Book Review: “A Blue Moon in China” by Elizabeth Pilar
“A Blue Moon in China” by Elizabeth Pilar (2015)
Genre: Travel, Memoir, Non-Fiction
Page Length: 454 pages (paperback edition)
Synopsis:
This is the memoir of my odyssey through China in 1988. The Cold War is still on. The Berlin Wall still stands. There is no World Wide Web. Cell phones don’t exist. I have just turned 21 years old. I am alone. I don’t know a word of Chinese. I have $400 in travelers cheques, securely hidden along with my passport in the zippered cloth belt strapped around my waist. All my belongings are in a small backpack. Once I cross the border into China, I step under the radar and venture off the beaten path. Over the course of two months I will travel thousands of miles through an enchanting land. The story comes directly from the journal I kept while there. The people are real people. The adventure happened as recorded. (description from Goodreads)
Review:
A Blue Moon in China is an account of Pilar’s solo trip as she navigates her way through 1988 China. I was interested in reading this book because I love books about travel and I hadn’t read any that took place in China. While this book paints a vivid portrait of China during that time, it also gives a glimpse through a foreigner’s eyes of a country that had opened up to travelers. While it’s a book about exploring new places, it’s also equally a story of self-discovery. Pilar doesn’t speak the language nor is she familiar with the country’s landscape. While meeting other travelers she learns more about herself and China’s rich culture, while reflecting on her own life.
Throughout the book we become more acquainted with Pilar and learn why she wanted to leave home, about her past relationships, and the urge to see new places across the globe. Being a naive Detroiter, I also felt a connection to the references she makes about the Motor City. It gave the book a personal touch. Pilar’s detailed writing makes reading the book a sensory experience as if you could picture thoughts before your very eyes.
I was unfamiliar with some of the places mentioned in the book and reading it allowed me to discover new parts of China. I got to read about a variety of landscapes (from the countryside to the city). While the book also delves into China’s history and focuses on the aspects of traveling solo/in groups, the thing I enjoyed the most about it is the Pilar’s connection to the people she met on the journey. And that she even found love in the process.
If you enjoy reading travel memoirs, this is one to check out!
Final Verdict:
I’m not a huge reader of travel books or memoirs, but I can see where they would hold a particular appeal these days, when most of us are staying closer to home than usual. I think it’s great that you’re looking for gaps in your travel-reading lists and finding books to take you to those places!
I think it’s fun to read about the variety of travel experiences through travel memoirs. It’s also gives me some new destination to add to my ongoing travel list.