ROMANIA EXPLAINED TO MY FRIENDS ABROAD: TAKE AWAY ROMANIA

The chapters are seemingly arranged in order from longest to shortest. The first two chapters on Dracula and Nicolae Ceaușescu were very helpful. However, the way they were written, as if the writer was recounting a guided tour, was confusing. The rest of the book wasn't worth reading. Some of the chapters were a page long and had absolutely useless information. Some of the writing was clearly from non-native English speakers and grammatical errors that made it difficult to read.

I sponsor a child through World Vision in Romania and was hoping to learn more about her country and culture, without having to read a textbook. Unfortunately, I found this book to be very disjointed. There was a relatively large section on Transylvania and on the Saxon influence in Romania, but particularly towards the end, there were just brief sections on small aspects of Romanian culture or history. There was no structure or themes. I was disappointed, and decided to buy a more typical "history of Romania" book to try to learn more fully about Romania, its history, and its current culture.

Useful in a different sort of way

This book is very interesting with lots of facts and miscellaneous information you don't get elsewhere.

I've been to Romania several times over several years, the author captures it perfectly

excellent intro to Romania, its people, i's customs, its places. very well written

as listed and on time

What I like about this collection of articles is that it doesn’t make me go through it from start to finish to grasp an image about Romania and reach some final conclusion. The diversity of topics allows both an entertaining, as well as an educational read; you can get some facts straight, and as well get intrigued by Romanian society. You can immerse yourself in long pieces about past and present Romania or scan short articles on culture and civilization, ranging from the much controversial Dracula to less conventional topics that speak of a Romania less known to foreigners. Apart from that, the author’s voice and style is a common denominator that makes this book a sample of high quality Romanian journalism.

A country or people does not have to be explained. This amalgamation of short essays reads more like a series of collated newspaper articles from a left wing flavour gazette. Every article ends with a few bullet points highlighting the essential information - a style reminiscent of primary school essay writting.

Superb book! My experience of Romania was very interesting! A beautiful place to visit and I enjoy going back every time.

what a great book! totally recommend for anyone who wants to learn about Romanian culture...with a twist :)

Ideal for anyone visiting Romania for the first time.

The book is more a collection of short articles like the ones the author had published in his long National Geographic career.I didn't like it much. The first chapters provide some useful information while I found the last ones less interesting.