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cseibs's review against another edition
4.0
Simplified. Amazing how such an uneventful, quiet book can be so satisfying.
emjay24's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of a man, Nan, who moved from China to the US in the late 1980s, and his experiences with his family, work, and poetry. The writing is very detailed. There aren’t really any main events, just one man going about his life, but random things will get described in detail for no reason, such as putting a bird feeder out and deciding what seed to use and why the seed is disappearing so fast. I was actually setting up a bird feeder at my house the very same day I read that, so it stuck out to me as how mundane this book could be, whole passages that did not serve as vehicles to move the plot along. At the same time, I think the point of such writing is to show a kind of poetry that works with Nan’s own goal of becoming a poet. While he is blocked, he’s still living in a poetic manner. It should not have been interesting, but it was. I also liked that at the very beginning, Nan was a graduate student at Brandeis University, where I went to school! This type of book may not be for everyone, but do try it out.
blazing_orchids's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
crlk's review against another edition
5.0
Such an incredibly good book. Although I didn't like his previous book, this one changed my mind completely about his style and his work. The plight of the new and poor Chinese immigrant trying to achieve the American Dream is so well portrayed in this book.
lng_f's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
elenajohansen's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @ page 101.
This narrative has no subtlety, no room for reader interpretation. Everything is a series of recited events, occasionally with named emotions attached. "This thing happened; then that thing; Nan felt angry about it. Then his wife said something; he wondered why he married her if he didn't love her. Then he remembered how heartbroken he was over a past lover. Then he remembered he married his wife out of convenience and hope that he could forget his past lover. Then he was angry about his job again."
I wanted to read this because it was about an immigrant man from China struggling with how to cut ties with his past and his country of origin, how to become American, how to balance pursuit of his interest (writing poetry) with the need to bring in a salary and support his family; all in all, an experience of an immigrant's American Dream. I thought that would be a valuable story for me to read.
However, Nan is cynical about the Dream most of the time, bent under the realities of earning a paycheck, envious of those around him doing better than he is by exploiting typical capitalist behaviors. And the story is pretty critical of capitalism, which is worth examining; America is not perfect and it is not depicted as such.
But it's just such a trial to read, because I'm being spoon-fed everything I'm supposed to think. There is no subtlety, no room for reader interpretation; there is only one way, the author's way, to read this. If that's somehow a metacritical comment on Chinese government and society, well, sir, bravo; but that makes the book awfully boring to read.
This narrative has no subtlety, no room for reader interpretation. Everything is a series of recited events, occasionally with named emotions attached. "This thing happened; then that thing; Nan felt angry about it. Then his wife said something; he wondered why he married her if he didn't love her. Then he remembered how heartbroken he was over a past lover. Then he remembered he married his wife out of convenience and hope that he could forget his past lover. Then he was angry about his job again."
I wanted to read this because it was about an immigrant man from China struggling with how to cut ties with his past and his country of origin, how to become American, how to balance pursuit of his interest (writing poetry) with the need to bring in a salary and support his family; all in all, an experience of an immigrant's American Dream. I thought that would be a valuable story for me to read.
However, Nan is cynical about the Dream most of the time, bent under the realities of earning a paycheck, envious of those around him doing better than he is by exploiting typical capitalist behaviors. And the story is pretty critical of capitalism, which is worth examining; America is not perfect and it is not depicted as such.
But it's just such a trial to read, because I'm being spoon-fed everything I'm supposed to think. There is no subtlety, no room for reader interpretation; there is only one way, the author's way, to read this. If that's somehow a metacritical comment on Chinese government and society, well, sir, bravo; but that makes the book awfully boring to read.
wendyclinch's review against another edition
2.0
In A Free Life, the main character, a Chinese immigrant named Nan, explores life as a free man living in the US. Is he really free? And do we really care? The book groans under an oppressive weight of day to day minutiae. So it's actually pretty dull. Maybe that's what Ha Jin is telling us --- that free lives are boring, that we're hamstrung by detail and thousands of tiny decisions that impose on our freedom, every day. The result, however, is a very boring book written in an extremely flat footed, matter of fact style. No beauty of language, no interesting story. Just dull. Wish I liked it more.
bookishuniverse's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this one in my car on the way to and from work every day, which is always a different experience from sitting down and reading a 600-plus novel. The book follows a Chinese immigrant family trying to make it in America, mainly from the viewpoint of Nan, the patriarch.
My favorite sections of the novel were those taking place in Atlanta, where the Wu family was running the Gold Wok and becoming financially independent. This part had the best plot and was where the family had the strongest relationships with good demonstrations of the difficulties of immigrant life. However, I wish Jin would have done more with the perspective of Pingping and Taotao, the wife and son of the family.
The style of the novel was a little weird. The organization of the chapters seems abrupt, and I got annoyed with the dialogue that was obviously a vehicle for expressing Jin's opinions on Chinese and American politics. In addition, Nan's inner monologue was often used to beat the reader over the head with explanations of symbolism, as if we couldn't figure it out ourselves.
If I could give 3 1/2 stars, this would be my rating. The epilogue and section of Nan's poetry at the end were what ultimately made me round up--that was a really nice end to everything.
Oh, and this book made me crave Chinese food ALL the time, so try not to read it hungry.
My favorite sections of the novel were those taking place in Atlanta, where the Wu family was running the Gold Wok and becoming financially independent. This part had the best plot and was where the family had the strongest relationships with good demonstrations of the difficulties of immigrant life. However, I wish Jin would have done more with the perspective of Pingping and Taotao, the wife and son of the family.
The style of the novel was a little weird. The organization of the chapters seems abrupt, and I got annoyed with the dialogue that was obviously a vehicle for expressing Jin's opinions on Chinese and American politics. In addition, Nan's inner monologue was often used to beat the reader over the head with explanations of symbolism, as if we couldn't figure it out ourselves.
If I could give 3 1/2 stars, this would be my rating. The epilogue and section of Nan's poetry at the end were what ultimately made me round up--that was a really nice end to everything.
Oh, and this book made me crave Chinese food ALL the time, so try not to read it hungry.
sapphicstanza's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sakichan's review against another edition
3.0
More reviews at Book Lust.
A Free Life is the story of a Chinese family that emigrates to the United States not too long after the death of Mao Zedong. The primary protagonist, the father Nan Wu, is loyal to his wife and young son, but hasn’t been able to forget his first love who scorned him a few years before. He struggles to find what he wants to do in America, quitting his political science graduate degree, moving on to buy a Chinese restaurant in Georgia, and coming to realize the “American Dream.” But somehow he never feels content with his life, and struggles continually with the real definition of “success,” whether is should be defined as having the money to support your family, or producing some work that will keep alive your memory after your death.
This book took me an eternity to get through. However, that doesn’t mean it was bad. Let me explain – At the end of September I returned the US after spending 13 months in Shanghai. I have a deep interest in Chinese culture and people, and so I’ve meant to read more literature written by Chinese or Chinese-Americans. Ha Jin was one of the most recommended writers, and maybe I shouldn’t have chosen A Free Life as the first book of his that I read. I’m disillusioned with immigrant novels, finding them to be mostly the same – the struggle for a job and money, dealing with racism, trying to keep ties with their motherland. This book has much of that, and that is why it took me so long to get through.
I would have given up on the book, but Ha Jin presents China in a way different from other authors of immigrant novels. He came to the United States just before the Tiananmen Square massacre, and is quite critical of his home country. Throughout the book, Nan Wu confronts other Chinese immigrants who spout blind patriotism and scorn for Americans, while he himself finds himself increasingly detached from the country he came from. He presents a view of China from a middle ground, one that I haven’t seen before. Not to mention Nan is one of the most likable protagonists I have ever come across in a novel.
Final judgement, I’d have to say that I don’t recommend this book to most people. However, I am willing to read other books by Ha Jin in the future. I take no issue with his writing, only with the overall plot of the book.
A Free Life is the story of a Chinese family that emigrates to the United States not too long after the death of Mao Zedong. The primary protagonist, the father Nan Wu, is loyal to his wife and young son, but hasn’t been able to forget his first love who scorned him a few years before. He struggles to find what he wants to do in America, quitting his political science graduate degree, moving on to buy a Chinese restaurant in Georgia, and coming to realize the “American Dream.” But somehow he never feels content with his life, and struggles continually with the real definition of “success,” whether is should be defined as having the money to support your family, or producing some work that will keep alive your memory after your death.
This book took me an eternity to get through. However, that doesn’t mean it was bad. Let me explain – At the end of September I returned the US after spending 13 months in Shanghai. I have a deep interest in Chinese culture and people, and so I’ve meant to read more literature written by Chinese or Chinese-Americans. Ha Jin was one of the most recommended writers, and maybe I shouldn’t have chosen A Free Life as the first book of his that I read. I’m disillusioned with immigrant novels, finding them to be mostly the same – the struggle for a job and money, dealing with racism, trying to keep ties with their motherland. This book has much of that, and that is why it took me so long to get through.
I would have given up on the book, but Ha Jin presents China in a way different from other authors of immigrant novels. He came to the United States just before the Tiananmen Square massacre, and is quite critical of his home country. Throughout the book, Nan Wu confronts other Chinese immigrants who spout blind patriotism and scorn for Americans, while he himself finds himself increasingly detached from the country he came from. He presents a view of China from a middle ground, one that I haven’t seen before. Not to mention Nan is one of the most likable protagonists I have ever come across in a novel.
Final judgement, I’d have to say that I don’t recommend this book to most people. However, I am willing to read other books by Ha Jin in the future. I take no issue with his writing, only with the overall plot of the book.