Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
tiffany_lishan's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Minor: Ableism and Incest
cmjustice's review against another edition
4.0
Disturbing, tragic and poignant; a deeply moving tale told with a slow and steady pace like a fire burning into ash.
sabby121's review against another edition
4.0
the fact that this was based on a real-life blood-selling scandal is insaneeee.
bsmorris's review
4.0
Tragic story
Tragic story of a Chinese village decimated by AIDS after selling blood. I like how dreams play such a large role and the somewhat spiraling storyline.
Tragic story of a Chinese village decimated by AIDS after selling blood. I like how dreams play such a large role and the somewhat spiraling storyline.
pris_asagiri's review against another edition
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. The translation was decent. I think Cindy Carter struck a fairly balanced chord of making it accessible to western readers while keeping (somewhat) the poetry that is Chinese writing. I found her to be among the [a:Lisa See|713|Lisa See|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1209949634p2/713.jpg], [a:Gail Tsukiyama|28719|Gail Tsukiyama|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1235246903p2/28719.jpg] crowd. But what surprised me most was how not depressing this book is. And yes, this book is dealing with some incredibly heavy topics, mainly death and greed and ignorance. But no matter what happens, there is always life. Life marches on despite everything. And it was that small hope that you felt throughout the story that kept it just right of the edge of depressing.
Yan crafted this story with finesse and precision. While it skewers the corruption of local government, he lovingly paints the life and times of rural China. And he stayed away from the caricatures that you too often find when dealing with "expose-type" stories here. These are people you can find here. And I found myself invested in their lives. I enjoyed his storytelling. I found him easier to read than Mo Yan, although I'm not sure if that is due to the translator.
I really want to read his other book now.
Yan crafted this story with finesse and precision. While it skewers the corruption of local government, he lovingly paints the life and times of rural China. And he stayed away from the caricatures that you too often find when dealing with "expose-type" stories here. These are people you can find here. And I found myself invested in their lives. I enjoyed his storytelling. I found him easier to read than Mo Yan, although I'm not sure if that is due to the translator.
I really want to read his other book now.
abey's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
erinlcrane's review against another edition
4.0
I learned about events I wasn’t aware of reading this book, which I appreciated. I was pretty engaged throughout even though it was a story that meandered. There was some distance between me and the characters so it wasn’t as emotionally affecting as it might have been, but again, I was still engaged by the events, the dramas playing out.
The Grandpa character had a rough go of it, yikes. What a trajectory. The story is a tragedy in many ways. For the village, for Grandpa, for Hui, Liang, everyone. Quite sad generally.
My one complaint would be that there are some representational issues. Lingling is a little disappointing as a female character. I’ve read worse, but her fulfillment in a man was sad in a discouraging way, not a touching way. Also, it seems like I’m supposed to dislike Lingzi’s daughter for being disabled and epileptic … it doesn’t feel like I’m supposed to disagree with the fact that Grandpa thinks that means she’s not good enough. I understand that unpleasant ideas are in stories for realism, but I need the author to show how those ideas are wrong or let me feel like I can disagree. In this case the characters I’m supposed to root for say/think some of the unpleasant things and it feels like I’m supposed to agree.
I really enjoyed how everyone’s selfishness is highlighted. Often counteracted by kinder moments. They felt like real people.
I’m guessing that if I had more cultural context I’d get even more out of this one!
Favorite quote:
When graves are robbed of treasure,
there’s not enough treasure to go around.
When graves are robbed of coffins,
there are too many coffins to be found.
The Grandpa character had a rough go of it, yikes. What a trajectory. The story is a tragedy in many ways. For the village, for Grandpa, for Hui, Liang, everyone. Quite sad generally.
My one complaint would be that there are some representational issues. Lingling is a little disappointing as a female character. I’ve read worse, but her fulfillment in a man was sad in a discouraging way, not a touching way. Also, it seems like I’m supposed to dislike Lingzi’s daughter for being disabled and epileptic … it doesn’t feel like I’m supposed to disagree with the fact that Grandpa thinks that means she’s not good enough. I understand that unpleasant ideas are in stories for realism, but I need the author to show how those ideas are wrong or let me feel like I can disagree. In this case the characters I’m supposed to root for say/think some of the unpleasant things and it feels like I’m supposed to agree.
I really enjoyed how everyone’s selfishness is highlighted. Often counteracted by kinder moments. They felt like real people.
I’m guessing that if I had more cultural context I’d get even more out of this one!
Favorite quote:
When graves are robbed of treasure,
there’s not enough treasure to go around.
When graves are robbed of coffins,
there are too many coffins to be found.
_magnolia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A dark, satirical take on the unrelenting grasp of commercialism, and the Chinese drive to zhan pian yi ad absurdium. A horrible book to love.
tomleetang's review against another edition
4.0
The whole bloody affair of Henan's HIV villages is laid bare in this horrifying novel, which traces how hopeful country folk were condemned to death by an uncaring government apparatus, which then tried to cover over its carelessness with a combination of censorship and ineffectual 'subsidies' that actually ended up costing people already bled dry (literally) even more money.
The dream and real parts of the novel quickly become blurred, as Yan Lianke shows how much the unthinkable has become the everyday in the course of China's madcap rush to riches and modernity. But while the specific details of the book are very much a story of the People's Republic of China, the allure of filthy lucre and the avaricious desire for social status are applicable to all.
The dream and real parts of the novel quickly become blurred, as Yan Lianke shows how much the unthinkable has become the everyday in the course of China's madcap rush to riches and modernity. But while the specific details of the book are very much a story of the People's Republic of China, the allure of filthy lucre and the avaricious desire for social status are applicable to all.
sfletcher26's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0