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loritian 's review for:

The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence
4.0

I took one star off for this particular format. I recommend the hardback copy. The audio version is disconcerting due to two main issues: 1) the narrator's upper crust British accent is rather ironic given that this is a book about abuses of imperialistic power and 2) the transfer from CD to audio files was sloppy leaving cuts in mid thought and even mid sentence. That said, this book trots along at a brisk and efficient pace through the end of the Ming to modern day. A terrific overview. Delightfully, much is documented with hard facts and figures.