Customer Reviews
Under the Dragon - By: Susannah, 22 Oct 2003 
This is a poignant, sympathetic & deeply moving read. With grace & style the author has woven together living voices from a lost land.
If you are thinking of visiting Burma, this is a book to read before you go. Because no one should merely be a touristin their tragedy. If you would never visit Burma under present circumstances, then this is a book to read. Because the people need you to hear their voice. And if you have already visited Burma, then you should read this book. Becausein it's sadness it is filled with beauty & perfume & peace.
A quest makes a frightening and alien culture accessible - By: , 13 Feb 2002 This evocative book has haunted me since I first read it last year.
Rory MacLean weaves the story of his search for traditional Burmese culture (in the form of an antique basket)together with the tragic & profoundly moving lives of some contemporary Burmese. His harrowing & potentially deadly experience at the work's climax, takes his story & experience of Burma far beyond traditional travel literature, as his terror, on the one hand, & frustration & sadness about the destruction of Burmese traditions, on the other, grippingly recall the fear & loss of his earlier subjects.
As he wasin his earlier works, the author, is an intriguing characterin this book. His uniquely personal involvementin the story & first person narration make the experience immediate & compelling, & as the reader finds herself drawn into his accessible story of the quest, so she gains rare knowledge of what might have remained unknowable: Burma & its people. The basket story not only creates suspense & unifies the book;in a small way, it brings the reader into the drama & emotion experienced by contemporary Burmese.
This book transcends its genre, & warrants reading & rereading. I highly recommend it.
Burma - a sensitive account of a harrowing experience. - By: , 20 Jan 2002 Delicately told, a blurred, dreamlike account of a quest pursued through the country most people still know best as Burma. The quest, ostensibly, is for a particular type of basket, rare & elusive. In the larger view the book describes a quest for the personality of a nation. This personality is gradually revealed, through various uncomfortable & often uneasy adventures, & through all manner of fleeting encounters. The story is told with great sensitivity, & the picture is far from pretty.
A sad story of a sad country - By: , 18 Jun 2000 In his book "Under the Dragon" the author Rory Maclean points out, that there is also another way to travel to a country.
Since Burma is heavily critizised for its bad human rights record there are too many touristsin Burma which are travelling around the major tourist destinations without even trying to get a deeper insightin this betrayed country.
Rory surely isn't this kind of traveller. In a very picturesque language he described the fates of Ni Ni, which lost all of her future, when the fathers bike was stolen by some soldiers. Finally she ended upin Bangkok as prostitute. Or the fate of a writer who was put into jail because he expressed too much the government disliked.
I strongly advise everybody who want to travel to Burma, despite all warnings of what his meaning isin this country, should at least read this book. Maybe some people will rethink if they can be responsible for supporting this cruel regime.
Background and current situation in one enjoyable book - By: , 12 Jan 2000 A fascinating & timely insight into Burma, its current sad situation & the historical forces & events that brought them to be. An excellent & up-to-date view of this brave country - a good introduction to Burma & an attractively-written story to boot.
