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anna1476's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? No
4.0
ele_b's review
5.0
"[...] but [birds] have mothers and fathers just the same. Can't you see how cruel it is to take them away from their nests and make them perform for people's amusement?"
This was even better than the first volume. It is just as immersive, though does not have the disgusting, vulgar aspects of the first. There is also less drama. Here the younger characters have begun a poetry-club, and much of the book is them playing poetry-writing games. It is very happy and enjoyable read. There is even a list of painting supplies used at the time!
This lengthy novel was partially based off the author's life. An aristocrat, his family fell from power, and this was written based on the span of that era. This is truly the Chinese [b:War and Peace|656|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413215930l/656._SY75_.jpg|4912783].
saralynnburnett's review
5.0
It is rare that I meet a book that rivals my #1 book of all time (War and Peace) but Cao Xueqin's The Dream of the Red Chamber (aka: The Story of the Stone) is it. Volume two picks up at chapter 27, right where the previous volume left off so you don't want to leave too much time between reading each volume. The lush adventures of the Jia family continue to unfold, and though The Crab-Flower Club lacks a lot of the magical components of the first volume, it makes up for it with detailed descriptions of the food, wardrobe, traditions, and beliefs of wealthy Chinese during the Qing Dynasty. The excitement continues; there are two suicides, adultery, three near-death beatings, and all while stealthy moves are made by Jia Zheng's lead concubine to position her son as the favored child.
While I did miss the supernatural overtones present in the first volume, like the magic mirror, the fairy of disenchant, and the mad monk and crippled Taoist, I found myself longing to be wrapped back into this story whenever I left it. By the time you start reading The Crab-Flower Club you 'll be comfortable enough with the confusing Chinese names to not falter when the author introduces a whole new bevy of characters, the Xue family, into the clan compound. This story is so rich that it is making me nostalgic for 18th century China… now that is some powerful writing! I'm 1000 pages in and I have three more volumes and over 1500 pages left to go and I can't wait to find out what happens to Bao-yu, Dai-yu, Bao-chai, and of course my favorite, Grandmother Jia.
While I did miss the supernatural overtones present in the first volume, like the magic mirror, the fairy of disenchant, and the mad monk and crippled Taoist, I found myself longing to be wrapped back into this story whenever I left it. By the time you start reading The Crab-Flower Club you 'll be comfortable enough with the confusing Chinese names to not falter when the author introduces a whole new bevy of characters, the Xue family, into the clan compound. This story is so rich that it is making me nostalgic for 18th century China… now that is some powerful writing! I'm 1000 pages in and I have three more volumes and over 1500 pages left to go and I can't wait to find out what happens to Bao-yu, Dai-yu, Bao-chai, and of course my favorite, Grandmother Jia.
joannawnyc's review
4.0
Volume 2 is all about the characters. Oh, also poetry, art, architecture, gardening, cooking, family relationships, fashion, makeup, love, kitchen sinks, and just about anything else you can think of. Set in 18th-century China, but universal.
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