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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of this book. I was somewhat put off at the start--this is a much more literary feeling book than I expected, plus it's more or less a series of connected short stories which is not my favorite format. However, it did grow on me. I won't call it great, but I am glad I read it.
I’m not into the writing style with its ambiguity and short, direct sentences that oddly also reveal nothing. Since it’s a translated work, I’m certain some nuances have been lost along the way. Though the overall story and its ambiguity still isn’t my cup of tea.
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is one of the most unique and bizarre books I've ever read. The writing style is so loose and inimitable that I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Strange Beasts of China sometimes feels like it's neither about beasts nor about people, but about cities and the way they swallow us up in their urban melancholia. I enjoyed the mystery of each chapter. In the beginning, it was confusing—and honestly, it was confusing in the end too, which is not something I usually like but the lucidity works for this novel 90% of the times. Sometimes the lack of detail or world-building made the story confusing for me, but the consistency in the writing style makes me feel like it was a deliberate choice, rather than a flaw. I'm not sure what this choice meant and I did enjoy the writing style, but sometimes I wish it had been clearer. The main draw of some of these chapters for me was to try and guess how they'd turn out by the end of it, yet somehow, each chapter ended up surprising me anyway!
Since this is a translation, I'm sure that some aspects of this novel were essentially lost to me in translation. The translator does convey the beauty and humor of the novel well, but in some parts I felt like I was missing something (mainly cultural context). This is not the translator's fault, though, because sometimes it feels like the author intentionally blurs lines or keeps things vague to add to the ambiguity of the story. The twist at the end that humans had actually left Yong'an was shocking to me, but a lot of the other revelations went over my head. This novel is so loopy, but I grew fond of the narrator over time and I enjoyed her relationship with Zhong Liang. I read somewhere that the narrator's quest to learn more about beasts ended up becoming a quest for self-identity, and I really enjoyed that interpretation, even if the actual details about her life are quite vague. Maybe they're purposefully vague, since she doesn't want to confront those parts of herself but again: where the ambiguity works in some parts, it shoots the novel in the foot in others.
Overall an entertaining and intriguing read. I enjoyed it, even though a lot of it went over my head. The latter half had some stronger writing, and the Flourishing Beasts and Heartsick Beasts chapters were my favorites.
Since this is a translation, I'm sure that some aspects of this novel were essentially lost to me in translation. The translator does convey the beauty and humor of the novel well, but in some parts I felt like I was missing something (mainly cultural context). This is not the translator's fault, though, because sometimes it feels like the author intentionally blurs lines or keeps things vague to add to the ambiguity of the story. The twist at the end that
Overall an entertaining and intriguing read. I enjoyed it, even though a lot of it went over my head. The latter half had some stronger writing, and the Flourishing Beasts and Heartsick Beasts chapters were my favorites.
I am not sure what Strange Beasts of China was. Ostensibly it is a collection of stories/descriptions of humanlike "beasts" that occupy a fictional city, written by a novelist narrator (presumably a character, not the actual author of the book) who has a fair amount of personal knowledge of these so-called beasts. Lines between the narrator's own storyline, the stories she's writing and the myths surrounding the beasts are extremely blurry. I finished the book feeling very ambiguous about the story I'd just consumed, not knowing why the author had chosen to tell it in this manner. Something may have been lost in translation. Not the language, the cultural nuances. Some of the content feels allegorical in a way I just can't parse and I suspect this book has a brilliance about it that I am unable to clearly see. I might do well to reread Strange Beasts but I won't.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In the fictional Chinese city of Yong'an, humans and beasts live side by side. The beasts mostly look like humans, but each has something that sets them apart – perhaps a serrated earlobe or a strange birthmark. The narrator went to college to study these strange beasts before dropping out to become a writer. Now, she writes stories about these strange beasts. Each chapter of this book features a different type of beast and her interactions with one or more of them, as well as with her former professor and his assistant.
This was a very unique and fascinating story! The tone of the story seemed kind of morose or existential, especially as the book went on. I would definitely recommend this book those who like quirky or different stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
This was a very unique and fascinating story! The tone of the story seemed kind of morose or existential, especially as the book went on. I would definitely recommend this book those who like quirky or different stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.