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anpu325's review against another edition
2.0
I was a bit disappointed by "Once on a Moonless Night" after reading "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress". I thought that the plot of this book was all over the place and difficult to follow. It bounces all over the world and it is hard to find any kind of point; it just feels like a bunch of disparate events with no connection to each other. Also in many places it seems like the plot would get sidetracked with long anecdotes I found it difficult to sympathize with or understand the main character because, like the plot, she seemed all over the place as well. She was emotionally unstable, but she didn't make a very convincing character overall. The only reason why I enjoyed this book was because of the vivid descriptions and the sense of adventure and romance. Some of these elements shone through despite the mediocre plot and main character.
angeliqueazul's review against another edition
5.0
The writing! The writing in this book is like jumping into a waterfall, falling ever deeper while not being terrified but somehow floating weightless and feeling the sentences wash over you like powerful cascades of water. Fascinating.
docka's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
mw_bookgraph's review against another edition
1.0
Could not get into this book. I ended up abandoning it.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure quite how I feel about this book.
It's beautiful, but there doesn't seem to be much plot. This is strange because usually a lack of plot will drive me up a wall. It makes me want to fling the book across the room and consider revoking my "don't burn books" rule. Worse, the narrator is a woman, but I consistently forgot that. (Oh that's right, she has a womb because she is a she). That usually clinches the deal.
But not this one. Not this time.
Okay, there is something of a plot, a search for an ancient scroll. But it isn't an Indiana Jones type of a search; in fact, it is a very round about search.
And yet.
There is such restrained passion in the language of this novel. It is rich. I can see why [a:A.S. Byatt|1169504|A.S. Byatt|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1221410963p2/1169504.jpg] enjoyed this novel. I enjoyed this novel.
There is something transportative (is that even a word) about the language of this novel. The story is so simple, the ending is so simple, and yet magical.
It's beautiful, but there doesn't seem to be much plot. This is strange because usually a lack of plot will drive me up a wall. It makes me want to fling the book across the room and consider revoking my "don't burn books" rule. Worse, the narrator is a woman, but I consistently forgot that. (Oh that's right, she has a womb because she is a she). That usually clinches the deal.
But not this one. Not this time.
Okay, there is something of a plot, a search for an ancient scroll. But it isn't an Indiana Jones type of a search; in fact, it is a very round about search.
And yet.
There is such restrained passion in the language of this novel. It is rich. I can see why [a:A.S. Byatt|1169504|A.S. Byatt|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1221410963p2/1169504.jpg] enjoyed this novel. I enjoyed this novel.
There is something transportative (is that even a word) about the language of this novel. The story is so simple, the ending is so simple, and yet magical.
leptook's review against another edition
4.0
this is one of the better written books i have read. there were some very beautiful parts and i would recommend it to someone looking to read something Good
faeden's review against another edition
4.0
There is something very unusual about this book in the way the author moves through time and the characters. A couple of times I found myself becoming a little detached because I'd start feeling a little lost, but the beautiful writing kept me and brought be back when that happened. I read this quite slowly and I'm not sure if that was a good or bad thing. I very much recommend this book and suggest that the reader try to just allow the writing to wash over them as Dai Sijie has the ability to transport you to another place and time.
writerlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
More like 3 3/4 stars, just shy of 4. The middle part lagged a little hence three stars. This is Dai Sijie third novels, his first since winning the Femina in 2003 with "Le complexe de Di". It's a slow and somewhat nostalgic narrative. We follow the narrator, a young French woman who studied Chinese in Beijing in the late 1970's, fell in love with a young Chinese man with a troubled past. Both their lives are entwined in the most singular yet delightful way. Both become obsessed with a long lost silk scroll inscribed with an obscure language. Both lose themselves in this obsession. It's almost genetic for them. The middle part could have been shorter or edited in a way that it could have been incorporated in the last part making the flow of the narration less chaotic. The ending is very much in keeping with the Chinese, Asian way of seeing and experiencing live.
I'm glad I read it.
I'm glad I read it.