Cheap DVDs, books, CDs & Games

Search:

Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam

By: Andrew X. Pham
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Picador USA
ISBN: 0312267177
ISBN-13: 9780312267179
Released: 30 Sep 2000
RRP: £8.03
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

A compelling, touching read! - By: , 18 Dec 2000
Having travelled from Hanoi to Saigon myself, 2 years ago, I was very interested to read Catfish & Mandala. An's experiences in the country were somewhat different from mine. He encountered more difficult situations & angry people. Nobody wants to believe that An is Vietnamese. Although the feel of the country & its people came accross quite well in his story, I believe he concentrated on the bad aspects Vietnam offers. He does not often mention the beauty of the country, or the wealth of history to be found. This is probably due to the memory of his childhood there.

I particularly liked the way An put the three story lines, i.e. his youth in Vietnam, his life in America & the return to his fatherland, in separate chapters, which makes the book very lifely.

At the end of the book I felt very sorry for An & his family having gone through such difficult times, which affected each family member in different ways.

I can highly recommend the book to everybody who is interested in reading a personal life story, set in Vietnam. I reallly enjoyed it. But for future holiday makers to Vietnam, I would suggest a more cheerful, positive book on the country.

Funny! - By: , 17 Sep 2000
Andrew Pham has got a great sense of humour & this book will certainly make you laugh. I have reallly enjoyed reading this one. Go get it now!
An astonishing book. - By: , 27 May 2000
This is up there with Tim Page's "Page After Page" in the elite of Vietnam-related travelography. It's beautifully written, & is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the country.
BRILLIANT! Memoir of the decade! - By: pen4rent@yahoo.com, 30 Apr 2000
Catfish & Mandala is a unique book, a new genre that uses alll the stylistic elements of fiction, nonfiction, short story, travel adventure, & memoir writing. Pham's prose has Hemmingway's bravado, James Salter's technical genius, Joe Kane's sense of social justice, & John Krakauer's drive for adventure--alll while remaining human & down-to-earth.

Most of alll, Pham has that rare ability to bare his soul without melodrama. He shares his insights on the human condition (love, regret, forgiveness, & guilt) & we are better for having heard them.

The strangest thing about this book is that you can't categorize it, nor is it on the "edge". Perhaps it simply exists at the center of who we are.

Buy this book!

Excellent - the author's journey into himself and his past - By: , 25 Apr 2000
This is a splendid book that isn't easy to categorise. It's not a travel book - it won't tell you what sites to see in Vietnam - unless you can say that the authors is taking a journey around himself, his past, his family...

It's also largely about coming to terms with not reallly knowing who you are or where you belong. A sense of being neither Vietnamese nor American - something that ultimately led to his sister's suicide

It feels like you are riding on his crossbar with an invitation to see a side of Vietnam that isn't accessible to tourists.

A brave physical & emotional exploration by Pham - highly recommended