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A review by thomasdm15
Our Friends in Beijing by John Simpson
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It was a very good book to read, especially if you know anything about China, its culture or its contemporary politics/history.
HOWEVER I'm deducting a whole point for the unnecessary comments of any sorts (especially about women and the occasional condescending "his/her English was surprisingly good") which really made my reading experience less enjoyable although the book's contents were really enjoyable for me. Audibly sighed more than once due to them and they put me off.
But, in all fairness, that's the "only" thing I can really complain about. Everything else was really good: the writing, cultural references, humour, suspense, etc.
HOWEVER I'm deducting a whole point for the unnecessary comments of any sorts (especially about women and the occasional condescending "his/her English was surprisingly good") which really made my reading experience less enjoyable although the book's contents were really enjoyable for me. Audibly sighed more than once due to them and they put me off.
But, in all fairness, that's the "only" thing I can really complain about. Everything else was really good: the writing, cultural references, humour, suspense, etc.