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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Although my knowledge of Chinese literature is sparse, when I think about why this book is considered one of greatest classical Chinese novels, a few reasons stand out.
1) The amount of characters is ridiculous and yet, I was still able to keep track and I actually looked forward to who else would appear - which segues nicely into my second reason.
2) The descriptions are so vivid that I could imagine what every character, setting or disaster looked like and that is mainly because
3) The world is alive. What I mean by this is that the rules, laws and procedures that take place in this story are so consistent that it feels like, if I mapped it all out, it all seems very believable. Considering the title of the story, I was under the impression that the whole story would just be about the journey but that isn't the case. The reader learns about the circumstances that brought the main characters together and even when the actual plot gets going, there are many call-backs to remind the reader that although these are our protagonists, the rest of the world is still moving along.
4) It's genuinely funny. You quickly learn the personality types of the characters but that worked to its benefit as whenever they came across a situation - and they come across A LOT - it was entertaining to see their personalities shine. Also, the prose was a mixture of idioms and colloquialisms from our time and age and grandiose, formal words that struck a nice balance of light-heartedness and flow. Reading this was easy and enjoyable.
5) And yet, at times the story is serious, life lessons, social and political commentary through satire or just allegories that acted like punches in the face. All of this coupled with characters that although had their personality types, grew along the journey and made the reading experience worthwhile.
6) Finally and perhaps most importantly to me, it's just great fantasy. The things that happen in this book are on celestial levels and yet it happens so often that it adds to the aforementioned comedy and vividness. It's described so well and in your face that you quickly accept, enjoy and look forward to it.
Being able to do all of this is testament to how great the original novel is and how appreciative Julia Lovell's translation was. Despite not reading a large amount of Chinese novels, it's no surprise that this is considered a classic.
1) The amount of characters is ridiculous and yet, I was still able to keep track and I actually looked forward to who else would appear - which segues nicely into my second reason.
2) The descriptions are so vivid that I could imagine what every character, setting or disaster looked like and that is mainly because
3) The world is alive. What I mean by this is that the rules, laws and procedures that take place in this story are so consistent that it feels like, if I mapped it all out, it all seems very believable. Considering the title of the story, I was under the impression that the whole story would just be about the journey but that isn't the case. The reader learns about the circumstances that brought the main characters together and even when the actual plot gets going, there are many call-backs to remind the reader that although these are our protagonists, the rest of the world is still moving along.
4) It's genuinely funny. You quickly learn the personality types of the characters but that worked to its benefit as whenever they came across a situation - and they come across A LOT - it was entertaining to see their personalities shine. Also, the prose was a mixture of idioms and colloquialisms from our time and age and grandiose, formal words that struck a nice balance of light-heartedness and flow. Reading this was easy and enjoyable.
5) And yet, at times the story is serious, life lessons, social and political commentary through satire or just allegories that acted like punches in the face. All of this coupled with characters that although had their personality types, grew along the journey and made the reading experience worthwhile.
6) Finally and perhaps most importantly to me, it's just great fantasy. The things that happen in this book are on celestial levels and yet it happens so often that it adds to the aforementioned comedy and vividness. It's described so well and in your face that you quickly accept, enjoy and look forward to it.
Being able to do all of this is testament to how great the original novel is and how appreciative Julia Lovell's translation was. Despite not reading a large amount of Chinese novels, it's no surprise that this is considered a classic.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
finally finished this book for chinese literature class! now, onto the midterm essay :’) tbh, i would probably enjoy this book a bit more if i didn’t have on my i-have-to-analyze-everything mindset and the time crunch. and because this is an abridged version, i felt that the absence of other (80+ chapters) caused character developments to be quite abrupt.
I'm glad that I chose to read this book whilst I've been busy with essay writing. It was the perfect book, because it was intriguing enough for me to want to read (and not DNF), but not gripping enough for me to put off studying. It was the perfect time for me to read this because with me being so busy with my essay, it meant that anything I could read for fun would be great. It meant that I really gave this book a chance, and I am glad that I did. This is one of my better liked classics. It sort of reminds me of a video game, where it has loads of little side quests that deviate from the main quest line, and I liked it. It helped me be able to put this book down and study. I also really liked Monkey as a character, not so much in the beginning, but after he accepts his role as Tripitaka's disciple. I didn't really like the other characters, but Monkey is the best character in this book.
In addition to the plot being a bit like a video game, there were times where the pages flew by. It was definitely a first for me for classics. Sometimes it felt like a chore to read this book, but I would say that I enjoyed this book 85% of the time. The ending was anti-climatic though, and a bit of a let down.
This book did remind me of [b:The Story of Hong Gildong|25810328|The Story of Hong Gildong|Unknown|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445792183s/25810328.jpg|45666333] in some aspects. Maybe because it is also another Asian classic, written around the same time, and has a similar sort of nonsensical/fantasical feel. So if you liked this book, I would recommend that one if you wanted something similar.
Overall, I am glad to be able to say that I have read this book. I would recommend it if you are looking for classics to read that aren't Western in origin. I can't wait to watch the K-drama, Hwayugi, that is based upon this book, and I hope that it has a relatively happy ending like this book.
In addition to the plot being a bit like a video game, there were times where the pages flew by. It was definitely a first for me for classics. Sometimes it felt like a chore to read this book, but I would say that I enjoyed this book 85% of the time. The ending was anti-climatic though, and a bit of a let down.
This book did remind me of [b:The Story of Hong Gildong|25810328|The Story of Hong Gildong|Unknown|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445792183s/25810328.jpg|45666333] in some aspects. Maybe because it is also another Asian classic, written around the same time, and has a similar sort of nonsensical/fantasical feel. So if you liked this book, I would recommend that one if you wanted something similar.
Overall, I am glad to be able to say that I have read this book. I would recommend it if you are looking for classics to read that aren't Western in origin. I can't wait to watch the K-drama, Hwayugi, that is based upon this book, and I hope that it has a relatively happy ending like this book.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Art, 5 stars for monkey the rest of the book is meh tbh.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i read it for one of my classes but that was so fucking funny