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Der Kuß des Drachen.
Als die junge Kanadierin Karen Conelly in Bangkok auf dem Flughafen ankommt, ist für sie ein Traum in Erfüllung gegangen..sie muß so schnell wie möglich thailändisch lernen, weil in der Gastfamilie niemand englisch spricht.
316 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
About the author
Karen Connelly
22 books80 followersKaren Connelly was born in Calgary, Alberta, in 1969, to a large working class family. A lifelong writer and the author of a dozen books, she is also an educator, psychotherapist and the leader of the wonderful Olive Grove Retreats, which take place once or twice a year in her olive grove in Greece.
She lives and practices therapy in Toronto, Canada and in Greece, specializing in a neurobiological approach to healing using the eye-to-brain somatic therapy called OEI, often combining it with hypnotherapy. She works with many creative & gifted people.
In July, she hosts a week-long online retreat called The Healthy Writer (and Reader). Reach out through her website if you are interested in joining the group.
Karen has won national and international awards for her books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Her most recent poetry collection is Come Cold River; her most recent novel is The Change Room, published by PenguinRandom House. The Change Room was called “revolutionary and boundary-breaking” in its exploration of women’s sexuality and relationships. Her new work-in-progress is called The Therapist In The Olive Grove.
As well as the Orange Broadband Prize for her acclaimed novel The Lizard Cage, she’s received the Governor General’s Award for nonfiction, the Pat Lowther Award for poetry, a Chalmers Fellowship, several national magazine awards. Her books are published in a dozen countries and languages.
She lives and practices therapy in Toronto, Canada and in Greece, specializing in a neurobiological approach to healing using the eye-to-brain somatic therapy called OEI, often combining it with hypnotherapy. She works with many creative & gifted people.
In July, she hosts a week-long online retreat called The Healthy Writer (and Reader). Reach out through her website if you are interested in joining the group.
Karen has won national and international awards for her books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Her most recent poetry collection is Come Cold River; her most recent novel is The Change Room, published by PenguinRandom House. The Change Room was called “revolutionary and boundary-breaking” in its exploration of women’s sexuality and relationships. Her new work-in-progress is called The Therapist In The Olive Grove.
As well as the Orange Broadband Prize for her acclaimed novel The Lizard Cage, she’s received the Governor General’s Award for nonfiction, the Pat Lowther Award for poetry, a Chalmers Fellowship, several national magazine awards. Her books are published in a dozen countries and languages.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 17, 2015
Faszinierend, wie gut es der Karen nach einer kurzen Anlaufsphase in Thailand gefällt. Zum Anfang haben sie noch die Insekten im Schlafzimmer, die rohen Hühnerfüße und die nicht-stattgefundene-Emanzipation der Frauen gestört. Doch schon schnell hatte sie sich daran gewöhnt und begonnen, das fremde Land in ihr Herz zu schließen. Und zwar derart, dass sie am Ende gar nicht mehr in ihre Heimat Kanada zurück will. "Verliebt" könnte man ihre Gefühle für Thailand wohl am besten beschreiben.
Mir hat es sich nicht ganz erschlossen, woher der plötzliche Sinneswandel bei Karen kam, und an Kakerlaken im Bett und Ameisen im Kleiderschrank könnt ich mich auch nicht gewöhnen. Aber vielleicht muss man alles mal ausprobiert haben.
Mir hat es sich nicht ganz erschlossen, woher der plötzliche Sinneswandel bei Karen kam, und an Kakerlaken im Bett und Ameisen im Kleiderschrank könnt ich mich auch nicht gewöhnen. Aber vielleicht muss man alles mal ausprobiert haben.
September 12, 2011
Wow... This book of journal entries of a 17-year old Canadian who spent a year in a Northern Thai town in the mid-1980's is beautiful. Her language attains poetic heights consistently. I felt I experienced her transformation from arrival to departure. Her insights are innocent and honest. She presents sharp details and stories that weave an almost-magical but down-to-earth portrayal of her struggles, her adjustment and ultimately her endearing comfort during her visit.
May 28, 2008
Karen Connelly writes like a poet. Oh, that's right, she is a poet. But don't let that stop you from reading this delightful and wonderfully written memoir of her journey as a teen to Thailand--it's from the journal she wrote while there, no doubt edited as a slightly older adult.
October 27, 2022
This is a beautiful book, authored by a gifted writer!
Karen was a Rotary exchange student in northern Thailand for a year (1986-87) and this is the journal she wrote while she was there. As a journal does, it goes from story to story, covering the feelings and experiences that are important to her. (It's not a novel!) Her observations are profound and her descriptions of her experiences are astonishingly lyrical. She really is a poet and has published other poetry and books.
I, too, spent a year (1977-78) in Thailand as an exchange student, so it was neat to read the stories that dusted off the memories which were tucked away in the back corner of my mind. My experience was quite different, as I lived in Bangkok (the big, dirty and unsafe city!) and it never occurred to me to refer to Thailand as green, like she does!
Overall, I guess I was amazed. Karen's ability to process her experiences with this elegant language is extremely mature. Of the many high school age exchange students I know, I don't think any have this level of ability; my friends and I certainly didn't possess it at that time. Most of us were busy trying to figure out how to fit into a new family, which she doesn't discuss too much, cope with the oppressive heat, interact with people and school in a new language, and understand the loneliness that is inherent in the life of an exchange student. For me, those things took most of my energy all year and the journal I may have written is filled with repetitive accounts of these matters, with the occasional philosophical musing.
However, it was really wonderful to read about her interesting interpretation of Thai life, the role of women, the Rotary fathers, her relationships with her teachers, her various travels, the times she felt connected and others when she felt out of place, the dichotomy between being adventurous enough to travel across the world and then be told she can't go to the next town, and mostly her ability to take advantage of all opportunities and not be afraid.
I'm not sure I would have waded through it, had I not been an exchange student myself, but I am glad I did.
Karen was a Rotary exchange student in northern Thailand for a year (1986-87) and this is the journal she wrote while she was there. As a journal does, it goes from story to story, covering the feelings and experiences that are important to her. (It's not a novel!) Her observations are profound and her descriptions of her experiences are astonishingly lyrical. She really is a poet and has published other poetry and books.
I, too, spent a year (1977-78) in Thailand as an exchange student, so it was neat to read the stories that dusted off the memories which were tucked away in the back corner of my mind. My experience was quite different, as I lived in Bangkok (the big, dirty and unsafe city!) and it never occurred to me to refer to Thailand as green, like she does!
Overall, I guess I was amazed. Karen's ability to process her experiences with this elegant language is extremely mature. Of the many high school age exchange students I know, I don't think any have this level of ability; my friends and I certainly didn't possess it at that time. Most of us were busy trying to figure out how to fit into a new family, which she doesn't discuss too much, cope with the oppressive heat, interact with people and school in a new language, and understand the loneliness that is inherent in the life of an exchange student. For me, those things took most of my energy all year and the journal I may have written is filled with repetitive accounts of these matters, with the occasional philosophical musing.
However, it was really wonderful to read about her interesting interpretation of Thai life, the role of women, the Rotary fathers, her relationships with her teachers, her various travels, the times she felt connected and others when she felt out of place, the dichotomy between being adventurous enough to travel across the world and then be told she can't go to the next town, and mostly her ability to take advantage of all opportunities and not be afraid.
I'm not sure I would have waded through it, had I not been an exchange student myself, but I am glad I did.
October 11, 2007
For whatever reason (perhaps my own busy life), I actually found this rather boring and a fine case of style over substance.
January 10, 2008
Definitely recommended if you're traveling to Thailand.
February 23, 2018
Absolutely loved this book! Even though Karen was living in the North of Thailand and I live in Isaan, there were so many times where I was like wow yes, this is so relatable and I've experienced something so similar! It was comforting to read the joys and frustrations of living in Thailand so lyrically and clearly expressed. As I finished the book I wondered if I would feel the same way Karen did when her time in Thailand came to an end.
May 11, 2022
Beautiful writing, one of the best travel/place stories I've read.
May 4, 2008
This is the book that won Karen Connelly the Governor-General's award for literature - she was one of the youngest to win that esteemed award. The language in this account of her experience in Thailand as a high school foreign exchange student is wonderful - poetic. The images she paints of the people and the landscape are lush with color and her metaphors are spot on. She leads the reader through the vicissitudes of the foreign exchange student, from initial fascination to "I hate this place" to "I can't believe I have to leave - this is where I belong."
February 11, 2011
Written by the author as a reflection on a year lived in Thailand as a 17- year old Rotary Club scholarship recipient, Dream of a Thousand Lives is a thoughtful recount of her journal entries and letters home woven into an engaging narrative. She presents a realistic, loving, and lovable Thailand. And a window into the heart and mind of young woman in a foreign land.
June 15, 2009
A beautifully written book by a 17 year old Canadian women who spent a year in a Thailand village with local families. Very poetic, sensitive and honest. The book did not have as much romance and adventure as I like, yet it was still a very worthwhile read.
December 16, 2007
A nice travel book written and experienced by a girl in her early 20s. Learned a bit about Thailand as well. I'd recommend if you are interested in traveling, or to learn more about the country.
July 20, 2012
Beautifully written.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews