra del Cadi     370
La Seu d'Urgell     372
Vall de la Noguera Pallaresa     373
Northwestern Valleys     374
Parc Nacional d'Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici & Around     375
Val d'Aran     378
Central Catalonia     381
Vic     381
Around Vic     382
Manresa     382
Cardona     382
Solsona     382
Conca de Barbera     383
Lleida     384
Montsec     386
Costa Daurada      386
Vilanova i la Geltru     386
Altafulla     387
Tarragona     387
Port Aventura     392
Reus & Around     392
Cambrils     393
Tortosa     393
Ebro Delta     394
Andorra     396
Andorra la Vella     399
Orientation     399
Information     399
Sights & Activities     400
Sleeping     402
Eating     402
Drinking     403
Entertainment     403
Shopping     403
Getting There & Around     403
Around Andorra la Vella     403
Northwestern Andorra     404
La Massana     404
Arinsal & Pal Ski Areas     404
Ordino     405
Vall d'Ordino     406
Ordino-Arcalis Ski Area     406
Eastern Andorra     407
Encamp     407
Grandvalira Ski Area     407
Canillo     408
Soldeu & El Tarter     408
Pas de la Casa     409
Andorra Directory     410
Accommodation     410
Activities      411
Customs     411
Dangers & Annoyances     411
Embassies & Consulates     411
Holidays     411
Internet Resources     412
Media     412
Money     412
Post     412
Shopping     412
Telephone     412
Tourist Information     412
Visas     412
Aragon     413
Zaragoza     415
History     415
Orientation     415
Information     415
Sights     416
Festivals & Events     420
Sleeping     420
Eating     420
Drinking     421
Entertainment     422
Getting There & Away     422
Getting Around     423
South of Zaragoza     423
West of Zaragoza     423
The North (The Pyrenees)     425
Huesca     426
Around Huesca     428
Alquezar     428
Barbastro & Around     429
Benasque     430
Around Benasque     431
Ainsa      432
Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido     433
Jaca     437
Around Jaca     439
Valles de Echo & Anso     440
Sos del Rey Catolico     441
The South     442
Daroca     442
Laguna de Gallocanta     442
Teruel     443
Rincon de Ademuz     445
Albarracin     445
El Rodeno     446
The Southeast     446
Calanda     447
Alcaniz     448
Basque Country, Navarra & La Rioja     449
Basque Country     451
Bilbao     453
Around Bilbao     461
The Central Basque Coast     463
San Sebastian     465
East of San Sebastian     474
South of San Sebastian     475
Vitoria     476
Navarra     479
Pamplona     479
East of Pamplona     485
West of Pamplona     485
North of Pamplona     487
South of Pamplona     487
The Pyrenees     488
La Rioja     491
Logrono     491
Wine Region      494
Monasteries West of Logrono     496
South of Logrono     497
Cantabria & Asturias     498
Cantabria     499
Santander     499
Around Santander     505
Eastern Cantabria     506
Southern Cantabria     506
Western Cantabria     507
Asturias     512
Oviedo     512
Around Oviedo     517
Gijon     517
East Coast     521
West Coast     524
Picos de Europa     527
Western Picos     530
Central Picos     532
Eastern Picos     535
Galicia     538
Santiago de Compostela     540
History     541
Orientation     541
Information     541
Sights     541
Walking Tour     545
Festivals & Events     545
Sleeping     545
Eating     546
Drinking     548
Entertainment     548
Shopping     549
Getting There & Away     549
Getting Around     549
A Coruna & the Rias Altas      549
A Coruna     550
Rias Altas     554
Costa da Morte     558
Malpica de Bergantinos     558
Laxe, Camelle & Around     558
Camarinas     559
Muxia & Around     559
Fisterra & Around     559
Towards the Rias Baixas     560
Rias Baixas     560
Ria de Muros y Noia     560
Ria de Arousa     561
Pontevedra     562
Ria de Pontevedra     565
Ria de Vigo     566
Vigo     566
Illas Cies     569
The Southwest     570
The Coast     570
Rio Mino     571
The East     572
Ourense     572
Castelo de Monterrei     574
Canon do Sil     574
Monforte de Lemos     574
Samos     575
Lugo     575
Valencia     577
Valencia City     579
History     579
Orientation     579
Information     579
Sights & Activities     581
Walking Tour     585
Courses      586
Valencia for Children     586
Tours     587
Festivals & Events     587
Sleeping     587
Eating     588
Entertainment     590
Getting There & Away     592
Getting Around     592
Around Valencia City     593
Costa del Azahar     595
Castellon de la Plana     595
Around Castellon de la Plana     596
Benicassim     596
Oropesa del Mar     605
Peniscola     606
Vinaros     607
El Maestrazgo     607
Sant Mateu     607
Morella     608
Els Ports     609
Costa Blanca     609
Gandia     610
Denia     611
Xabia     611
Calpe     612
Altea     613
Benidorm     613
Alicante     616
Around Alicante     620
Torrevieja     620
Inland from the Costa Blanca     621
Xativa     621
Villena     622
Elda     622
Novelda      622
Jijona     623
Alcoy     623
Guadalest     623
Elche     623
Orihuela     625
Balearic Islands     627
History     628
Getting There & Around     628
Mallorca     630
Palma de Mallorca     632
Southwest Coast     637
Northwest Coast & Serra de Tramuntana     638
Badia d'Alcudia     642
East Coast     643
The Interior     644
Ibiza (Eivissa)     645
Ibiza City (Eivissa)     647
East Coast     652
North Coast & Interior     654
West Coast     655
South Coast     656
Formentera     656
Menorca     661
Mao     663
The Interior-Mao to Ciutadella     666
Ciutadella     666
North Coast     670
South Coast     671
Murcia     672
Murcia City     673
Orientation     673
Information     673
Sights     674
Festivals & Events     675
Sleeping      675
Eating     676
Drinking & Entertainment     676
Shopping     676
Getting There & Away     676
Getting Around     677
Murcia Region     677
Cartagena     677
Costa Calida     680
Lorca     681
Parque Natural de Sierra Espuna     682
Andalucia     683
Seville     686
History     686
Orientation     687
Information     690
Sights     690
Walking Tour     699
Courses     700
Seville for Children     700
Tours     700
Festivals & Events     700
Sleeping     701
Eating     703
Drinking     704
Entertainment     705
Shopping     706
Getting There & Away     706
Getting Around     707
Around Seville     708
Carmona     708
Osuna     709
Huelva Province     709
Huelva     709
Lugares Colombinos     710
Parque Nacional de Donana      711
West of Huelva     713
Minas de Riotinto     714
Aracena     715
West of Aracena     715
Cadiz Province     716
Cadiz     716
El Puerto de Santa Maria     721
Sanlucar de Barrameda     722
Jerez de la Frontera     724
Arcos de la Frontera     728
Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema     729
Southern Costa de la Luz     731
Tarifa     733
Algeciras     737
La Linea de la Concepcion     739
Gibraltar     739
Malaga Province     743
Malaga     743
Costa del Sol     749
El Chorro & Bobastro     754
Ronda     755
Around Ronda     758
Antequera     758
Around Antequera     759
East of Malaga     760
Cordoba Province     761
Cordoba     761
Around Cordoba     768
Granada Province     768
Granada     768
Around Granada     783
Guadix     783
Sierra Nevada     783
The Coast      789
Jaen Province     790
Jaen     790
Baeza     793
Ubeda     794
Cazorla     796
Parque Natural de Cazorla     796
Almeria Province     799
Almeria     799
Around Almeria     803
Cabo de Gata     803
Mojacar     806
Extremadura     808
Northern Extremadura     809
La Vera     809
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River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze

Author: Peter Hessler

When Peter Hessler joined the Peace Corps, he expected to spend a couple of peaceful years teaching English in the town of Fuling along the Yangtze River. But what he experienced—the natural beauty, cultural tension, and complex process of understanding that takes place when one is thrust into a radically different society— surpassed anything he could have imagined. Hessler observes firsthand how major events like the death of Deng Xiaoping, the return of Hong Kong to the mainland, and the controversial construction of the Three Gorges Dam have sent tremors large enough to sweep through China and reach the people of Fuling. Poignant, thoughtful, and utterly compelling, River Town is an unforgettable portrait of a city caught mid-river in time, much like China itseld—a country seeking to understand both what it was and what it someday will be.

About the Author:
Peter Hessler is a graduate of Princeton and Oxford, and has written for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and other publications. Raised in Columbia, MO, he now lives in Beijing.

New York Times Book Review - Adam Goodheart

River Town is an important work of reportage, and not just because of the peculiar historical moment it describes -- a moment when Hessler's students can speak of their sincere admiration for the Communist ideals of Chairman Mao, then go off after graduation to seek their fortune in the tumultuous prosperity of China's southern cities. It's also a window into a part of China -- the province of Sichuan -- that has rarely been explored in depth, even though, as Hessler notes, it is home to one out of every 50 people on earth.

Publishers Weekly

In China, the year 1997 was marked by two momentous events: the death of Deng Xiaoping, the country's leader for two decades, and the return of Hong Kong after a century and a half of British rule. A young American who spent two years teaching English literature in a small town on the Yangtze, Hessler observed these events through two sets of eyes: his own and those of his alter ego, Ho Wei. Hessler sees China's politics and ceremony with the detachment of a foreigner, noting how grand political events affect the lives of ordinary people. The passing of Deng, for example, provokes a handful of thoughtful and unexpected essays from Hessler's students. The departure of the British from Hong Kong sparks a conversational "Opium War" between him and his nationalist Chinese tutor. Meanwhile, Ho Wei, as Hessler is known to most of the townspeople, adopts a friendly and unsophisticated persona that allows him to learn the language and culture of his surroundings even as Hessler's Western self remains estranged. The author conceives this memoir of his time in China as the collaborative effort of his double identity. "Ho Wei," he writes, "left his notebooks on the desk of Peter Hessler, who typed everything into his computer. The notebooks were the only thing they truly shared." Yet it's clear that, for Hessler, Ho Wei is more than a literary device: to live in China, he felt compelled to subjugate his real identity to a character role. Hessler has already been assured the approval of a select audience thanks to the New Yorker's recent publication of an excerpt. (Feb.)

Library Journal

This moving, mesmerizing memoir recounts Hessler's two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in the city of Fuling, located in the heart of China. Before Hessler's arrival, no one in Fuling had seen a foreigner for 50 years. Hessler was rudely thrust into this forbidden land, completely isolated from the world as we know it. Armed with astute powers of observation, acute sensitivity to cultural differences, and a good command of Chinese, he explores the culture, politics, traditions, and ideas of a people completely unknown and mysterious to the Western World. Hessler also watches as the city--torn between tradition and the onslaught of modern times--reacts to the death of Deng Xiaoping, the return of Hong Kong to the mainland, and the inevitable construction of the Three Gorges Dam on its beloved, and sacred, Yangtze River. This touching memoir of an American dropped into the center of China transcends the boundaries of the travel genre and will appeal to anyone wanting to learn more about the heart and soul of the Chinese people. Highly recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/00.]--Melinda Stivers Leach, Precision Editorial Svcs., Wondervu, CO

Kirkus Reviews

A two-year sojourn in a small city in central China yields this youthful, gracefully impressionistic portrait of a time and place from newcomer Hessler. In 1996, Hessler reported for his Peace Corps duty to Fuling, a city of some 200,000 souls astride the murky Yangtze River, which cuts through the green and terraced mountains of Sichuan Province. This account is a chronicle of the author's days in Fuling and of a brief summer interlude of travel farther afield. Hessler's writing is unselfconsciously mellow, a lazy pace that works admirably in conjuring up Fuling as a place. There is the gentle knock of the croquet ball in the morning when the court below his window comes to life. There is this river city of steps pressed against hills; there are ridgelines cut with ancient calligraphy and pictographs that disappear under water during the rainy season. There are his students—a poignant, watershed generation who delight him to no end. Big things happen while he is in China (the Three Gorges Project is in full swing and Deng Xiaoping dies), but it is the everyday stuff that is so affecting. The surprise and unpredictability of the townsfolk catch him unawares more than once, he feels the sensitivity of being a foreigner, with all eyes upon him and little cultural abrasions everywhere:"Those were our Opium Wars—quiet and meaningless battles over Chinese and American history, fueled by indirect remarks and careful innuendo." And he loves it, despite the dislocations and frustrations: even the creepy drinking bouts at banquets ("Every banquet has a leader, a sort of alcoholic alpha male") and the relentless mocking of his foreignness by strangers (for, althoughthePeaceCorps is no longer considered a running-dog outfit, foreigners are nonetheless seen as freaks) become sources of nostalgia after a while. A vivid and touching tribute to a place and its people. First serial to the New Yorker

What People Are Saying

Simon Winchester
To come across a Westerner patient enough and tolerant enough to try to understand the immense, exasperating, and ultimately lovable entity that is China is always a pleasure. To encounter one who is as literate and sensitive as Peter Hessler is a joy. this tender, intelligent, and insightful account of tow years spent teaching deep in the country's heart is the work of a writer of rare talent: it deserves to become a classic.—(Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman)