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blairconrad's review against another edition
3.0
I dunno. I think I should've liked it more, but once the revolution was over, I found I lost interest. A strong start, but the bits at the end with the various businessy type things really lost me.
jbmorgan86's review against another edition
2.0
This was a chore. I wanted to really like this book. It’s a graphic novel memoir, a “worm’s eye view” of China from the Cultural Revolution to 2010. It is illustrated with striking, intense black and white illustrations. In ways, it reminds me of Maus.
However, it is nowhere near the quality of Maus. It’s 690 pages of choppy dialogue and surface-level narrative. I learned a few facts about the Cultural Revolution, but I don’t feel like I got to know any of the characters or had any kind of emotional attachment. This alienated feeling increased the further I got into the book. I admit I did some heavy skimming in the last 100 pages.
However, it is nowhere near the quality of Maus. It’s 690 pages of choppy dialogue and surface-level narrative. I learned a few facts about the Cultural Revolution, but I don’t feel like I got to know any of the characters or had any kind of emotional attachment. This alienated feeling increased the further I got into the book. I admit I did some heavy skimming in the last 100 pages.
sfletcher26's review against another edition
3.0
Beautifully drawn though far to willing to gloss over major elements of Chinese history.
fionak's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't care for the artwork but this was a fascinating look at life in China from the cultural revolution to the present.
scottibiscotti's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
5.0
<3
kricketa's review against another edition
i got really close to finishing this and i'm having trouble expressing why i couldn't do it. it is a disconcertingly large book- impossible to cuddle up with in bed. i didn't feel a connection with the main character at all, and the artwork was not my cup of tea. so...yep.
jaylatarche2022's review against another edition
5.0
A book that I recommend to anybody intrigued by memoirs, graphic novels or China related topic.
Absolute gem of a book.
Absolute gem of a book.
kabukiboy's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful story about how life has changed over the last 60 years or so in China. Highly recommended.
rebeccagee's review against another edition
2.0
At times this graphic novel was wonderful and sometimes it was horribly contrived, which disappointed me no end. The over-explicit explanations made the narrative clunky and slow, which sadly made it quite a difficult read. I'm not sure whether it was aimed at an audience who have no idea about contemporary Chinese history or whether the narrative was just lost in translation but it's a shame that I didn't love this half as much as I thought I would.