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No Blue Sky: An American Traveler’s Glimpse of China

Glenda R. Burkett
Author House (2011)
ISBN 9781456758974
Reviewed by Andrey Bilko for RebeccasReads (1/12)

 “No Blue Sky” is a travel journal in a published book format based on the author’s first-time vacation trip with her husband to China. Mrs. Burkett provides a narrative of her adventures on Chinese soil – sightseeing, eating, and learning. Daily activities and pre-flight preparations are described in great detail, sometimes entailing lots of unnecessary specifics. The reader is drawn into the story, eager to hear more from this travel blog. There are many travel tips, some of which are common-sense, but I suppose it is better to cover all the basics than leave something out. I was especially blown away by the amount of detail given to using a squatting toilet – pretty hilarious! Since this book is tailored to Americans, who have never been and have not heard much about China, such details go along with the theme.

While reading, I found myself a bit annoyed with certain passages discussing the physical characteristics and descriptions of the Chinese population, which included stereotypical facial features, for example (flat nose, etc). I would think supplying some pictures would suffice, instead of making broad generalizations. In addition, the author provides hand-drawn pictures of faces that looked very “abstract” (I suppose such drawings are a major plus for a personal travel log, but should not appear in a published manuscript). I would rather see photographs embedded in or close to the text, making it more of a guidebook and giving a reader images to enjoy. There is a collection of some photographs at the end of the book, which could do the trick.

I learned some useful and interesting facts about China’s cultural and natural wonders. Having been interested in visiting China before, I am even more excited to do so after reading Mrs. Burkett’s journal. The author’s prose flows smoothly and logically with interesting side notes. Overall, the book would be interesting to those looking for someone’s personal experience with a leisurely trip to China and would like to learn from the author, while preparing for their own trip. The entries in the book belong more on the pages of a personal page of a travel blogging website though than in print.

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