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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I've read Wild Swans. And loved it. But there isn't a lot of material out there that shows us what happened inside China's Cultural Revolution, about those sent for 're-education'. This book helps with that.
It felt insane enough to be compared to books such as Catch-22, the absurdity of it all. It felt brutal and demeaning and somehow hilarious at the same time.
Inside a huge labour camp set up to house and re-educate 'criminals' (i.e. intellectuals such as teachers and writers), one group becomes our focus, those of the 99th district. Forced away from jobs and families to slave away for the state, the Musician, Theologian, Scholar and Author are each part of the unnamed group watched by a faceless Child, their gaoler, who has the power to bestow red flowers and stars that can send them home. The Child sets them to work, growing (or declaring) increasingly ridiculous quotas of crops, or smelting steel. Informing on each other brings reward, spying on each other brings rewards. The criminals themselves write about each other (and their own true feelings) to make up the four books of this story. Eventually famine arrives and we see just how a state does or doesn't take care of its people.
So ridiculous you hardly believe it could ever have happened, and all the more shocking when you realise that it did. The ideology is terrifying, the 99th's experiences incredibly moving and appalling. It's an eye-opening read.
The Child is a sinister creation, who wouldn't be the same as a character if he was an adult - mature yet childlike in his delight at punishing and rewarding, his story did confuse me somewhat, the arc it took.
I wasn't always sure which of the four books I was reading, and who was narrating, but the story flowed seamlessly despite this, and I really wanted to see what would happen to the group. It's not a beach read.
If you are interested in (Chinese) social history, this may interest you. It's not comfortable reading but there is no extreme violence. It's horrific only because it is based on life.
Darkly funny but bleak, I'm glad I read this. A good choice for book groups with plenty to discuss.
Review of a NetGalley advance copy.
It felt insane enough to be compared to books such as Catch-22, the absurdity of it all. It felt brutal and demeaning and somehow hilarious at the same time.
Inside a huge labour camp set up to house and re-educate 'criminals' (i.e. intellectuals such as teachers and writers), one group becomes our focus, those of the 99th district. Forced away from jobs and families to slave away for the state, the Musician, Theologian, Scholar and Author are each part of the unnamed group watched by a faceless Child, their gaoler, who has the power to bestow red flowers and stars that can send them home. The Child sets them to work, growing (or declaring) increasingly ridiculous quotas of crops, or smelting steel. Informing on each other brings reward, spying on each other brings rewards. The criminals themselves write about each other (and their own true feelings) to make up the four books of this story. Eventually famine arrives and we see just how a state does or doesn't take care of its people.
So ridiculous you hardly believe it could ever have happened, and all the more shocking when you realise that it did. The ideology is terrifying, the 99th's experiences incredibly moving and appalling. It's an eye-opening read.
The Child is a sinister creation, who wouldn't be the same as a character if he was an adult - mature yet childlike in his delight at punishing and rewarding, his story did confuse me somewhat, the arc it took.
I wasn't always sure which of the four books I was reading, and who was narrating, but the story flowed seamlessly despite this, and I really wanted to see what would happen to the group. It's not a beach read.
If you are interested in (Chinese) social history, this may interest you. It's not comfortable reading but there is no extreme violence. It's horrific only because it is based on life.
Darkly funny but bleak, I'm glad I read this. A good choice for book groups with plenty to discuss.
Review of a NetGalley advance copy.
_blueberry_pie_'s review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The book started off with a very interesting premise of a re-education camp for intellectuals. It started off feeling a lot like 1984 and Brave New World but in China. I also really liked the Biblical allegory throughout, and how it was written in a style that very much mimicked the Bible. I was hooked throughout, because there was no way to really predict what would happen next. It was all fine until the scene where the author grew ears of wheat and fed the plants his blood and whatnot. Things got a bit whack afterwards. As with any and all survival tale, this too featured cannibalism. It was a good book overall but had some weird moments. That probably had a lot to do with the Biblical allegories. I wasn't a huge fan of the last third of the book. It was okay overall.
jennylomax's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
tnt307's review against another edition
4.0
Pro někoho z post-komunistické země není obsah Liankeho románu nijak překvapivý nebo šokující, tak nějak to už známe. Ale velmi povedený je jazyk, kterým je román napsán. Samozřejmě nevím, na kolik na tom má zásluhu autor a nakolik překladatelka, ale dílo se výborně čte. Místy, zvlášť na posledních sto stránkách jsem se začetla tak hluboce, že jsem při pohledu z okna byla v šoku, jakto, že venku není sníh (v románu je zhruba únor nebo březen). Až po chvilce přemýšlení jsem si uvědomila, že sníh ještě není, protože je říjen.
Začátek byl trochu náročnější, ale celkově se ta kniha opravdu výborně četla.
Začátek byl trochu náročnější, ale celkově se ta kniha opravdu výborně četla.
sammymus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
micahhortonhallett's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful heartbreak of a book. A ravisher that comes with poetry and red blossoms. It will take you by stealth, sing you lullabyes and while you are sleeping it will transform to devour you on waking. The kind of book that will flatten the world and leave your breath catching in your chest with the tears as you sit in a sunny cafe with your 3 year old smiling up at you.
signegsl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
itadakinasu's review
I really wanted to like The Four Books, especially since my thesis in university was about the effects of Communism on Chinese society.
Lianke's book truly exemplifies the hopelessness and meaninglessness of life under Mao's Communism. Not only are the main characters not introduced by name (rather, by nickname or profession/title), but the person responsible for their re-education regularly invents outrageous incentives to waste their time, attention, and energy chasing an imaginary prize. The tasks assigned to them are pointless and exacting, and even if they succeed there's no payoff.
Lianke did a fantastic job building and maintaining tone throughout what I read. He balanced description with dialogue well and didn't overdo the introspection. Using references to real history as well as a bit of satire, The Four Books will be enjoyed most by people interested in either Chinese history or Communism.
Unfortunately, the main strength of Lianke's book is also its biggest hurdle: the writing style.
Reading this felt like trying to dig my way out of an underground bunker with a nail file. I struggled to make even a few pages of progress over the course of over 5 months of dedicated effort. Each time I picked up The Four Books, I braced myself only to feel my eyes glaze over a few moments later.
In the past, I would have forced myself to finish the book because I bought it and already put in a few hours of effort to read it. Now though, I cherish my free time and would much rather spend it on things that I look forward to reading.
I'd recommend reading an excerpt first. If you read and enjoy the writing style in the excerpt, then there's a pretty good chance that you'll enjoy the rest of the book. It didn't do anything for me though.
Lianke's book truly exemplifies the hopelessness and meaninglessness of life under Mao's Communism. Not only are the main characters not introduced by name (rather, by nickname or profession/title), but the person responsible for their re-education regularly invents outrageous incentives to waste their time, attention, and energy chasing an imaginary prize. The tasks assigned to them are pointless and exacting, and even if they succeed there's no payoff.
Lianke did a fantastic job building and maintaining tone throughout what I read. He balanced description with dialogue well and didn't overdo the introspection. Using references to real history as well as a bit of satire, The Four Books will be enjoyed most by people interested in either Chinese history or Communism.
Unfortunately, the main strength of Lianke's book is also its biggest hurdle: the writing style.
Reading this felt like trying to dig my way out of an underground bunker with a nail file. I struggled to make even a few pages of progress over the course of over 5 months of dedicated effort. Each time I picked up The Four Books, I braced myself only to feel my eyes glaze over a few moments later.
In the past, I would have forced myself to finish the book because I bought it and already put in a few hours of effort to read it. Now though, I cherish my free time and would much rather spend it on things that I look forward to reading.
I'd recommend reading an excerpt first. If you read and enjoy the writing style in the excerpt, then there's a pretty good chance that you'll enjoy the rest of the book. It didn't do anything for me though.
skylarinho's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25