- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd; First edition (11 Sep 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0434001295
- ISBN-13: 978-0434001293
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 338,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
River Of Time
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Between 1970 and 1975 Jon Swain, the English journalist portrayed in David Puttnam's "The Killing Fields", lived in the lands of the Mekong river; this is his account of those days, and the way in which the tumultuous events of those years affected his perceptions of life and death as Europe never could. He also describes the beauty of the Mekong landscape - the villages along its banks surrounded by mangoes, bananas and coconuts, the exquisite men, the odours of opium - and its other face, that of violence and corruption.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book while in Phnom Penh and reading it while there, added a poignancy to an already heart-rending experience. The first lines of the book said it all to me because I fell in love with the Mekong myself, and the people who live on its banks. Jon Swain's book River of Time touched me like Cambodia touched me and I came away from the country utterly entranced. The author depicts the lush beauty of these countries excellently, as well as the filth of war with its utter despair and futility. Swain has put into words my own sadness and imcomprehension of the Pol Pot regime, as well as the hope and good humour these people still possess. His power of description is marvellous and I recommend it whole-heartedly to anyone who wants to or has experienced the lands of the Mekong.
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book after a three week trip to Vietnam and Cambodia at the end of last year (and having had numerous badly photocopied versions thrust at me on the streets of Saigon!) I had visited many of the places that Jon wrote about and, like him and many many others, was captivated by it all in a way that is difficult to put your finger on. This book is nothing less than a love story but a very sad and poignant one - you can literally feel Jon's heartache as he realises that the countries have been changed forever by the massive political upheaval and events throughout the 1970s, which he witnessed so closely.
I think the book spoke to me more because I had recently visited the area but I would like to think that other readers would enjoy it despite having not gone there. It is beautifully written but in an easy style - I read it over a few evenings. It is the sort of book you can't put down but don't want it to end. The circumstances of reading it obviously influenced me greatly but this is definitely one of the best books that I have ever read. Highly recommended.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having spent a great deal of time in SE Asia, I picked up this book with some trepidation: since Michael Herr's brilliant "Dispatches" there have been an awful lot of derivative books about gung-ho boys with toys running around getting shot at during the Vietnam War. This though, was different. This does cover the war, and its effects on the region, but the slant is much more personal and thoughful. Swain realises that there is an entrenched culture of beauty and delicacy mixed with a near-veneration for death and auto-destruction. This book has come closer to understanding the people and culture of the area than any other book i can remember. The book's observations of the profound changes which the region has gone through is spot-on. More importantly, this is a love-letter to a lost land, to lost lovers and friends. The passion and deep romanticism are very moving. I can't remember the last time i read a book so sensitive and delicate.
If you want to understand what European hubris has done to world, you must read this. Is this travel writing? a love story? a war story? all of them, but it doesnt matter. Read this, and then tell your friends to read it too.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Gripping first hand account of the Vietnam war
Jon Swain spent many years in Vietnam, and obviously left his heart there. He was brave, curious and meticulous, indispensable features of a good reporter, especially a war... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Carno Polo
personal rather than historical
Interesting to read while in Vietnam. It is sometimes a bit tedious in serial descriptions of yet another 'character' and another set of whoring tales, but best for putting other... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Dominic Blunt
A good read!
Excellent book about a war correspondent in those 20th century south east Asia conflict years! Brings out the human side of the story in force, and the paradox of trying to juggle... Read more
Published 6 months ago by bombaytaxidriver
Fast, efficient and nicely packed service.
This is an excellent book about the Vietam war. A must read.
The book arrived nicely packed and super quick. Thank you for being so efficent.
The book arrived nicely packed and super quick. Thank you for being so efficent.
Published 7 months ago by M. Biety
Exquisite? Not this book.
A very disappointing read, full of all the usual pitfalls of the average hack's memoir about "Indochina".
- Opium smoking? Check. Read more
- Opium smoking? Check. Read more
Published 8 months ago by James Gimpeau
Western eye view - hmmm??
Travelling through SE Asia, I thought this book would resonate with me (like it has with others). I was expecting (rightly or wrongly) an account of some of the historical key... Read more
Published 9 months ago by neats
remarkable, moving and sad
An excellent and moving account of Jon Swain's time as a journalist in Cambodia and Vietnam in the 70s. Read more
Published 23 months ago by H. Rogers
Honest and Shocking
The story of Cambodia and the horrors inflicted on it are central to Jon Swain's life. He tells it like it is, and does not feel the need to avoid mentioning his own flaws. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by M. Parr
great book.
i loved reading this book. very sad in places but still that was the place and time he was in, a very sad part of human history. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by Mr. Cr Winspear
a classic
Jon Swain relates the fall of Phnom Penh on first hand, the five years of silence and speculation and the stories of many survivors after the liberation. Read more
Published on 9 May 2008 by emio
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