Customer Reviews

The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam (Adventura Books)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The House on Dream Street is the story of Dana Sach's sojourn in Vietnam; as she explores day to day life in Hanoi. As she becomes intimately involved in the activities and lives of her circle of acquaintances - her landlords and their extended families, neighbors and the street cafes on Dream Street (where she lives), and ultimately her lover, she beings to see beneath the surface and to discover Vietnam as it is, rather than as she expected.

Readers will enjoy this personal account of life in Vietnam. She has a gift for recounting each conversation verbatim, so that the account of her time flows swiftly as you read. Interspersed with the dialogue are her thoughtful comments on Vietnamese life and her personal reactions to events.

This book is fun and well-written. The author is personally engaging and self-effacing. But the book is not so much about Vietnam as it is about the author herself. She discusses her reactions to the people and the people?s reactions to her. The Vietnamese in the story just play a supporting role, allowing her to display her growth and her misplaced sense of guilt she shoulders on behalf of her own country.

This is not to say that there aren?t some interesting observations made about Vietnam. But they are few. If you are interested in learning about one individual?s growth and experience through immersion in a foreign culture, this would be an excellent book for you. But I would not recommend this book as a vehicle for learning about modern Vietnam. (Look instead to Sacred Willow, Shadows and Wind or Understanding Vietnam).

This book is fun and well-written. The author is personally engaging and self-effacing. But the book is not so much about Vietnam as it is about the author herself. She discusses her reactions to the people and the people?s reactions to her. The Vietnamese in the story just play a supporting role, allowing her to display her growth and her misplaced sense of guilt she shoulders on behalf of her own country.

This is not to say that there aren?t some interesting observations made about Vietnam. But they are few. If you are interested in learning about one individual?s growth and experience through immersion in a foreign culture, this would be an excellent book for you. But I would not recommend this book as a vehicle for learning about modern Vietnam. (Look instead to Sacred Willow, Shadows and Wind or Understanding Vietnam).

I was 11 when I went to Vietnam in 1999 with my family. We lived in Nha Trang, so life was different than where "Duyen" was, but I recognized a lot of similarities between the culture in Hanoi and southern beach city Nha Trang. I enjoyed her portrayal of the people and the land. It makes me wish I had gotten more out of my experience there. Well, if you want to just read a good book (maybe late teens on up, some was a bit "old" for me) try this one out. I thought it was great, and really captured the spirit of Vietnam and its people.

It has been a long time since I picked up a book and could not put it down, except to eat and sleep, until it was finished. This is a beautifully written courageous memoir,and the story is totally fascinating. The author immerses herself in the life of Vietnam in ways she might not have planned and finds that in profound ways Vietnam enters and remains in her life. This is a remarkable and illuminating book.

As an American living and working in Vietnam I was quite interested to read Dana Sach's novel. For the most part, I found her observations of Vietnam to be both insightful and honest. Her honesty is apparant in the way that she acknowledges her early naievety in her dealings with the people of Vietnam. The story was particularly interesting to me because it reveals Vietnam through the eyes of a female expat.

The novel is not without problems however. I found her chronology difficult to follow at times. Additionally, at one point she states that she spent the better part of a decade living in Vietnam, and trying to return to Vietnam; yet, it appears she only lived there for 2 years. That seems like a lot more "trying to return" than actually living there.

Her obsession with the 'American War' in her reflections can also get a bit tedious at times.

Overall, however, it is an interesting read with numerous insightful observations.

I couldn't put this book down! This is not a common occurrence with me. I quite often don't finish books that I start. The last one that I read until all hours of the night was "The Poisonwood Bible". Aside from Ms. Sach's wonderful writing style, her Prologue pulled me in and the story never me let go. How I wish I could have been there with her.

I bought this book because I had traveled to Vietnam at about the same time the author moved there the first time. I didn't know what to expect from the book, but thought it would bring back my own trip many years ago. Almost from the beginning, I felt like I had traveled to a place I had never been. Sachs's understanding of Vietnam and Vietnamese culture is so deep that I saw Vietnam in a new light. She accurately depicts the changing society in the mid 1990s, as communism gave way to capitalism. Her interpersonal relationships with the friends she made in Hanoi were honest, deep and complicated, not superficial or demeaning. I felt as though I was a bystander in Hanoi because the characters in her memoir are all so vivid. I give her a lot of credit for being so open to living in Vietnam. She never complains about the red-tape or prevalence of bribery in Vietnam, things that often drive foreigners crazy. Even the most open-minded people can become cynical when living in a society where you can't even get an answer from a government official without offering a bribe. She alludes to her frustration with these practices after she returns to live in Hanoi in the mid-90s, but for the most part seems very comfortable just going with the flow. I also enjoyed her discussions about the war and meeting with veterans who had fought against the US. For so long, Americans looked down on Vietnam, but Sachs shows how the Vietnamese took a different approach and looked highly upon Americans, even those who fought in the war. The chapter about John McCain was especially fascinating! I highly recommend this book for anyone who has been to Vietnam, plans to go, or is interested in an American woman's experience living in a foreign culture.

i loved every minute of reading this book. i was captivated by ms. sachs' tales of coming to terms with her discomfort in a very foreign environment where communication was almost impossible. her writing is clear and expressive and personal. i look forward to reading her next book, and hope that there are more to come.

I was struck by the straightforward style of the book. It all came across as true. I was surprised that the author was willing to reveal as much about her life as she apparently did.