Vanadia Permall > Recent Status Updates

Such a fun read. The audiobook adds even more charm! It’s light, funny, and doesn’t pretend to be a serious history book. Just a playful take, and it works.

The author calls Canton’s harbour “the mouth through which China met the world,” and later speaks of cities as “mouths to the world.” Mouth is a fun choice. With Canton it feels like chatter and flavour. With London it turns a bit Dickensian, full of appetite and contradiction. Is the city gobbling the world like a hungry giant, or is it tasting new cultures and ideas like a curious foodie? Hooked.