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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I really thought going into this that it would super dense and hard to read but I was definitely wrong! It makes me wish I had decided to read all four volumes Instead rather than an abridged one considering it was much more easier to read than I had expected, although I’m sure it probably still would have been too much of a commitment for me even if I knew what I know now.
I wanted to read this book after watch the videos OSP makes summarizing it and I thought it would be a good opportunity to read a classic from Chinese culture especially since I do not know much about it. I certainly don’t know everything about Chinese culture after reading it but it was a nice intro.
I am sure everyone says this but it is so surprising how well the humor carries over after so long. You kind of can’t believe it until you see it.
I wanted to read this book after watch the videos OSP makes summarizing it and I thought it would be a good opportunity to read a classic from Chinese culture especially since I do not know much about it. I certainly don’t know everything about Chinese culture after reading it but it was a nice intro.
I am sure everyone says this but it is so surprising how well the humor carries over after so long. You kind of can’t believe it until you see it.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The translation is an absolute five stars!! I just didn’t quite get into the story.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For a story that has inspired countless numbers of works to date, it was quite pleasantly surprising to see the original story extremely riddled humor and silly quips. Each adventure that Sun Wukong and his party embark on are easily packed up and serialized into each chapter, with a handful of key characters that come back in to play later on. It was also interesting to see how important a role religion plays throughout the story, with an intense focus on deriding Daoism in lieu of Buddhism.
My largest and most pressing critique is not so much with the story itself (which was overall delightfully nostalgic and entirely unserious) but in this particular translation. In what seems to be an effort to appeal to Western audiences, many of the references to places or dialogue have been heavily modernized/Westernized, to the point of stripping the story of it's Chinese origins (the most egregious being "Casserole Mountain"). The forward preceding the story, featuring Gene Luen Wang, does due diligence in explaining the loss in information transfer in the act of translation, but this edition felt like such a butchering of the story. I heavily recommend seeking an alternative translation, which I will also seek to do in order to hopefully obtain a more satisfying English translation of the Journey to the West.
My largest and most pressing critique is not so much with the story itself (which was overall delightfully nostalgic and entirely unserious) but in this particular translation. In what seems to be an effort to appeal to Western audiences, many of the references to places or dialogue have been heavily modernized/Westernized, to the point of stripping the story of it's Chinese origins (the most egregious being "Casserole Mountain"). The forward preceding the story, featuring Gene Luen Wang, does due diligence in explaining the loss in information transfer in the act of translation, but this edition felt like such a butchering of the story. I heavily recommend seeking an alternative translation, which I will also seek to do in order to hopefully obtain a more satisfying English translation of the Journey to the West.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*Donald Trump voice* Look at him!
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes