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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
A beautiful, sad tale. Based on a real life encounter the author had with a woman she met who told her a tale of surviving in Tibet. I didn't want to put it down
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I read this book close to 10 years ago. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to hear Xinran speak in Chengdu, China about her newest book. At that talk, I bought a second copy of Sky Burial. It is hands-down one of the most incredible stories I have ever read, and will haunt you as much as it haunts Xinran. It is not a political novel about China and Tibet. It is a heartbreaking story of a woman and love and loss, and you will be left wanting to know more about a story that does not really have a true ending.
A beautiful, tragic, and compelling novel. I say novel and not biography because it's hard to tell how much the author really knew of Wen's story. It doesn't really matter though; memory is such a fickle thing anyway. Regardless of the truth to fiction ratio, it was a pleasure to read. If I hadn't been in the middle of a move, I might have devoured it in a single day. It isn't a flawless novel, but it will definitely be going on my best-loved-books shelf.
Once again, Xinran weaves her way into your soul. The stories she chooses to tell are highlighted in their sincerity and scope by her simple narratives, and Sky Burial is no exception. She beautifully paints scenes of the enduring openness of the Tibetan high plains that contrast sharply with the bustling, ever-changing cityscapes of an evolving China. Some reviews I've read comment on their interpretation that the underlying message of this book is pro-China and anti Dalai Lama, that the Tibetan people were portrayed as violent, fierce, and unforgiving, and that the educated Chinese were only trying to spread their goodwill and kindness to an undeveloped country of nomads -- but the message I heard was nowhere near that. If anything, I felt this book leant more pro-Tibet than otherwise, but mainly I heard a message of universality among humans, that no matter what we come from, we are all essentially the same - all yearning for love, acceptance, family, and all capable of hurting, helping, and misunderstanding each other. This is another book that will stay with me for a long time.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
A few weeks back I read another tale of Tibet, Eat the Buddha. Though the story told in that book was fascinating, the whole was a mess of anti-Chinese propaganda. As I discussed in some detail in that book review, I spent a good deal of time in China, in the 80s and 90s including a number of months in Chengdu and villages west of there and a couple weeks in Tibet. People shared with me horrible heartbreaking stories of their experiences during Mao's rule and the time of the Gang of Four. I am no fan of the Chinese government, but there is plenty of real stuff to talk about without ascribing internal evil into every Chinese person and internal good to every Tibetan person. Chinese Tibetan relations are complex.
So I was thrilled to read this book which told a true story, a fantastical tale that is engrossing and sad and informative and free of political editorial. Xinran relates a story as she heard it, and it is filled with lost love and true bravery and respect for every person depicted. I guarantee you have never read a story like it, and that if you have an historical interest in Tibet you will be engrossed.
So I was thrilled to read this book which told a true story, a fantastical tale that is engrossing and sad and informative and free of political editorial. Xinran relates a story as she heard it, and it is filled with lost love and true bravery and respect for every person depicted. I guarantee you have never read a story like it, and that if you have an historical interest in Tibet you will be engrossed.
Sky Burial is the story of a quest, an unusual and dedicated one. At the same time, through this story the author attempts to provide not just a description of an alien way of life but how that life is lived in a way very different to what most readers will be familiar with. The main character Wen is a very determined woman, deeply in love with her husband whom she sets out to find in Tibet. She suffers incredible hardship in that quest but comes to appreciate a very different way of life and absorb the deep spirituality permeating it. In a way the long sojourn with the nomads prepares her to accept and understand the sky burial and realize the significance of her husband's sacrifice. Although she is not reunited with her husband, Wen's quest is completed with her own personal development.
The book provides both an absorbing story of a heroic individual and a tantalizing glimpse of an alien culture in a far off land.
The book provides both an absorbing story of a heroic individual and a tantalizing glimpse of an alien culture in a far off land.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
sad
fast-paced