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sadie
Kinda interesting; kinda meh
What a great idea this book's premise spins...skilled/experienced radio correspondent prime & eager to live a more rewarding and meaningful life opts to move to the kingdom of happiness (Bhutan) to offer her services in establishing Radio Kuzoo. Scans great. Actual execution...not as jazzy. I liked the author's writing style but there wasn't much depth or, ironically, description of personal growth. What's more, the cultural commentary felt like a series of asides. I wanted more. I expected more. Still, it was a pleasant read. Just not as engaging as I had hoped.
Penny N. (Saginaw, MI)
Reporter finds peace with self
The first part of the book I really couldn't tell if this story was fiction, non-fiction or a biography. True the author really didn't have any idea what she had talked herself into. Yet after spending a year in the "happiest place on earth", Bhutan, she was able to step out of her stupor and write with sense of purpose about the things she had observed and participated in. The last third of the book lends itself to freeing the author from bad memories of earlier life in the USA. The many changes in this small country, with local interaction make the last part extremely interesting.
Caryl L. (Williamsburg, VA)
Radio Shangri-la
This is an interesting and very readable book. I expected more on Bhutan's country, beliefs and day-to-day living. However, it is more biographical than historical.
What did she learn? I t seemed to me that she got more out of her "three good things" class in LA than from her visits to Bhutan. However, she did love the peace, easy-going and content lifestyle of the Bhutanese. I would too considering our frantic lives.
I would like to have had some pictures of the beautiful landscape and life in Bhutan.
I do recommend this book for pleasure reading.
Katherine T. (Atlanta, Georgia)
Shangri skip the La
I was very excited about reading this book since I have loved other travel adventure books in the past. However, I found Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli a bit uneven. The first two days in Bhutan are read well and interesting, but then it lost my interest. Too many pages discussing going back and forth and not enough meat or heart regarding Bhutan.
mainlinebooker(Narberth, PA)
Disappointing tale
Perhaps I bring a bias. I have been to Bhutan in the past year and eagerly awaited the depiction of the warm serenity that engulfs the region. Instead, I found a breezy novel with little insight that might appeal to those looking for an entertaining "find yourself' book.I was hoping to hear much more about what she actually did at the radio station and the difficulties she encountered,but again, I found her text to be insubstantial. She talks about various love relationships gone wrong,but brings you to a climax and then drops the stick, never further elucidating what happened. All in all, one might find it a good beach read, but I left it feeling disappointed and wanting more.
C H. (Wauwatosa, WI)
Radio Shangri-La
When I had the chance to get this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy, I couldn't wait for it to come. As the author described of herself, I have been feeling much the same "itch" to go somewhere very different and have my eyes opened to what life could really be. This book was to describe her experience and this was the book for me! I found that her writing style was flat. It didn't describe Bhutan with the excitement that made me able to picture it and want to go there. I found the same in the way she wrote about her relationships with people, both those she became close to and those she met casually. It could be I was wanting too much, but I would not recommend this book and have read several other books of this kind that I keep forefront and dying to visit those places.
Jacquelyn H. (Blanco, Texas)
Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli
Being a life long traveler, I began this book with great expectations looking forward to a tale of an American working in exotic Bhutan, a place I've never visited. Immediately encountering wordy sentences without smooth flow, I struggled through the mildly interesting plot. The characters showed potential but, often, were not fully defined. Interesting facts about Bhutan and the Buddhist monks held some interest but the lack of smooth writing hindered smooth reading.
Sharon M. (San Diego, CA)
Radio Shangri-La
I sat down many times to read this but could not get into it. Sorry
