I agree that this book didn't really seem to go anywhere, I was expecting something more dramatic to happen along the line, but it was a pleasant journey all the same. You can almost smell things, the descriptions are so good. I think it's interesting to get the perspective of the locals, and especially that of a committed communist, to see what they really thought of what happened to the country. They must have been so disappointed that their idealism didn't really create the kind of world they wanted. So sad.