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mrswythe89's review against another edition
3.0
I'm very pleased I found this; I'd never heard of the author before I picked it up for £1 outside a bookshop on Charing Cross. I thought it was well-written and very interesting even where I disagreed with the author, but my gosh did she get purple sometimes. Some passages of description worked really well for me -- I felt plunged straight in the thick of Hong Kong; in their Victorian extravagance they had that visceral quality you don't seem to get in more recent novels, with their stern sparse prose -- but with others, esp. the philosophising paragraphs, I just got kinda lost and glazed over. And the dialogue is just really unnatural; it works in some places, but not others.
Malayan Chinese shout-out! Was amused by how her Malayan Chinese friend said "man" all the time.
Anyway, useful and interesting as a glimpse of the times (1950s Hong Kong through the eyes of a Eurasian Chinanese who hangs out with Chinese and European people). I also found interesting the parts where she talks about deliberately choosing to be Chinese instead of trying to fit in with white people. But Han is no radical, and she's got that bulletproof sureness in self that people who are from countries where they are the dominant ethnic group have. Which is interesting when juxtaposed with the colonial mores of HK at that time.
Malayan Chinese shout-out! Was amused by how her Malayan Chinese friend said "man" all the time.
Anyway, useful and interesting as a glimpse of the times (1950s Hong Kong through the eyes of a Eurasian Chinanese who hangs out with Chinese and European people). I also found interesting the parts where she talks about deliberately choosing to be Chinese instead of trying to fit in with white people. But Han is no radical, and she's got that bulletproof sureness in self that people who are from countries where they are the dominant ethnic group have. Which is interesting when juxtaposed with the colonial mores of HK at that time.
garanciels's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bookish_brooklyn's review against another edition
3.0
This was a rather illuminating piece; initially I thought it was an autobiography, a memoir of sorts, but turns out it was the author's only piece of fiction that she wrote.
I was bequeathed this book by a gentleman, a former Library regular, and I'm glad he gave it to me. It was a moving piece about one woman's life set during Post war China. Sadly, 3/4 of the way through, I just felt it dragged a bit. But other than that, the beginning, most of the middle and the end were rather enjoyable to read. The author had almost a poetic quality to her writing, and it was very vivid,
I was bequeathed this book by a gentleman, a former Library regular, and I'm glad he gave it to me. It was a moving piece about one woman's life set during Post war China. Sadly, 3/4 of the way through, I just felt it dragged a bit. But other than that, the beginning, most of the middle and the end were rather enjoyable to read. The author had almost a poetic quality to her writing, and it was very vivid,
luckygreendress's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cameliarose's review against another edition
5.0
A Many-splendoured Thing is a classic love story set in Hong Kong between 1949 and 1950. It is a semi-autobiographical novel by Han Suyin. The book starts slow but becomes emotionally intense. I can see why critics in 1950s may have found certain parts "uncomfortable" to read. I don't believe it is still the case for readers today.
What intrigues me most is the racial and cultural conflict at the centre of the story. The Eurasian protagonist's painful identity-seeking, swaying between two different, often contradicting cultures, is present throughout the book.
The book has a rich historical context. The social scene in 1949 and 1950's Hong Kong is vividly depicted. The author's observation of Hong Kong society is fascinating. For example, a rich English businessman:
While in Chungking to “rescue” her sister, the protagonist was caught in a cultural clash. Because she knew both sides and could see from both point of views, her pain was greater than her sister's. She wanted to consolidate her two worlds, instead of choosing just one. She respected Third Uncle, yet she did not agree with a lot of his views, such as the man’s argument on necessity of taking concubines, or a widow remarrying was losing her virtue. The conversation between Han and the arrogant European "protector" of her sister concerning her sister’s child is most appalling:
Later she ‘discovered’ that her uncle asked a Chinese herb doctor to treat, not poison, the baby. Han was desperate:
Her dashing attitude against racism and self-discrimination is admirable:
She was surely ahead of her time.
The writing is beautiful and poetic, not as flowery as I've been warned. I find it slightly odd that the writer switched between past and present tense from one chapter to another while telling her story in chronological order.
The conversations and letters from Han's lover, Mark Elliot (Ian Morrison in real life) and his fellow journalists on Korean War also make a very interesting read. Examples:
Han Suyin, who appeared to be a pacifist and non-political in A Many-splendoured Thing, became closely affiliated to Chinese Communist Party in later years, including during Cultural Revolution. It is not entirely out-of-character, for she said in the book that she tended to see people as she wanted to see. Although China was her "roots", she chose to live in Switzerland.
What intrigues me most is the racial and cultural conflict at the centre of the story. The Eurasian protagonist's painful identity-seeking, swaying between two different, often contradicting cultures, is present throughout the book.
The book has a rich historical context. The social scene in 1949 and 1950's Hong Kong is vividly depicted. The author's observation of Hong Kong society is fascinating. For example, a rich English businessman:
“Palmer-Jones is so oily that be ooze. He bows and scrapes his heels and sprints fifty yards of the son of a famous Chinese official or the concubine of a rich Malaysian businessman. Once he knows you aren't important or well-connected, he just uses you."
"That's very Chinese," I said laughingly.
While in Chungking to “rescue” her sister, the protagonist was caught in a cultural clash. Because she knew both sides and could see from both point of views, her pain was greater than her sister's. She wanted to consolidate her two worlds, instead of choosing just one. She respected Third Uncle, yet she did not agree with a lot of his views, such as the man’s argument on necessity of taking concubines, or a widow remarrying was losing her virtue. The conversation between Han and the arrogant European "protector" of her sister concerning her sister’s child is most appalling:
“Your uncle wanted to kill that child, they tried to poison her”
“In China the life of a girl baby is not so valuable as all that. They did not see why she should not die if she was weak and could not pull through.”
"But how callous you are!...And you a doctor trained in England!"
Later she ‘discovered’ that her uncle asked a Chinese herb doctor to treat, not poison, the baby. Han was desperate:
Explanations are of no avail when both parties are determined to misconstrue. The most normal gesture becomes a thread of violence, a sentence in a slightly louder tone is taken as an insult. I had seen it happen before.
Her dashing attitude against racism and self-discrimination is admirable:
"All over Asia I've met people, doctors, professors, writers, prouder of a drop of Chinese blood in them than anything else. We are just as good, if not better, than anyone else. Why do you want to measure yourself against a mean, false white standard?"
"Being Eurasian is not being born East or West. It is a state of mind. ... We must carry ourselves with colossal assurance and say: Look at us, the Eurasian... How beautiful we are, more beautiful than either race. more clever, more hardy. The meeting of both cultures, the fusion of all that can become a world civilisation... We are the future of the world"
She was surely ahead of her time.
The writing is beautiful and poetic, not as flowery as I've been warned. I find it slightly odd that the writer switched between past and present tense from one chapter to another while telling her story in chronological order.
The conversations and letters from Han's lover, Mark Elliot (Ian Morrison in real life) and his fellow journalists on Korean War also make a very interesting read. Examples:
"...the Chinese are dying to prove their mettle; a Revolution always arouses national arduous and is consolidated by a successful foreign war"
"Is the fundamental difference between the philosophies of the communist and non-communist worlds that in one men are allowed to be individuals and in the other merely organisms with labels tied round their necks?"
Han Suyin, who appeared to be a pacifist and non-political in A Many-splendoured Thing, became closely affiliated to Chinese Communist Party in later years, including during Cultural Revolution. It is not entirely out-of-character, for she said in the book that she tended to see people as she wanted to see. Although China was her "roots", she chose to live in Switzerland.
mooncarrotpie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The characters and romance in this book are mere vehicles for the author’s philosophy, ways for her to work out her own arguments, and as such can come across rather flat, especially when they are constantly made to express opinions so much larger, so much fuller of vitality than themselves. I did not like Mark and could not understand why Han Suyin did. But the philosophy! I wish I could put into words how many times I thrilled through with agreement, with the feeling that I was being understood, and how even when I disagreed I felt my mind expanding and unfurling.
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