Over the Moat : Love Among the Ruins of Imperial Vietnam

Rating:
Summary: What a terrific book
Review: This book was wonderful on so many different levels. First of all the story of Sullivan traveling to Vietnam and falling in love is rendered with such honesty and intelligence. I felt as though I was with him for this long adventure, and when things begin to become complicated, as the obstacles between the two grow, I found myself rooting out loud for everything to work out. It's what has been missing from all the "travel memoirs" - the sense that real living person with a mind and heart is behind the writing - Bravo to Sullivan.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting love among the ruins, postwar Vietnam
Review: This is a first person memoir. It engaged me from the start perhaps because I had a draft lottery number that was the next one to be called before the Vietnam War ended. I have always considered how lucky I was and yet still eager to find out and understand the country and the people better. The war was such a turning point in the history of America. It was equally a turning point for the Vietnamese. The narrator takes a bike ride through Vietnam, makes a fortuitous stop in Hue, an old provincial capital city and that too becomes a turning point for his life. A quiet book, well written, enchanting. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Great and exotic love story
Review: Transport yourself to another time and another place through this love story, set in ancient Hue. James Sullivan did a great job explaining his thinking and feelings, and tried his best to explain how Vietnamese think. He did an excellent job giving the reader a feel for Vietnamese culture and beliefs from a very personal perspective. The story took a while to develop, and the jumping back-and-forth between various periods of time can be confusing at first. A must read for anybody who is thinking of traveling to Vietnam. Hue has changed much since this story (I visited there last year), so this book captured a Hue that's in the past.