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sawyerbell's review
5.0
I loved this travel memoir about a man who's been warned not to fly for a year and decides to travel through Asia by train and bus, getting his fortune told at every stop.
librarianonparade's review
4.0
As a premise for a travelogue, it's certainly an interesting one: warned by a Hong Kong fortune teller not to fly during 1993 or he will die, on a whim an Italian journalist decides to take the hint and forgo flying for an entire year. Obviously as Asian correspondent for a German magazine this presents certain problems - how can one ensure one can make it to the right place at the right time, when travelling there can take days or even weeks instead of hours, assuming that it is even possible to get there at all?
Travelling through Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, China, Russia and back again by a whole host of methods - cars held together by wire, over-crowded trains, on foot and by mule, by cargo ship - Terzani sets out to step outside of the normal pace of modern life, to immerse himself in the life of the countries he is so used to simply flying over and simply slow down a little. In each country he visits seers, palmists, astrologers and fortune tellers, comparing their predictions, assessing their accuracy, exploring both his doubts and certainties.
It also serves as an elegy for a certain way of life that Terzani feels is being lost in the inexorable encroach of 'progress', of modern life. A lot of unique cultures, mythology and folklore is being lost in the wake of globalization, the rush for a certain standardized Western way of life, in Asia and the Far East coming largely through the conduit of China and the Chinese diaspora. Terzani certainly seems to have quite a love-hate relationship with modern China and the Chinese.
I really enjoyed this book, and it was certainly an interesting approach to a travel book. That said, I did find it patronising in places, a little sexist, and a little too romantic about the benefits of a certain traditional, rustic way of life. Progress and modernity isn't all bad, and whilst globalization has done a great deal of damage, it has brought benefits to a large proportion of the world. There is something to be said for keeping in touch with a country's roots and traditions, but sometimes it seems like Westerners (and Terzani is no exception) would prefer Asia to remain traditional and rustic, not for its own sake and the sake of its people, but so as to serve as some kind of idealised, exotic place for Westerners to escape to and dream about.
Travelling through Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, China, Russia and back again by a whole host of methods - cars held together by wire, over-crowded trains, on foot and by mule, by cargo ship - Terzani sets out to step outside of the normal pace of modern life, to immerse himself in the life of the countries he is so used to simply flying over and simply slow down a little. In each country he visits seers, palmists, astrologers and fortune tellers, comparing their predictions, assessing their accuracy, exploring both his doubts and certainties.
It also serves as an elegy for a certain way of life that Terzani feels is being lost in the inexorable encroach of 'progress', of modern life. A lot of unique cultures, mythology and folklore is being lost in the wake of globalization, the rush for a certain standardized Western way of life, in Asia and the Far East coming largely through the conduit of China and the Chinese diaspora. Terzani certainly seems to have quite a love-hate relationship with modern China and the Chinese.
I really enjoyed this book, and it was certainly an interesting approach to a travel book. That said, I did find it patronising in places, a little sexist, and a little too romantic about the benefits of a certain traditional, rustic way of life. Progress and modernity isn't all bad, and whilst globalization has done a great deal of damage, it has brought benefits to a large proportion of the world. There is something to be said for keeping in touch with a country's roots and traditions, but sometimes it seems like Westerners (and Terzani is no exception) would prefer Asia to remain traditional and rustic, not for its own sake and the sake of its people, but so as to serve as some kind of idealised, exotic place for Westerners to escape to and dream about.
estacer's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting idea, enjoyed the new take on a travelogue. I remember not feeling closure, like it was just a list of all the fortune tellers he visited and what they said, no wrapping.
digitaure's review
4.0
A Fortune-Teller told me is the fascinating account of an Italian news correspondant's travels across South East Asia, solely over land and sea. Written in the early 1990s, it is a story to rediscover and take inspiration from as the no-fly movement grows. At times, Terzani states questionable and dated generalisations about certain South East Asian minorities and women. Nevertheless, his insights on regional current affairs and spirituality as well as the encounters he relates make this book a worthwhile read.
suzums's review
5.0
One of the first books I picked up as a teenager and absolutely loved. It has been awhile since I last read it but I'm definitely picking it up again soon.
becklabeck's review
5.0
A seasoned traveler and long-time resident of multiple Asian countries decides to follow a fortune-teller's advice to not fly for the entire year of 1993, instead continuing his travels by train, boat, automobile, and foot. He journeys through China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Laos, and Russia, seeking the culture of each place and consulting fortune-tellers at every stop. I enjoyed Terzani's writing style - poetic, honest, with entertaining touches of humor - and the way he blended his contemporary travel tales with historical context, his own memories, and philosophy. He thinks about fate, time, nature, war, globalization, modernity, progress, luck, and coincidence. He was a likeable narrator for me, talking to lots of different people and going out of his way to experience interesting things, and striking a nice balance between open-mindedness and criticism. I liked how he already knew quite well the culture of the places he visited, spoke multiple languages and already had experiences living in some of the countries he passed through. He felt like a good guide for this journey, providing lots of information that helped each destination and the journey itself come to life with rich sensory details and a deeper understanding of the places he visited. This book is over 10 years old so I'm sure a lot of things have changed since he chronicled them here, but I really enjoyed the glimpse into 1993 around Asia. I learned plenty of interesting things from this book and it raised some new questions and ideas that I will gladly ponder further. And I now have quite a hankering to ride on a boat, after reading the delightful chapter titled "Hurray for Ships!"
ordinary's review
slow-paced
1.0
Terzani's loathing for Chinese permeates every page of this book. It's appalling that one can masquerade one's 'opinions' about the global south under the pretext of searching for spiritual answers from the 'exotic east'. Funnier still that he finds his peace at the end under the tutelage of another white man co opting the title of saint/teacher.
Yeah, so Terzani basically spent all of his travels about how the Chinese were money obsessed and lamenting about the destruction of eastern culture placing the blame solely on corrupt, shallow easterners while not once thinking about the heavy impact of colonialism in the first place. A colonizer's book through and through. Disgusting.
Yeah, so Terzani basically spent all of his travels about how the Chinese were money obsessed and lamenting about the destruction of eastern culture placing the blame solely on corrupt, shallow easterners while not once thinking about the heavy impact of colonialism in the first place. A colonizer's book through and through. Disgusting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism