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China Bus
- Eric Hoffer Award Finalist 2019
- IndieNext Recommended 2018
Written while riding between the Chinatowns of Philadelphia and New York, this gritty chapbook concerns mortality, vulnerability, and loss. It is a seductive meditation on travel and writing that takes a commute as the launch point for grappling with the greater human experience.
- IndieNext Recommended 2018
Written while riding between the Chinatowns of Philadelphia and New York, this gritty chapbook concerns mortality, vulnerability, and loss. It is a seductive meditation on travel and writing that takes a commute as the launch point for grappling with the greater human experience.
40 pages, Paperback
Published October 9, 2017
2 people want to read
About the author
André Darlington
20 books55 followersAndré Darlington is the bestselling author of thirteen cocktail books including Booze & Vinyl Country, Forbidden Cocktails and Cowboy Cocktails as well as A Booze & Vinyl Christmas, Bar Menu, Gotham City Cocktails, Booze Cruise: A Tour of the World's Essential Mixed Drinks, John Wayne: The Official Cocktail Book and The Unofficial Big Lebowski Cocktail Book. In 2020, he became the first cocktail writer to circumnavigate the globe since Charles H. Baker a hundred years ago. His work has been translated into French, Korean, Italian, Russian, and Chinese. He is currently at work on a 10th Anniversary edition of The New Cocktail Hour. For upcoming tour information and press inquiries, visit www.andredarlington.com. Follow him on social media @andredarlington
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 8, 2017
Andre Darlington’s chapbook China Bus features prose musings scrawled while traversing between Philadelphia and New York City on a crowded bus. In a vibrating stream of consciousness fashion, Darlington captures an array of characters, internal monologues, geographic observations, and swirling memories.
The common theme here is travel and transformation, something that links the disparate collection of writing. While this can make the flow and juxtaposition of the pieces jarring and groundless, Darlington has a characteristic voice that carries throughout.
Darlington is reaching for grittiness in these pages, invoking the perceived dirt and grime of transitory desolation. He comes off more as a bemused outsider than a seasoned passenger. He reaches for the reality of the supposed dregs of humanity but sometimes comes off as obtuse. These “prostitutes”, “homeless,” (sic) “old women,” and “gay guys” seem little more than furniture for his experience and point of view.
Many of the passages contained in China Bus are interesting, if a bit disjointed. There are plenty of references to noteworthy authors and cultural keystones. And the writing is capable enough. Still, while Darlington might have a great many thoughts to share, I’m not entirely sure how cohesive China Bus is. I am very curious about Darlington’s forthcoming Booze and Vinyl, which looks quite fun and appears to have a strong concept. China Bus, however, is a worthwhile albeit precarious quick read.
The common theme here is travel and transformation, something that links the disparate collection of writing. While this can make the flow and juxtaposition of the pieces jarring and groundless, Darlington has a characteristic voice that carries throughout.
Darlington is reaching for grittiness in these pages, invoking the perceived dirt and grime of transitory desolation. He comes off more as a bemused outsider than a seasoned passenger. He reaches for the reality of the supposed dregs of humanity but sometimes comes off as obtuse. These “prostitutes”, “homeless,” (sic) “old women,” and “gay guys” seem little more than furniture for his experience and point of view.
Many of the passages contained in China Bus are interesting, if a bit disjointed. There are plenty of references to noteworthy authors and cultural keystones. And the writing is capable enough. Still, while Darlington might have a great many thoughts to share, I’m not entirely sure how cohesive China Bus is. I am very curious about Darlington’s forthcoming Booze and Vinyl, which looks quite fun and appears to have a strong concept. China Bus, however, is a worthwhile albeit precarious quick read.
November 4, 2017
This is a series of philosophical musings, prose poems, and random slice-of-life thoughts composed on the cheap bus that travels between New York's and Philadelphia's Chinatowns. Darlington is very good at finding profound meaning in small, everyday encounters, and in drawing thoughtful resonances between literature, art, philosophy and life. It's a little book, a quick read, and yet there's a lot here to think about and savor. A pair of drunk girls become proof of a Native American exorcism technique. Beckett, Chopin, Kafka, Melville and other famous creative people wander in and out. Memories of trips to the Yucatan and to India mingle with tales of encounters on the streets of New Jersey, or comparisons of the fashions of New York to those of Philadelphia. What comes out of these observations is a sense of shared humanity, shared understanding, and a teasing, sidelong glance at the possibility of a deeper shared meaning for all our journeys and all our selves, whether the journey is a trip up Mt. Everest or through the Holland Tunnel, whether the self is an old man with a can of petrol in the Yucatan or a woman desperately trying to stop her phone company from overcharging her. The only real quibble I have with the paperback edition is that the somewhat faded grey color of the text makes it harder to read than an ordinary black font for someone with vision problems.
October 31, 2017
We all know the saying, “Good things come in small packages.” Well, in this case, make that great things. China Bus by Andre Darlington is a gem of a book. Yes, it is small. A little chapbook of poetry, but it is weighty. Darlington warns us from the beginning, “You have no idea where these sentences have been.” It is where they go that is the treasure of this book.
Written on his commute between Chinatown in Philadelphia and Chinatown in New York City, Darlington chronicles his thoughts and impressions. Some buried and shaken from his subconscious as the rickety bus makes its cumbersome way, others newly minted as he observes his fellow passengers, all wonderfully chronicled in a marvelous mixture of grit, woe, amusement and travel advise – “Under no circumstances should you touch under your seat on a Chinatown bus.” This is one of those little books you’ll turn to again and again for its wit and honesty. (I’ve read it three times.)
Truly deep and thought provoking this book is one not to miss. Oh, and the proceeds go to benefit Mighty Warriors, an organization teaching Philadelphia kids ages 7 to 17 to think and write with clarity. (I know what I’m giving my poetry group for Christmas!)
Written on his commute between Chinatown in Philadelphia and Chinatown in New York City, Darlington chronicles his thoughts and impressions. Some buried and shaken from his subconscious as the rickety bus makes its cumbersome way, others newly minted as he observes his fellow passengers, all wonderfully chronicled in a marvelous mixture of grit, woe, amusement and travel advise – “Under no circumstances should you touch under your seat on a Chinatown bus.” This is one of those little books you’ll turn to again and again for its wit and honesty. (I’ve read it three times.)
Truly deep and thought provoking this book is one not to miss. Oh, and the proceeds go to benefit Mighty Warriors, an organization teaching Philadelphia kids ages 7 to 17 to think and write with clarity. (I know what I’m giving my poetry group for Christmas!)
December 27, 2017
In China Bus, André Darlington compiles prose poems he’s written over the span of a summer spent commuting from Philadelphia to New York City on the inexpensive but prone-to-breaking-down Chinatown buses. The vignettes focus mostly on the bus and its riders, and it’s striking how such a slim volume can pack in so many little snapshots of various lives, including that of the author. With each successive poem, he builds a shadowy profile of himself, and readers can’t help but wonder whether they’re getting a glimpse into the author’s true psyche or just a character he’s crafted to narrate his story.
Darlington’s sense of humor is like a breath of fresh air (I chuckled more than once, especially having ridden on the Chinatown bus myself) in a genre often filled with too-serious attempts at poignancy. But beneath their wit and sometimes shudder-inducing imagery, the poems do have a meaningful core and often touch on issues like poverty, capitalism, and immigration in a way that never sounds self-righteous. In this way, the author is a master craftsman: he draws us in with a story and leaves us with a sense that we’ve discovered something important about life and how we choose to live it.
Darlington’s sense of humor is like a breath of fresh air (I chuckled more than once, especially having ridden on the Chinatown bus myself) in a genre often filled with too-serious attempts at poignancy. But beneath their wit and sometimes shudder-inducing imagery, the poems do have a meaningful core and often touch on issues like poverty, capitalism, and immigration in a way that never sounds self-righteous. In this way, the author is a master craftsman: he draws us in with a story and leaves us with a sense that we’ve discovered something important about life and how we choose to live it.
November 6, 2017
China Bus by Andre Darlington is a concept to which anyone who has travelled, on plane, train, or bus, can likely relate—the narrator ponders sights, memories, and ideas while traveling between NYC’s and Philadelphia’s respective China Towns. The mixture is forward-moving, save for a few heavy-handed meditations (What is an “elegant lover?” Are there really more fashionable people in Philadelphia than New York?). The work is imbued with humor both seemingly light and deeply dark (“The Holland Tunnel isn’t a love tunnel. It’s more like a feeding tube, or catheter.”) While pleasant and brief, there are no particularly notable characteristics beyond a lovely cover, a note that proceeds go to the organization Mighty Writers that benefits kids ages 7-17 with writing, and the book’s longest piece on a “father of resentment,” that make it differ much from what I might imagine anyone to write in their journal as they travel back and forth.
November 13, 2017
The travel reveries in China Bus are often full of strange encounters and lovely observations. It seems the author jotted down many of these observations, musings and memories while on what appears to be the rickety Chinatown bus line between Philadelphia and New York City. Often his realizations are rare and humorous, but other times they appear disconnected, especially since we don’t have the benefit of titles to frame each prose poem. I enjoyed reading about the old pay phone in Wisconsin, the Himalayan drivers and how they pray to little plastics gods, the reveries on Chopin, among others. His prose poetry calls to a time and place, though honest, is missing detailed encounters that would add to the ongoing, mix of images, and allow for a deeper understanding. The book cover features eye-catching street art that complements the work.
October 30, 2017
Not surprisingly, once you've held this book in your hand, this was a very quick read. Surprisingly, it was a very deep book of small thoughts and stories. Small in their length, not small in their thoughts. I found this book to be intriguing and thought-provoking.
I've never been to a Chinatown in any city, yet I found this to be an interesting telling of what it would be like to ride a bus from one to another. It's gripping, heart-wrenching, and fascinating. If you travel, if you think and feel, if you simply like to read, this book will fill your mind. I truly enjoyed it, from the first look at the China bus to the final words of ashes and gum wrappers.
I've never been to a Chinatown in any city, yet I found this to be an interesting telling of what it would be like to ride a bus from one to another. It's gripping, heart-wrenching, and fascinating. If you travel, if you think and feel, if you simply like to read, this book will fill your mind. I truly enjoyed it, from the first look at the China bus to the final words of ashes and gum wrappers.
November 3, 2017
Some of the pieces in this collection stretch the definition of “prose poetry” but “China Bus” is nevertheless heartrendingly lovely. Many of the vignettes appear to be observations made as the author rides the Chinatown bus line between Philadelphia and NYC, while others take a more nostalgic turn.
“China Bus” reads is a journal of unfiltered emotion. You don’t get the sense that the pieces gathered in its pages have been edited and rehashed. Instead, we are treated to the author’s thoughts and dreams and memories in all of their raw glory.
“China Bus” reads is a journal of unfiltered emotion. You don’t get the sense that the pieces gathered in its pages have been edited and rehashed. Instead, we are treated to the author’s thoughts and dreams and memories in all of their raw glory.
November 20, 2017
Darlington takes the "road" literature of Jack Kerouac and the "atmosphere" of film noir to address heavy-duty philosophical questions. He draws on a ramshackle bus trip from the Chinatown of Philadelphia to the one of New York to provide readers with both minute and cosmic observations of what is outside the window and inside the bus; all expressed in diamond-sharp poetry.
April 27, 2018
A 3.5!
Andre Darlington's lets us board the 'China Bus' and slowly get acquainted with the broken chairs, the hookers and his own thoughts in this book.
While the premise sounds fascinating, only a few parts of this book are truly about the bus and what it evokes. I did not enjoy the musings on Beckett and Bartleby and Nachtrager. It seemed a bit out of context since I was thoroughly enjoying the various facets of the China Bus and what it represents to its riders. So, the distraction to literary talk did not bode well for me.
Andre creates a great visual of the China Bus and one actually wishes he'd shared more vignettes from his journeys on the bus. The book ends too quickly and leaves one wanting for more!
A very interesting and experimental book, I definitely recommend it for the striking language and unique concept.
Andre Darlington's lets us board the 'China Bus' and slowly get acquainted with the broken chairs, the hookers and his own thoughts in this book.
While the premise sounds fascinating, only a few parts of this book are truly about the bus and what it evokes. I did not enjoy the musings on Beckett and Bartleby and Nachtrager. It seemed a bit out of context since I was thoroughly enjoying the various facets of the China Bus and what it represents to its riders. So, the distraction to literary talk did not bode well for me.
Andre creates a great visual of the China Bus and one actually wishes he'd shared more vignettes from his journeys on the bus. The book ends too quickly and leaves one wanting for more!
A very interesting and experimental book, I definitely recommend it for the striking language and unique concept.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews