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Kirkus Reviews - Review
"As readers realize just what the author is doing, the work morphs from a bookish-man-abroad tale into something more thrilling. It’s a story of a subtler sort of toxic masculinity, one that feels timely and yet organic. From concept to execution, Carroll delivers." |
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Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast - Interview
"Author Quincy Carroll talks about his novel Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside. He also discusses his time as an English teacher in China, his writing routine, and how he creates the characters in his novels." |
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Isham Cook - Review
"A moving narrative ... Carroll succeeds in limning his central characters with deftly etched realism." |
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Cha: An Asian Literary Journal - Excerpt
"'Hard Sleeper,' published in Issue 35 of Cha, is from [Carroll's] current work in progress, a novel about a returned expatriate trying to readjust to life back home in the U.S. while reminiscing about his time in China." |
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New Books Podcast - Interview
"What the book winds up being is not just a story about expats ... but also a really sensitive reflection on experiences of dislocation." |
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LA Review of Books China Blog - Review
"Probably as close to [the China equivalent to The Sun Also Rises] as we're likely to get, or want ... Evoke[s] a fictionalized version of Peter Hessler's Peace Corps memoir, River Town." |
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City Weekend - Review
"Carroll's own experience teaching English in southern Hunan makes this work of fiction an honest and entertaining narrative, with his understanding of the culture and language widely apparent." |
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Lost Laowai - Review
"While the characters have been inked as stereotypes familiar to any laowai, Carroll never missteps and falls blandly into cliche. [This] exceptionally well-written piece of fiction, especially for a debut novel, is a joyful read." |
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The Ji Village News - Review
"Quincy Carroll's levelheaded and nuanced depiction of the two main characters' experience in China [gives] us a wonderful, honest perspective that [is] rarely offered in similar novels, memoirs, or news reports." |
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Asian Books Blog - Guest Post
"Here [Carroll] talks about how crowd-funding got his novel off the ground." |
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The Anthill - Excerpt
"We're delighted to share this exclusive extract of [Carroll's] new novel, a work-in-progress also set in China..." |
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Here! Dongguan - Review
"The two narrators are less dueling archetypes of foreignness in contemporary China than they are representative of the fractured psyches of almost all of us who make China our home for any extended period of time." |
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Hong Kong Review of Books - Review
"Succeed[s] in something very important: painting a discerning picture of expatriate life in China away from the more 'Westernised' coastal cities." |
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One More Chapter - Review
"There's a particular foreign teacher mentality captured here ... I kept feeling like it was memoir. I know that guy! I met that guy! Even the minor characters..." |
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Chronicle - Feature
"First-time novelist Quincy Carroll tells the story of two Americans adjusting to life in China." |
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The Asian Review of Books - Review
"A poignant, elegant debut that superbly explores cynicism and idealism but doesn't fall into either." |
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Bookish Asia - Interview
"Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside is a rather unusual and enigmatic title. Old China hands will know it as the name for Mao Zedong's policy of sending urban youth to rural areas in order to learn from the peasants. Why did you use it?" |
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Arthur Meursault - Review
"By injecting autobiographical elements into a fictional story spread across two antagonists, Carroll is able to explore a multi-faceted view of the expat experience that wouldn't be possible when just discussing himself." |
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Travis Lee - Review
"The China described in this book was brimming with possibility, opportunity, and the barriers that held you in check back home are gone." |
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Global Living Magazine - Expat Bookshelf
"A delightfully poignant read about individuals adapting (or not adapting) to their surroundings, sprinkled with Chinese customs and traditions throughout." |
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Bookish Asia - Review
"A thought-provoking, beautifully written rumination on the expatriate experience." |
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Marta Lives in China - Review
"I also liked the confirmation that many foreigners feel that their life in China is not 'the real life,' that it is like some kind of bubble. I have been here for more than 8 years, and I still feel like that!" |
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Boston Public Library - Event Recap
"On a rainy Thursday evening in Boston, Quincy Carroll took his audience's imaginations to the countryside of China." |
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Teach Abroad Network - Interview
"Has teaching been a worthwhile career choice? Has it contributed to your writing?" |
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The Bookish Crypt - Review
"Once I cracked open the spine, I couldn't put it down ... An enjoyable read plus a learning experience." |
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Oak Tree Reviews - Review
"[Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside] made me think about issues such as idealism and self-identity; it is the kind of novel that encourages reflection and deep thinking." |
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Comfy Reading - Review
"A really good story ... Opened my eyes to Chinese culture, what it can be like to move to a different country, and how two people can live in the same area but have different experiences based on how they view life." |
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IFreakinLoveBooks - Review
"I was mesmerized by Carroll's writing. The way he describes the settings made me feel like I was in the middle of rural China with the characters, and that's such a gift to be given by an author!" |
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Book Reader Magazine - Interview
"At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?" |
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Lost Laowai - Excerpt
"In this excerpt, Daniel, a young idealist stationed in rural Hunan, visits his friend, Neil, in Changsha. Thanks for reading!" |
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Lost My Heart in Japan - Review
"All in all, an interesting read and a great debut novel ... I am looking forward to [Carroll's] next book." |
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Crowdfund Insider - Feature
"Inkshares' Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Dubbed Foreword Reviews' 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist" |
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Rollout Reviews - Review
"Carroll's short novel will speak to and reach out to a larger audience than most other debuts have." |
