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rozwei3's review against another edition
4.0
This is the 3rd in the series which I didn't know when I bought the book and I'd like to read the first so it clearly did something for me. I was so sure I knew who'd done it, but it was probably more satisfying being wrong. I enjoyed the interchanging narratives and kept me on my toes.
However, for a mystery surrounded by language and writing styles there were some Chinese phrases that might have been more idiomatic, in my opinion, to convey linguistic differences between Mandarin and English.
However, for a mystery surrounded by language and writing styles there were some Chinese phrases that might have been more idiomatic, in my opinion, to convey linguistic differences between Mandarin and English.
hannaem's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
bluestarfish's review against another edition
3.0
Inspector Chen is trying to have a holiday, albeit one that involves working on a side translating project for extra cash, but gets dragged back into the police work as there is another murder that might be politically sensitive. Shanghai is changing rapidly and Inspector Chen gets drafted in to translate a business proposal, an offer that comes with benefits, for a new development that will hark back to the 1930s and play on the pull of nostalgia. 90s China is changing but there is still much history to reckon with, and not all of it squares up with the desire to reconnect to nostalgia.
Sergeant Yu is left holding the fort with this murder although inevitably Instector Chen Cao gets pulled in. The promises of the past are in conflict with the reality of the present and this is reflected in a number of ways from the murdered woman and the man she met in her reeducation and her subsequent home in Shanghai to the way the restaurant culture is changing with the times.
Sergeant Yu is left holding the fort with this murder although inevitably Instector Chen Cao gets pulled in. The promises of the past are in conflict with the reality of the present and this is reflected in a number of ways from the murdered woman and the man she met in her reeducation and her subsequent home in Shanghai to the way the restaurant culture is changing with the times.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
“History is like a mirror, capable of showing what a man really is.”
Although I have more than 160 books on my read list that are mysteries, this is not my favorite genre. I am not big on suspense and so I don’t want a book to “worry” me. By that I mean that I need to know that everything and everyone will be okay at the end. Murder mysteries by their very nature, mean that someone will not be alright when I close the book.
This mystery fit my peculiar requirements. Most of the characters survive the book. It also taught me something about China and its people which was interesting. I just wish I could have connected with the people more than I did. I just did not care much about what happened.
Although I have more than 160 books on my read list that are mysteries, this is not my favorite genre. I am not big on suspense and so I don’t want a book to “worry” me. By that I mean that I need to know that everything and everyone will be okay at the end. Murder mysteries by their very nature, mean that someone will not be alright when I close the book.
This mystery fit my peculiar requirements. Most of the characters survive the book. It also taught me something about China and its people which was interesting. I just wish I could have connected with the people more than I did. I just did not care much about what happened.
jascolib's review against another edition
4.0
Of the 3 Chief Inspector Chen books I have read, this is the least impressive. That being said, it was still a good book, just not as exciting as the first two.
batbones's review against another edition
3.0
The backdrop of the cultural exploration of China from the revolution to the modern-day economic model proves to be more fascinating than the centrepiece mystery which initiates the reader into this world. With the evolution of Chinese society from the early days of a working-class centred society to the typical capitalist economy, the lingering traces of the past - such as the peasantry who thought they had committed themselves to a good cause - still bears upon the present despite the rapidity of invention and reconstruction. Steeped in accounts of the state bureaucracy, the ironies of state-run establishments vs private ones, dreams of success, and scenes of families in cramped flats struggling to make a living on one hand, and the burgeoning increasingly Westernised middle/upper class seeking new forms of excitement, the complex world in which detectives Yu and Chen reside in cannot be so straightforwardly assessed as flourishing or in decline, especially at the axes where profit and preservation, change and harm meet.
cdeane61's review against another edition
3.0
This is the 2nd Inspector Chen novel I have read, and it was better than the first, but still somewhat unsatisfying in the end.
The story was interesting throughout, but the end and the resolution were a bit of a letdown.
The strength of these books is insight into Chinese culture, past and present, and makes it worth the read just for that.
The story was interesting throughout, but the end and the resolution were a bit of a letdown.
The strength of these books is insight into Chinese culture, past and present, and makes it worth the read just for that.
jarichan's review against another edition
4.0
Eine Kriminalgeschichte, die tief in die chinesische Geschichte führt. Überhaupt bringt uns Qiu Xiaolong die Gesellschaft Chinas Ende der 90er nahe. Bestimmt hat sich seither einiges verändert, aber die Spuren, die die Kulturrevolution hinterlassen hat, sind auch heute noch vorhanden.
Genau diesen Punkt fand ich so faszinierend. China ist für die meisten Westler in erster Linie eine Wirtschaftsmacht mit verqueeren Ansichten. Wie die einfache Bevölkerung lebt, davon erfahren wir kaum etwas. Wie diese Menschen denken und fühlen erst recht nicht.
Der Autor füllt hier unsere Wissens- und Empathielücken mit seinen Büchern auf. Auf diese Weise durfte ich sehr viel Erstaunliches über das Leben in Shanghai erfahren. Es ist beinahe schon eine völlig andere Welt, in der ich mich wahrscheinlich kaum zurechtfinden würde.
Da Qiu Xiaolong unterdessen in Amerika lebt und arbeitet, schafft er es, dem westlichen Leser China und seine Art und Weise näher zu bringen und zu erklären. Tief sitzen die Wunden der Kulturrevolution und hier wird uns vor Augen geführt, wie tief.
Genau diesen Punkt fand ich so faszinierend. China ist für die meisten Westler in erster Linie eine Wirtschaftsmacht mit verqueeren Ansichten. Wie die einfache Bevölkerung lebt, davon erfahren wir kaum etwas. Wie diese Menschen denken und fühlen erst recht nicht.
Der Autor füllt hier unsere Wissens- und Empathielücken mit seinen Büchern auf. Auf diese Weise durfte ich sehr viel Erstaunliches über das Leben in Shanghai erfahren. Es ist beinahe schon eine völlig andere Welt, in der ich mich wahrscheinlich kaum zurechtfinden würde.
Da Qiu Xiaolong unterdessen in Amerika lebt und arbeitet, schafft er es, dem westlichen Leser China und seine Art und Weise näher zu bringen und zu erklären. Tief sitzen die Wunden der Kulturrevolution und hier wird uns vor Augen geführt, wie tief.
shibosan's review against another edition
2.0
Самая короткая из трех переведенных на русский язык книг об инспекторе Чэне и, на мой взгляд, самая слабая. Детективный сюжет в ней скорее для галочки, чтобы предаться рассуждениям о культурной революции в Китае и судьбах людей, ей перетряхнутых. В тот период пострадали многие: и жертва, и ее соседи, и следователи, и их родственники. В то же время кто-то наоборот, был тогда на коне, а со сменившимся строем стал никем и тоже переживает это непросто. Автор рефлексирует на эту тему всю дорогу. Нельзя сказать, что книга неинтересна, но интересна не как детектив.