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Shopping for Buddhas (Paperback)

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3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)


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  Paperback, May 31, 1990 -- $3.70 $0.01
  Paperback, September 1, 1996 -- $15.00 $0.82

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Lonely Planet (September 1, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 086442471X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0864424716
  • Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #718,244 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #72 in  Books > Travel > Asia > Nepal

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Jeff Greenwald
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mordantly funny, but also informative and moving, January 18, 1999
By Stephen O. Murray "Stephen O. Murray" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
Although often very funny, the book is not frivolous. There is plenty of self-deprecating humor in it, some of it quite broad, but there is also searing criticism of corruption (exporting looted antiquities and importing heroin, both tied to the Nepali royal family) and the corruption of production of images of gods, goddesses, and Buddhas for the tourist market. Some of the humor is very mordant. I happened to be reading this book in another tourist-overrun part of Southeast Asia where there are many shoddy Buddhas for sale, and just after reading Mark Twain's _Roughing It_. _Shopping for Buddhas_ seemed to me more reliable and every bit as funny as Mark Twain's tale of going and staying in the American West and getting halfway to Kathmandu (Hawai'i).
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Happy trails, February 18, 2000
By Piper1025 (IL, USA) - See all my reviews
I think travel, regardless of the country(ies) it might take you, is perhaps best approached with a touch of whimsy and a sense of adventure. Truly seasoned travelers have the ability and willingness to absorb another culture while laughing at both the experiences they face and at the preconceived notions they bring with them. I've just finished Shopping with Buddhas and Greenwald seems to be that kind of traveler.

I enjoyed this book because, among other things, it brought the colors of the subcontinent (where I grew up) to life. Greenwald spends most of the book in a near obsessive hunt for a perfect statue of the Buddha, only to find it when he is least expecting it and at a price he is hesitant to pay. Which, when you think about it, is an interesting reflection on how things of true value come to us when we least expect it, and ask of us a price we may not be willing to pay at first. I also like that Greenwald is unafraid to take whimsical potshots at his western outlook on many eastern situations! I grew up in the subcontinent and now live in the West, so I do exactly the same thing-in reverse!

An interesting read whether you are headed to the East or, like me, are a commuter dreaming of warmer climes!

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Travel and adventure in Nepal, April 16, 2001
By A Customer
The first stories written bu Jeff Greenwald I had chance to read in the wonderful book Traveler's Tales - Hong Kong, where he happened to be one of the contributors. So when I saw the book written by Greenwald himself, I could not resist but test his writing again. If you are looking for the enlightments or truly literary achievement, do not waste your time. This book will not give you that. However, if you are looking into exploring in 200 pages or less adventures of California man in search of perfect Buddha statue in Nepal, then go for it. The book will give you another perspective of expatriates abroad who are trying to make ends meet, but at the same time are genuinely drawn to the mysticism of the Far East. Mr. Greenwald is not pretending to be the one who will bring Buddhism closer to Western world's. Rather, in his own way he brings us to HIS story of the way(s) of finding perfect Buddha statue. Light read, lots of fun. And you can always give this book to a friend for fun read after you are finished yourself...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Insight into Nepalese Culture
I am getting ready for my first trip to Nepal and this book was recommended to me. It provides a great peek into Nepalese culture and I feel now that I am really ready to arrive... Read more
Published 2 days ago by Alexia Nestora

1.0 out of 5 stars psuedo-Buddhism
Awful book. The anecdotes are forced and unbelievable, the prose is breathless and yet somehow still bland, and the author never reconciles the central contradiction of the book:... Read more
Published 20 months ago by V. Berisford

2.0 out of 5 stars consumerist hippie buddhism
This book starts out in a very promising manner and during the first 20 pages or so I was looking forward to a good read. Read more
Published on June 2, 2006 by Narizdura La Carretera

5.0 out of 5 stars Very moved by this book. I loved it.
I first learned of Jeff Greenwald from the book "A Sense of Place" which is a collection of interviews with authors best known for their travel/adventure writing... Read more
Published on April 26, 2006 by Biffybeans

4.0 out of 5 stars An Insightful Quest -- Towards a Buddha Image

I liked this book! I took the text for face value - what I read is what I got. I did not look beneath the skin for hidden meanings or innuendos. Read more
Published on September 20, 2005 by D. F. Rooney

1.0 out of 5 stars I regret I bought this book!
If you look for adventure of some Californians in Nepal (and that could be in whatever other place in the world), buy this book. Read more
Published on May 22, 2004 by gilbertoribas

4.0 out of 5 stars Got some good laughs
I bought this book while traveling through Thailand and undergoing my own quest for an acceptable Buddha (perfection was too high a standard). Read more
Published on April 21, 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Buddha Does Not Make a Perfect Book
The book is a poorly crafted story about a man so self indulgent and arrogant that he equates a pot induced stupor to enlightenment. Read more
Published on March 23, 2001 by Booklover

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, relevant, and profound ...
My spouse, who is on her way to India and Nepal insisted I read this book. Greenwald's search for the perfect statue of the Buddha in Nepal left me alternately laughing and... Read more
Published on January 27, 2001 by Jeff Sutherland

2.0 out of 5 stars Insensitive to Buddhists
While Shopping for Buddhas is mildly entertaining as a travelogue, I found myself increasingly offended by Greenwald's commercial exploitation of the West's recycled interest in... Read more
Published on February 7, 2000

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