Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Thursday 28th March 2024 - 23:32:49

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Books > Fiction > The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa the Driver review

« Opal Plumstead reviewOpal PlumsteadVanilla Ice reviewVanilla Ice »

Score: 3.3/10  [1 review]
1 out of 5
ProdID: 5898 - The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa the Driver
Written by Chan Koonchung

The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa the Driver
Price:
$36.99
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Penguin Random House

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Penguin Random House or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
October 2014

The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa the Driver product reviews

SEX, LIES, AND ROCKY ROADS...

Life is simple for Champa. He has a good job as a chauffeur in his hometown of Lhasa, and if his Chinese boss Plum is a little domineering, well, he can understand that - she's a serious art-collector after all. And he does get to drive her huge Toyota.

When he starts to sleep with his boss, life becomes a whole lot more complicated. Suddenly Champa's sex life is beyond his wildest dreams.

But then Plum brings home a Tara statue - a statue that shines with exquisite feminine beauty - and suddenly life is not simple at all, as Champa finds himself on the long road to Beijing in search of its inspiration.

"The Unbearable Dreamworld Of Champa The Driver" is a rollicking road novel brim-ful of sensuality and danger. Underlying the optimism and humour of its hero is a shocking picture of racism and rough justice in modern Beijing.

Check out Penguin Random House onlineClick here to see all the listings for Penguin Random House Visit their website They do not have a Twitter account Check them out on Facebook They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
china   contemporary fiction   doubleday   random house   tibet
Other listings you may be interested in:
Illustrated Bicycle Maintenance for Road and Mountain BikesIllustrated Bicycle Maintenance for Road and Mountain Bikes
Rating: 9.5
The Best of the Best - Volume 2The Best of the Best - Volume 2
Rating: 9.5
The Void : 1 : The Dreaming VoidThe Void : 1 : The Dreaming Void
Rating: 10.0
Great Galloping GalootGreat Galloping Galoot
Rating: 9.6
Wow!  Surprising Facts About the Human BodyWow!  Surprising Facts About the Human Body
Rating: 9.8
I  Survived: The Nazi InvasionI  Survived: The Nazi Invasion
Rating: 8.9
The Girls From Corona Del MarThe Girls From Corona Del Mar
Rating: 10.0
The New EnemyThe New Enemy
Rating: 9.3
Thunderbirds Are Go! : Under PressureThunderbirds Are Go! : Under Pressure
Rating: 9.5
Take Ted InsteadTake Ted Instead
Rating: 7.3
The Short But Brilliant Career Of Lucas WeedThe Short But Brilliant Career Of Lucas Weed
Rating: 8.5
Elastic Island Adventures: Alphabet ResortElastic Island Adventures: Alphabet Resort
Rating: 10.0
Lulu La Ru Steps up as a Step-Mum: Vol 1 - The Adventure BeginsLulu La Ru Steps up as a Step-Mum: Vol 1 - The Adventure Begins
Rating: 8.3

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of sweetpea

Review by: sweetpea (Sarah)
Dated: 27th of October, 2014

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 3.3/10
Value for Money:
Score 5 out of 10
Level of Realism:
Score 5 out of 10
Rereadability:
Score 1 out of 10
Lose Track of Time:
Score 2 out of 10

I was really looking forward to reading this as I have travelled through Tibet and China and thought it would perhaps give me some interesting insight into how Tibet and China have changed over the years.

Sadly this book was lacking in any depth and although there were a few moments of cultural interest for the most part this was a very difficult to read story of Champa's obsession with his genitals and with having sex even if it was against his partners will. The story lacked any clear direction aside from Champa giving up what was clearly a very good life with Plum his boss in Lhasa who he chauffeured to chase after her daughter having spoken all of a few sentences to her to chase her to Beijing where he wanted to start a new life.

Told in the first person I certainly felt no connection with Champa's character. I am not sure if much of the authors intent was lost in translation or if there really was a lack of structure and depth in the original story. There were moments when I thought the story would get good such as when the cars crash on a deserted stretch of highway or there was discussion about immolation by Tibetans but for the most part I had to force myself to read this novel and I did not enjoy a minute of it.

I am not sure if this is really how life is for a Tibetan but Champa certainly seemed to have a level of naivety regarding abandoning his whole life for a random encounter with his bosses daughter without any understanding of the consequences. The story jumped around so much that it didn't seem at all real though I imagine the issues were such as animal rights activists saving dogs, people being held and abused in detention without legal recourse, self immolation etc.

I can't really recommend this and it won't be finding a home on my book shelf.

Random listing from 'Books'...

Score: 9.4
Product reviews for listing 5789: Guardians of the Galaxy: an origin Story -  Author: Marvel

Product image for Guardians of the Galaxy: an origin StoryBefore they were guardians, they were lone heroes protecting the universe. Now, in the far reaches of the galaxy, a ragtag band of underdogs must unite to defeat a cosmic force of epic proportions.

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"Ever notice that 'what the hell' is always the right decision?"
Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962)