Rating: 
Summary: mixed feelings
Review: as a genre, i find travel books lacking. exceptions, perhaps, are the british expat writers like graham greene, lawrence durell, and (sometimes) paul thureau. but these tend to be more embelishments (read: fiction) than the actual travel adventure itself. which brings me back to my original point: travel-logs written by people wishing to publish their "travel" experiences, are inherently flawed (for me at least.) travel must be experienced firsthand! to read baout it (in this capacity) is a sorry substitute. no matter how observant, unbaised, and witty the writer is (and pico is pretty good on all accounts), i still felt the book was somewhat patronizing and an empty experience. i have travelled to asia extensively; i am observant; i drew my own conlusions; and i have my own diaries and numerous photographs of the experience. i share them with close frinds, who know me and can put my comments into perspectives. i think anyone trying to publish this sort of experience (and those attempting to gain insight from reading them) is barking up the wrong tree (of life.) go out there and travel on your own accord- gain your own experiences, not those of some self purported "writer."
Rating: 
Summary: patronizing fluff
Review: As a long standing fan of Pico Iyer's writing, I had high expectations of this book. It is entertaining and fun, but Mr. Iyer comes off as rather self-centered. You hear a lot about the girls who meet him (...). Some of the sardonic observations go beyond Mr. Iyers usual clear-eyed notice to the point of churlishness.That said, it is much better than the usual pabulum offerred by travel essay writers. If you are new to Iyer, start with "Falling off the Map" for a smoother taste of his style.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best, but if you like Pico Iyer, give it a try.
Review: As a long standing fan of Pico Iyer's writing, I had high expectations of this book. It is entertaining and fun, but Mr. Iyer comes off as rather self-centered. You hear a lot about the girls who meet him (...). Some of the sardonic observations go beyond Mr. Iyers usual clear-eyed notice to the point of churlishness. That said, it is much better than the usual pabulum offerred by travel essay writers. If you are new to Iyer, start with "Falling off the Map" for a smoother taste of his style.
Rating:
Summary: pleasant writing, dreadful reporting
Review: I am slowly working my way through Iyer's collection of travel essay books,passing them on to friends when I am through. He seems unusually able to capture the spirt and sense of places and even more so, the local people. When I read his comments on places I've been, I say "yup, that's right"; when I read those on places I have not been, I say "let's go". He injects just the right amount of personal reactions/interactions into the essays; just the right amount of detail to make the reader feel he/she is really there. I read this one the way to/from HongKong this year; nothing could have been a better preview or review.
Rating: 
Summary: a most unusual type of travel essay book on Asia
Review: I am slowly working my way through Iyer's collection of travel essay books,passing them on to friends when I am through. He seems unusually able to capture the spirt and sense of places and even more so, the local people. When I read his comments on places I've been, I say "yup, that's right"; when I read those on places I have not been, I say "let's go". He injects just the right amount of personal reactions/interactions into the essays; just the right amount of detail to make the reader feel he/she is really there. I read this one the way to/from HongKong this year; nothing could have been a better preview or review.
Rating:
Summary: patronizing fluff
Review: I tried reading this book while in Kathmandu, and forced myself to finish the chapter on said city before throwing the book across my hotel room in frustration. His anecdotes start out interesting, but turn into self-serving drivel that trivializes a very complex situation and culture. What bothers me most is that his writing is gimmicky- he puts words next to each other that try to sound cool and witty, rather than sharing any real insight. P>Predictably, the Thailand chapter concerned itself mainly with the sex trade. This a common theme, and it's sad that so many authors can't come up with anything else to say about a truly diverse and fascinating country.
Rating:
Summary: pleasant writing, dreadful reporting
Review: It's all very pretty, but there's plenty just beneath the surface. That, unfortunately is a synopsis of Asia and *not* of Pico Iyer's VIDEO NIGHT IN KATHMANDU, a purported travelogue that has all the depth of a picture postcard. Mr. Iyer has indeed traveled widely in Asia. However, he apparently spent most of his tour in a bubble through which the range and depth of the Asian experience was reduced into how well the people in his travels related to his own understanding of Euro-American popular culture. The problem with the book is not that there's no such influence; anybody interested in traveling in modern Asia is aware of the fascinating cross-pollinization in progress. And Iyer is a charming writer when on familiar ground. It's when he goes beyond his sunny beach-culture roots -- into the genocide of Burma, the sex trade in Thailand, or bar culture in Manila -- that he loses his way and his credibility. His understanding of Buddism seems to equate its tenets with the lyrics to "Shiny Happy People;" his grasp on the very different political climates of the countries in which he travels is next to nil. To his credit, Iyer is a facile writer, and he's certainly no more clueless than generations of befuddled bwana before him. But treating VIDEO NIGHT IN KATHMANDU as an actual travelogue puts far too much weight on work that any reader of world news will easily perceive as happy, babbing fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Not interested in history?
Review: Iyer's book captures a particular moment in the 1980s in each of the places he visits. He acknowledges that he provides little historical context for his experiences, such as how the Indian movie industry developed as it did or why the Philippines seems lost in the relics of the by-gone rock-and-roll era. I do not recommend the book to those seeking any sort of historical explanation of what is happening in Asian/American cultural exchange, although it is (probably) quite enjoyable to everyone else.
Rating:
Summary: Not interested in history?
Review: Iyer's book captures a particular moment in the 1980s in each of the places he visits. He acknowledges that he provides little historical context for his experiences, such as how the Indian movie industry developed as it did or why the Philippines seems lost in the relics of the by-gone rock-and-roll era. I do not recommend the book to those seeking any sort of historical explanation of what is happening in Asian/American cultural exchange, although it is (probably) quite enjoyable to everyone else.
Rating:
Summary: Late 80s Asia
Review: Pico Iyer has written an interesting set of annecdotes on Asia during the late 80s boom years. It covers the isolation of Burma, the sex trade in Thailand, the night life in Nepal, and everything inbetween. The book takes a deeper view beyond the stereotypes to understand the complexities of the cultural merging. The book really has two main values. First, it gives an annecdotal view of a lifestyle that, while only 15-20 years ago, is already gone. Hong Kong 1986 is a place in transition that is different than Hong Kong today. While many books today provide political and economic viewpoints on the times, and the changes, they don't accurately cover an expats view of life and cultural exchange. The second value is in understanding aspects of the culture that still apply. India's polyclot of ethnic groups and interaction with the West applies today. Pico Iyer is adept at capturing cultural traits that last, and perhaps even grow, despite the pressures of a globalizing world. I'm not a universal fan of all of Iyer's material, but this is certainly one of his better works. It's more readable, and the concepts more universal and lasting than some of his other books.
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