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karenreads1000s's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed these glimpses into life in China. Well-written and interesting on so many levels!
superqs's review against another edition
4.0
以为何伟之后再难有深入我心的中国纪实文学了，这本《长乐路》给了我很多的惊喜。作者选择了一个巧妙的地方，一个巧妙的切入点，将当代中国的二元结构真实的展现在了我们面前。
nakedsushi's review against another edition
4.0
This made me extremely nostalgic for my birthplace, especially the whole "government is trying to boot me out of my house" aspect to the stories.
cadmiumcamera's review against another edition
5.0
I was given a free review copy of this book through First To Read
This book is amazing!! I highly recommend it to all. Especially anyone who has an interest in modern day China, or how people live in other parts of the world.
I was especially interested in this book since my husband's family, who is Chinese, and I went to China with a tour group last year for two and a half weeks. While all of the historic sites that we saw were absolutely incredible, we felt that culturally speaking we were being given the sanitized version of China. This books gives the real raw mostly ugly version, especially in regards to their housing laws. We were told while in China "every so many years a building is torn down and rebuilt, and for any residence within that building they are either bought out and relocated or offered the opportunity to move back into the new apartment when it is complete" which sounds really awesome but in actuality often when they are relocated they are put on the outskirts of town hours away from their jobs and friends, and rarely are they actually given the opportunity to move into the new building, and if they refuse to leave or ask to be relocated closer to where they are currently living, they are then coerced into leaving with violence. In the book he tells the story of an elderly couple who refused to leave and were then burned alive in their apartment.
The title is actually ironic, as there has not been "Eternal Happiness" on this street, but account after account of people being mistreated by the Chinese government and the tremendous effect it has had on their lives and the lives of their families.
The writer does an incredible job of immersing you in the narrative, you feel like you know these people! I so want to go back and meet every one of them and see now, two years after the story ends, how their lives have ended up!
I have already recommend this book to my in laws and will be buying them a copy when it is published!!
This book is amazing!! I highly recommend it to all. Especially anyone who has an interest in modern day China, or how people live in other parts of the world.
I was especially interested in this book since my husband's family, who is Chinese, and I went to China with a tour group last year for two and a half weeks. While all of the historic sites that we saw were absolutely incredible, we felt that culturally speaking we were being given the sanitized version of China. This books gives the real raw mostly ugly version, especially in regards to their housing laws. We were told while in China "every so many years a building is torn down and rebuilt, and for any residence within that building they are either bought out and relocated or offered the opportunity to move back into the new apartment when it is complete" which sounds really awesome but in actuality often when they are relocated they are put on the outskirts of town hours away from their jobs and friends, and rarely are they actually given the opportunity to move into the new building, and if they refuse to leave or ask to be relocated closer to where they are currently living, they are then coerced into leaving with violence. In the book he tells the story of an elderly couple who refused to leave and were then burned alive in their apartment.
The title is actually ironic, as there has not been "Eternal Happiness" on this street, but account after account of people being mistreated by the Chinese government and the tremendous effect it has had on their lives and the lives of their families.
The writer does an incredible job of immersing you in the narrative, you feel like you know these people! I so want to go back and meet every one of them and see now, two years after the story ends, how their lives have ended up!
I have already recommend this book to my in laws and will be buying them a copy when it is published!!
wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up from a book recommendation list and after starting it I realized... I had just finished his wife's book! Very interesting to see how they each decided to write about their time in Shanghai! Street of Eternal Happiness was a great way to see snapshots of China's history. In my visit to Shanghai I actually heard many stories that echoed those who Rob met in his time, so I found it a great access point to some aspects of China's history.
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book for free through goodreads giveaways.
This book gives a view of life in China, mostly taking place in Shanghai, from the viewpoint of an American journalist living in Shanghai. Through conversations with neighbors and friends, the author describes the past and present conditions in China. A very interesting book with a fantastic cover.
This book gives a view of life in China, mostly taking place in Shanghai, from the viewpoint of an American journalist living in Shanghai. Through conversations with neighbors and friends, the author describes the past and present conditions in China. A very interesting book with a fantastic cover.
libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
5.0
This was an incredibly powerful & depressing book. I'm glad I read it & I think my worldview has increased a great deal. Now I might need about 10 years to digest it.
deanna_etc's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Rob Schmitz's tapestry of life from the Shanghai perspective. There were dark tones, but plenty of optimism and bright spots that painted an enlightening picture.