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novabird's review against another edition
3.0
Kinder Than Solitude, is permeated with traces of atmospheric uncleanness as surely as the grime left over from the grit of an American winter left on roads and walkways to the, “..dust, never settling and hurled everywhere by wind, gave the sky a tinge of yellow and covered everything with a layer of gray,” of Beijing.
Li suggests that uncleanness is a contagion when she allows each of the three characters to ponder how much of each other they adopt within themselves. She also uses cynicism to set the tone and push forward her ideas too overtly, where,
The high-tide water-mark is the death of Shaoai by poisoning. Each of the trio chooses detachment rather than breaching the pseudo-polluting effect of intimacy. Li offers over-individualism as a sickness from her point of view that becomes toxic in its isolation, in its chosen solitude.
A very introspective novel, and perhaps somewhat overly filled with insightful maxims. An odd mixture of cynicism and too many affected adages. 3.25 An extra.25 for the east meets west, soft critique of communal society and individualistic society.
Li suggests that uncleanness is a contagion when she allows each of the three characters to ponder how much of each other they adopt within themselves. She also uses cynicism to set the tone and push forward her ideas too overtly, where,
“The decaying that had dragged on for too long had only turned tragedy into nuisance; death, when it strikes, better completes its annihilating act on the first try.”strikes one as particularly cold.
The high-tide water-mark is the death of Shaoai by poisoning. Each of the trio chooses detachment rather than breaching the pseudo-polluting effect of intimacy. Li offers over-individualism as a sickness from her point of view that becomes toxic in its isolation, in its chosen solitude.
Spoiler
Moran comes to a realization of how she had chosen to embody solitude, and will attempt to overcome it. Ruyu admits that she has learned to leave others well enough alone and she appears to recognize her damaged self. She advises Boyang who has become more like her to do the sameA very introspective novel, and perhaps somewhat overly filled with insightful maxims. An odd mixture of cynicism and too many affected adages. 3.25 An extra.25 for the east meets west, soft critique of communal society and individualistic society.
betseyboo's review against another edition
1.0
Lost all interest in the story and the characters. Not for me.
cemoses's review against another edition
5.0
I liked the book Kinder than Solitude a lot.
The book starts with the death of Shaoai in Beijing. Twenty years ago when she was twenty-one, she was poisoned which caused her to have serious brain damage and be locked in with a brain of a three year old. With her death, the question again arises about what happened to Shaoai twenty years ago. Was it an accident or did someone try to poison Shaoai? Could the poison have been meant for someone else?
Shaoai had three fifteen year old acquaintances at the time who were connected to the poisoning. There was Boyang (male) Ruyu (female) and Moran (female). Currently, Boyang is a successful businessman in Beijing who had taken some responsibility in caring for Shaoi. Moran and Ruyu are both living in the United States. Boyang, Ruyu and Moran are presently estranged from each other. The book goes back and forth between Boyang, Rikyu’s and Moran’s present life and twenty years ago in Beijing when they all knew each other and Shaoi; before Shaoi was poisoned. Both my husband and I got hooked on book by trying to find out what happened to Shaoai twenty years ago.
Ms. Li ably describes with ability and humor the angst of college bound teenagers trying to find their place in the world. The book presents a picture of what life was like in China during the 1980s. The book is not action packed but rather quiet and reflective describing fine nuances of everyday life.
If one wants to read an introspective book that has a bit of a mystery with cross cultural overtones, I highly recommend Kinder then Solitude.
The book starts with the death of Shaoai in Beijing. Twenty years ago when she was twenty-one, she was poisoned which caused her to have serious brain damage and be locked in with a brain of a three year old. With her death, the question again arises about what happened to Shaoai twenty years ago. Was it an accident or did someone try to poison Shaoai? Could the poison have been meant for someone else?
Shaoai had three fifteen year old acquaintances at the time who were connected to the poisoning. There was Boyang (male) Ruyu (female) and Moran (female). Currently, Boyang is a successful businessman in Beijing who had taken some responsibility in caring for Shaoi. Moran and Ruyu are both living in the United States. Boyang, Ruyu and Moran are presently estranged from each other. The book goes back and forth between Boyang, Rikyu’s and Moran’s present life and twenty years ago in Beijing when they all knew each other and Shaoi; before Shaoi was poisoned. Both my husband and I got hooked on book by trying to find out what happened to Shaoai twenty years ago.
Ms. Li ably describes with ability and humor the angst of college bound teenagers trying to find their place in the world. The book presents a picture of what life was like in China during the 1980s. The book is not action packed but rather quiet and reflective describing fine nuances of everyday life.
If one wants to read an introspective book that has a bit of a mystery with cross cultural overtones, I highly recommend Kinder then Solitude.
fenja_gatz's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
pallavi_sharma87's review against another edition
3.0
DNF @60%
I am not able to connect to this book even though it is good.
May be I will pick it up some other day...
Happy Reading!!
I am not able to connect to this book even though it is good.
May be I will pick it up some other day...
Happy Reading!!
zloty0hiacynt's review against another edition
4.0
Jedna z najlepszych książek, jakie ostatnio przeczytałem. Samotność jest wręcz namacalna.
arinreads's review against another edition
it's just ... boring. the characters are weird enough to be sort of interesting but they're also unpleasant which, if you put those two things together, makes it hard for me to care so uh, yeah
bibs_'s review against another edition
4.0
wow! you know that feeling when you finish a book and you like it, you do, you just don't have words to describe what exactly it's about, or how it made you feel? kinder than solitude was like that for me. i read the ending and i just sat there with my mouth open. three very different characters, all of whom end up living in their solipsistic world of self-imposed emotional solitude. reminded me of kundera a bit - what does it mean to live lightly? to love lightly? moran and boyang both wanting to love and be loved, so much so that their desires eclipse any real possibility of love. li's prose is gorgeous, of coure, and i loved that one quote that was something to the effect of "the heart is always short one piece of armor."
amaldae's review
3.0
I never thought it'd happen, but it might time to re-read this book. I remember it as one of the most distincly depressing tales I've ever read - it literally left me curled up and practically immobile for hours on end after closing it for the last time earlier this year, and that's kind of percisely what I'm looking for right now. So, there. I'll try to write a review at some point, too.
georgereads982's review against another edition
i am slowly finding out that i am not a fan of character driven books