Lost on Planet China

By: J. Maarten Troost

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

J. Maarten Troost charmed listeners with his humorous tales of wandering the remote islands of the South Pacific in The Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages. When the travel bug bit again, he took on the world's most populous and intriguing nation.

As Troost relates his gonzo adventure - dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai, eating yak in Tibet, deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as cattle penis with garlic), and visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead) - he reveals a vast, complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think.

This insightful, hilarious narrative brings China to life as you've never seen it before.

©2008 J. Maarten Troost (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Funny - Irreverent - Compassionate - Insightful

What made the experience of listening to Lost on Planet China the most enjoyable?

The first-person account of a foreigner visiting China and being assaulted with sights, sounds, culture, cities, people, foods, language and customs that were so totally FOREIGN that it blew away all the stereotypes.

What did you like best about this story?

It made me laugh a lot as the author got into one awkward situation after another, such as with a Chinese woman who took the American name 'Cinderella' and what the implications might be for him if she thought he was Prince Charming.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Because the author writes in the first person, it has to be him. I don't know how Maarten really sounds but Simon Vance has the perfect inflection to convey a 30-something Dutch-American wandering all over China.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. I looked forward to the commute so I could hear more and felt disappointed when I arrived at the office and had to turn it off.

Any additional comments?

The author uses plenty of profanity, so don't get this if that will bother you. It's done in a cheerful way, but it could offend some people.

Not what I expected...

I am disappointed with this book. I loved Troost’s first two books. It was fun to read. Perhaps because there, he acted like a local since he and her wife stayed there for a year or so. But this book is laborious to go through. I have stayed in China for several months as well and I can agree with his views on smog, as well as some of his stories about foreigners being ripped off and the souvenir shops, but I blended quite well during my stay so it never bothered me that much. However, the way he portrayed much of China is a bit disconcerting, like it is never a good country at all and that all of the people are terrible. It has this condescending tone to it. The narration also didn’t help in making this book enjoyable at the very least. I had his first two books in physical form so I guess I am biased on this one.

Very funny

I used to travel to China for business for about 20 years prior to 2020. The author said all the things that I experienced and used to think about China. It is not the kind of place I personally would travel for fun. For the adventurous traveler with a high tolerance for lack of hygiene and food and other things it is an interesting place.
The authors book is a very good armchair traveler book that will save most people the trouble of actually going themselves.

Excellent and Funny

It is Hilarious and educational. It’s like traveling around China from your home. The audio version really brings out the humor

LOVED it!

This was a delight from beginning to end. I love it when an author takes risks, and he did. His observations and honesty and humor are wonderful. I only wish there were more travel writers like him out there. This is one of those books that I wanted to write the author to lavish praise.

doesn't hold together

I just can't figure out why he wrote this book. He says something about how he is pondering moving his young family to China because its such an important place, and he goes to check it out. That makes no sense, especially from someone who wanted only to leave civilization in his previous books. I kept thinking, maybe the government paid him to go write a really unflattering book about how messed up China is. The result of reading this book is that I sure don't want to go to China. He didn't have much good to say. The author is funny and the book is pretty listenable. It just had this overlying aura of implausibility. I highly recommend his 2 earlier books. They seem honest and are hilarious. This one...not so much.

Funny and pretty realistic

Narrated by the gifted Simon Vance who brings life to this authors rather caustic view of a rising country.The traffic,the babies pooping in the gutter,and the strange customs and foods of the world's oldest culture are all brought to life as Martin Troost visits many of the best locations in a massive country.Not quite as good as going the personally,but the next best thing.I felt like the author perhaps exaggerated the difficulty of Tiger Leaping Gorge.While it was steep in some places I felt less nervous hiking the trail than I did taking a small van back along the treacherous mountain road beneath the mountain that was being held up precariously in places by wire mesh.One big boulder the hit our van and we could have been floating the Yangtze River.The author talks of his republican friend who was a smoker riding a donkey.I think this part of the book was embellished to appeal to the reader.Many travel writers fictionalize characters to make things more interesting.

Nailed It! J. Maarten Troost Nails It!

This was absolutely one of the best books I've read on China because it really gave an accurate and humorous overview from the author’s perspective.

I've been traveling in and out of China several times over the last couple of years, and the author is right on with a slight exaggeration or two here and there, but overall, this is an excellent read, especially if you ever plan on visiting China!

Thoroughly Enjoying

Would you listen to Lost on Planet China again? Why?

Yes, because I found it not only informational but quite humorous

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

I thought he did a great job

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every part that that described the collapse of the positive aspects the culture and the destruction of so many parts of China's historical sites.

Any additional comments?

I think Mr. Troost is an amazing story teller. When I first started to listen to the book, I thought it was a novel. I found myself laughing out loud at some of his experiences. I was fortunate to have traveled to Beijing and Guangdong in the mid 1980's and my experience there was much different than that of Mr.Troost. At that time in history, there was no smog or pollution. There were very few vehicles or factories. At the time, I found that the govt was very oppressive and felt sorry for the Chinese people. I still feel sorry for them in many ways but not the ways I felt for them in 1985. It was a different kind of Planet China at that time.

My favorite and funniest audible book ever!

I have listened to this book numerous times without being bored. J. Maarten Troost is so funny and insightful. I can't wait to read his other books.