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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Funnily enough the extract of this book I was given as a source in history was not the lesbian sex scene! Maybe next time.
Oof this book. Min takes you to a lot of places and made me feel so much. I took in this book blind because I owned it I think I bought it originally for a college class which I dropped and have been working to eliminate books on my TBR shelf at home. I had no idea what Red Azalea was about and found myself fascinated.
Min's whole life was a crapshoot to be fair, or maybe that just how it was in Maoist China. It seemed to finally get good for her and then another setback.
I was thrilled and loved this more than I would have ever thought.
Min's whole life was a crapshoot to be fair, or maybe that just how it was in Maoist China. It seemed to finally get good for her and then another setback.
I was thrilled and loved this more than I would have ever thought.
I wouldn't categorize subjecting oneself to communist beliefs and ways of life a hardship. It is a hard life but one made by choice. The great story would have been the hard life endured due to retaliation. She had the chance to opt for standing up for her teacher and telling the truth. Having once been a child, I know firsthand that no adult could bend my will - I have endured harsh words and whippings for sticking to my ideas and opinions. I was not impressed with her weakness and her succumbing to pressure. Throughout her backbreaking life in the fields serving the cause, I found it hard to feel sorry for her. I admired Yan & her spunk at getting the heat on under the covers in a room full of danger. At the same time I'm amazed that no one suspected or heard anything, all those nights!
It was interesting to experience the life of a Communist through her story but I was a tad disappointed with her.
It was interesting to experience the life of a Communist through her story but I was a tad disappointed with her.
Red Azalea is not difficult to read -- it is a book easily consumed in one or two sittings. However, when it comes to the digestion of what's been read, that's a different story altogether. Red Azalea is the story of the author's childhood under China's Cultural Revolution, but tackled with seemingly simple language that manages to impart complicated undercurrents of meaning to the reader. Anchee Min has stated in interviews that she admires the painting style of Henri Matisse, and that her writing style is a reflection of that simplicity and naivete.
Red Azalea tells Anchee Min's story from elementary school where she is a good communist leader right off the bat, to her time spent at a farm where she has a relationship with her supervisor, to being chosen to star in a film version of one of Madame Mao's operas, Red Azalea. I found Anchee Min to be inaccessible, and the memoir difficult to ground in reality; however, this did not prevent me from enjoying the book and being vastly educated by it. The tone of the book was almost otherworldly, perhaps because of the lack of everyday details that would somehow anchor the events. I found myself often glancing back at the cover of the book, as if to remind myself that this was indeed nonfiction. Red Azalea is quite different from any book I've ever read: a memoir both complicated and simple, a plot both clear and elusive. Recommended for a challenge where you'd least expect one.
Red Azalea tells Anchee Min's story from elementary school where she is a good communist leader right off the bat, to her time spent at a farm where she has a relationship with her supervisor, to being chosen to star in a film version of one of Madame Mao's operas, Red Azalea. I found Anchee Min to be inaccessible, and the memoir difficult to ground in reality; however, this did not prevent me from enjoying the book and being vastly educated by it. The tone of the book was almost otherworldly, perhaps because of the lack of everyday details that would somehow anchor the events. I found myself often glancing back at the cover of the book, as if to remind myself that this was indeed nonfiction. Red Azalea is quite different from any book I've ever read: a memoir both complicated and simple, a plot both clear and elusive. Recommended for a challenge where you'd least expect one.
Mean Girls and Mao.
While the harrowing torture of soulless communist ideology is aptly portrayed, there is an emotional void at the story’s center. Other characters, especially her courageous, stubborn mother and her squad leader Yan are more fully realized, but Min herself is an empty vessel seemingly drained of inner life. Perhaps that’s the point, but it made it hard to remain engaged.
While the harrowing torture of soulless communist ideology is aptly portrayed, there is an emotional void at the story’s center. Other characters, especially her courageous, stubborn mother and her squad leader Yan are more fully realized, but Min herself is an empty vessel seemingly drained of inner life. Perhaps that’s the point, but it made it hard to remain engaged.
Red Azalea by Anchee Min is about what it was like to grow up in communist China with Mao as the leader. It gives a lot of insight into how indoctrinated everyone was. It is about Anchee, what she is forced to do, and what her life is like on a labor camp. This book really shows what it was like to be in a labor camp because the author went into a labor camp and this book is her writing about her experiences. One thing I did not like about this book is that it is a bit too descriptive. I would recommend this book to anyone that is curious about what it was like to live in a communist China. But this book is for high school and up, it contains sexual content.
Wow wow wow.
This book was phenomenal. Anchee Min tells her story of growing up and coming of age in Maoist China. Such an interesting and horrifying look at Maoist China. Reading this after having read several of her fictional works also showed me how much of her own story she put into those works.
I had to keep reminding myself as I was reading that this wasn't fiction. This was a real story from a real person. Every time I stopped to think about that, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. The emotion that she puts forth in her writing is just amazing. The only thing that was slightly bothersome was the formatting of dialogue, she does do any breaks or quotations, but its an extremely minor complaint.
This book is amazing and one of the best books I have read all year, I can't recommend it enough.
This book was phenomenal. Anchee Min tells her story of growing up and coming of age in Maoist China. Such an interesting and horrifying look at Maoist China. Reading this after having read several of her fictional works also showed me how much of her own story she put into those works.
I had to keep reminding myself as I was reading that this wasn't fiction. This was a real story from a real person. Every time I stopped to think about that, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. The emotion that she puts forth in her writing is just amazing. The only thing that was slightly bothersome was the formatting of dialogue, she does do any breaks or quotations, but its an extremely minor complaint.
This book is amazing and one of the best books I have read all year, I can't recommend it enough.
3.75 Some sentences were thought-provoking, especially when talking about the feeling of longing for a woman. However, some parts about the writing style ended up confusing me, for example no quotation marks during dialogue. Book is strongest when it talks about her relationship with another woman (yes, I'm biased). I could see this being a beautiful film.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced