booksiloved.com - Book reviews of books the reviewer really liked

A review of The River at the Center of the World

by Simon Winchester

A journey along one of the worlds greatest and most mysterious rivers.

Reviewed by: Alan McClymont
About Alan McClymont

The River at the Center of the World Simon Winchester, a trained geologist and well written author on Pacific rim countries decided to follow up on his long standing dream and travel along the full 3,900 mile long Yangtze river. The river, one of the biggest in the world, splits China in two and is at the center of much of the culture and folklore of this huge country. The route which he follows takes him from the mouth of the river near Shanghai, on the Pacific coast all the way across the country into the foothills of the Himalayas and the deepest recesses of Tibet.

As the author himself notes, this is not only a journey through distance but also a journey through time. From the ultra modern east coast he travels backwards through time to the West and Tibet where everything still seems as it was 1000 years ago. This is probably the most interesting aspect of the journey. The way in which different parts of the country have changed over the years is well documented here.

My original interest in this book came solely from having lived in China and from having taken much of the same journey as the author. Obviously the enjoyment of the book would be greater if you knew the places which were being described to you but no knowledge of China is necessary to thoroughly enjoy this great read. By the end of the book I realized that much of what he had seen and done was very different from my own experiences. This though did not stop me from feeling like I was traveling with him along the way.

Much of this feeling came from the way in which the writer described the places that he visited and the people that he met. Everything and everyone that he came into contact with seemed to be given a life of their own. He describes what he sees as if everything is completely new to him. It is wonderful to be able to experience such unknown lands in the company of someone who can show you them in such wonderful color and detail.

The book also looks into the building of the 'three gorges dam' in the middle of the river. This project should become the world's biggest hydroelectric dam after its completion in a few years but has been the subject of much criticism. This and many other political subjects are also dealt with and they show how dangerous it remains for foreigners to question authority in some of the more remote parts of the country.

Basically the book is a wonderful description of the history, culture, politics and the people of this huge, wonderful and largely unknown country. It is well written and the author shows a real love for his subject. I only wish my own journey could have been half as eventful as his.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The River at the Center of the World

Copyright © by Alan McClymont, 2003

Reviewed by Alan McClymont :
-- Dead Famous - by Ben Elton
-- Neither here nor there - by Bill Bryson
-- Lucky Jim - by Kingsley Amis
-- Round Ireland with a fridge - by Tony Hawks
-- The River at the Center of the World - by Simon Winchester
-- The Rape of Nanking - by Iris Chang
-- Timeline - by Michael Crichton
-- How to Be Good - by Nick Hornby
-- Notes from a Small Island - by Bill Bryson
-- Player Piano - by Kurt Vonnegut
-- Wilt - by Tom Sharpe
-- Number9dream - by David Mitchell









Home ------- All the Reviews