RIVER TOWN: TWO YEARS ON THE YANGTZE - Couverture souple

Written with great clarity and affection, River Town should be read by anyone with any interest in finding the Chinese less inscrutable (The Times)

If you read only one book about China, let it be this (Jonathan Mirsky)

Hessler's account superbly captures the spirit of a country in which he is an invader, albeit welcomed, understanding rather than merely describing it and, with consummate skill and literary style, bringing it alive in all its mesmerising complexity (Martin Booth, Sunday Times)

To come across a Westerner patient enough and tolerant enough to try to understand the immense, exasperating and ultimately lovable entity that is China is always a pleasure. To encounter one who is as literate and sensitive as Peter Hessler is a joy. This tender, intelligent account of two years spent teaching deep in the country's heart is the work of a writer of rare talent: it deserves to become a classic (Simon Winchester)

Studded with insight and humility, written with unshowy elegance, River Town is about ways of seeing (Daily Telegraph)