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karinlib's review against another edition
3.0
I think I wasn't in the mood for this book, because I found myself getting a little bored. Love in Fallen City is a collection of short stories set in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The topic of this collection centered around romantic love.
fishnchipsbusan's review against another edition
3.0
A stylish and (for me) nostalgic collection of stories with a clear-cut but repetitive theme of Confucianism vs Modernism and all of the complexities within it.
Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier – 3*
Jasmine Tea – 4*
Love in a Fallen City – 4*
The Golden Cangue – 2*
Sealed Off – 2*
Red Rose White Rose – 5*
Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier – 3*
Jasmine Tea – 4*
Love in a Fallen City – 4*
The Golden Cangue – 2*
Sealed Off – 2*
Red Rose White Rose – 5*
emr158's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kstraps's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Beautiful prose (translation), interesting views on love in 1940s China. Really interesting as a historical view of life in China at this time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Violence
misshrek's review against another edition
4.0
Emotionally a difficult read, but I loved the themes, characters, and settings explored in this collection. The rapidly shifting culture of pre/postwar Shanghai and all the societal expectations that came with it is super fascinating to me, and add in the layer of traditional Chinese gender roles and familial dynamics… *whew SpongeBob meme* I will say I preferred all the stories that centered the female perspective versus the males.
I also found myself wondering what was lost in the translation, and wishing I could read the works in the original language intended as I felt some of meanings in Chinese couldn’t totally be translated into English. Sometimes it made for a confusing (and strangely alienating??) experience as a reader.
I also found myself wondering what was lost in the translation, and wishing I could read the works in the original language intended as I felt some of meanings in Chinese couldn’t totally be translated into English. Sometimes it made for a confusing (and strangely alienating??) experience as a reader.
anneliehyatt's review against another edition
4.0
well-written and vivid short stories about gender dynamics, filial piety, and social politics in 20th century china. strengths of eileen chang’s writing includes lively dialogue, a keen sense writing drama, and a great attention to colors, smells, and setting that make all her stories have an unforgettable mood. however, even though i am somewhat familiar with 20th century chinese history, i still felt a bit lost (especially in the Golden Cangue, i was really confused). i’m sure that if i grew up in china and read this in chinese these would become some of my favorite stories—as of right now, i really loved “sealed off” and the first two in the collection, “aloeswood incense” and “jasmine tea.”
brannonkrkhuang's review against another edition
5.0
Eileen Chang writes such beautiful, sexy, tragic words and I’m obsessed.