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baileyloveless's review against another edition
2.0
Don’t judge a book by its cover because I admit that I only picked up this book due to the catchy cover art. The story follows a young British translator as she translates letters between a Chinese man in political exile writing to his lover in China, who’s desperate to find him. The book was supposed to relate the political and cultural angst of mainland China. A noble cause to be sure. But completely ineffective because the writing and pace of this book were so blah. That’s all I can really say. I was basically bored out of my mind.
sophronisba's review against another edition
3.0
I Am China is an ambitious book about an important topic. But it never really came together for me. Xiaolu Guo has so many ideas that they never really coalesce. She wants to talk about identity, and politics, and revolution, and language, and isolation, and love, and sex, and human connection. In the end, I felt she was only partly successful. I would rather read a novel that successfully tackles one or two of these ideas than one at which the author seems to have thrown every thought she’s ever had in hopes something will stick. That’s maybe a bit harsher than it should be; I do think that Guo says some interesting things about the human cost of political resistance. (And I found it particularly interesting since I’d just finished Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, which gave me a different perspective on life in post-Tiananmen China.) I just felt that the novel could have been more powerful if Guo had brought more focus to it.
katheastman's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating look at China's recent history as the protagonist, a translator, unravels love letters and diaries. It opens up China to the translator and, through her, the reader. And piecing together the story of the lovers also forces the translator to look at love and open herself up to it. I Am China gives insight into the work of a translator and how they inhabit the stories they are entrusted to translate.
lienlovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
I loved this!
This book tells the story of a translator trying to figure out the lives of the subjects whom she's been translating letters and diary entries from.
As someone who wants to become a translator, this touched me deeply.
I also genuinely think that my small knowledge of Chinese and Chinese culture, definitely enriched my reading experience.
I loved this!
This book tells the story of a translator trying to figure out the lives of the subjects whom she's been translating letters and diary entries from.
As someone who wants to become a translator, this touched me deeply.
I also genuinely think that my small knowledge of Chinese and Chinese culture, definitely enriched my reading experience.
spyralnode's review against another edition
5.0
Breathtaking prose, going through topics like family, patriotism, ideologies, Chinese politics, history and culture, romance and mystery - it's all that rolled into one and it took me completely by surprise how much I loved this book and how intimate the narrative felt throughout.
The description is quite misleading I found. There are 2 stories here: one follows Iona, a Scottish translator on a freelance project involving the diaries and letters exchanged between Jian and Mu, and the second one follows Jian and Mu, encompassing their relationship and beyond. Because this latter story is expressed through first-person writing, it allows the reader to have personal insight into their feelings, motivations and fears. Doing it on the backdrop of protests for democracy in China made it come alive even more, as well as comparing their culture to that the Western world. This might also have been one of the best portrayals of alienation I have encountered so far when it comes to moving abroad and feeling like you're in an in-between state.
Moreover, one of the things that I find is missing from other reviews is also what a beautiful and perceptive description of London life is offered in quite a few of the passages, for example 'London is a raw, a slow explosion, scattering every living and dead thing and never letting them rest'. It evokes visually, auditorily and emotionally the contrast between these different lifestyles as well as the people's attitudes towards their home country and those around them.
Amazing and inspiring read, and I am so happy that I spent my Sunday on this book! It has made me want to check out more by Xioalu Guo - definitely a writer I am going to look out for.
The description is quite misleading I found. There are 2 stories here: one follows Iona, a Scottish translator on a freelance project involving the diaries and letters exchanged between Jian and Mu, and the second one follows Jian and Mu, encompassing their relationship and beyond. Because this latter story is expressed through first-person writing, it allows the reader to have personal insight into their feelings, motivations and fears. Doing it on the backdrop of protests for democracy in China made it come alive even more, as well as comparing their culture to that the Western world. This might also have been one of the best portrayals of alienation I have encountered so far when it comes to moving abroad and feeling like you're in an in-between state.
Moreover, one of the things that I find is missing from other reviews is also what a beautiful and perceptive description of London life is offered in quite a few of the passages, for example 'London is a raw, a slow explosion, scattering every living and dead thing and never letting them rest'. It evokes visually, auditorily and emotionally the contrast between these different lifestyles as well as the people's attitudes towards their home country and those around them.
Amazing and inspiring read, and I am so happy that I spent my Sunday on this book! It has made me want to check out more by Xioalu Guo - definitely a writer I am going to look out for.
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
I Am China is a book I would never have found my way to if it wasn’t for the Baileys Prize longlist (this year’s longlist was one of the best for me personally in finding great stories). It combines so many things I find interesting in a novel – mystery, dual narrative and the liberal use of letters and diary entries. The plot is also a very interesting concept, with a translator as the main character. As Iona translates the documents belonging to Kublai Jian and Deng Mu, the reader finds out at the same time the mystery, complicating factors and unanswered questions. Despite being the ‘main’ character, Iona is pushed into the background as the vehicle of translation – which seems to me where she prefers to be.
Iona lives a lonely, solitary life, complicated only by random sexual encounters and hints of some pain in the past. When she is given a random jumble of papers and asked to translate them to see what she thinks of them, she is both intrigued and perplexed. What is the aim? Why has she been asked to ‘see if there’s a story’? She begins to translate and becomes entangled in the world of Kublai Jian, a punk underground musician in China and his partner, Deng Mu, a poet. Jian has left China, seeking refugee status in England after an incident which is gradually revealed. Jian’s past also comes to light, as does his struggle to obtain a sense of person and freedom in an immigration detention centre. Mu’s sense of loneliness at the loss of Jian is exemplified in a trip to the US, which has her wondering what her fate is in China. As Iona digs deeper and gains the interest of publisher Jonathan, things become a race against time with a number of political roadblocks.
Mu and Jian’s story was fascinating to me – the rebellion, the restrictions and the sadness. I wish that Mu could have played a greater role as she was a lovely character that I related to. Jian is angry, but that anger fades into hopelessness and despair. He seems to fade too with this into little more than a shadow. It was difficult to read, this angry young man with dreams of changing his country from the inside out running out of steam. Iona was the character that I couldn’t relate to. She holds herself aloof, away from things and it’s never clear why. She seemed to have plenty of opportunities for meaningful interaction during the book – her sister, brother in law, former professor and Jonathan – but she holds back from all of them and it wasn’t clear why, just a vague sense of unease lurking in her past.
The leap of faith where Iona comes to discover Jian’s fate was a little bit over the top for me, but it did make for good reading. I felt that just before that section, things had slowed down somewhat and the race against time combined with Iona acting on a hunch brought the pace back up for me. But what I loved most about I Am China was Guo’s writing. It’s beautiful, but not sentimental. She makes a lot of critical statements about the way countries act and treat their inhabitants, which raises food for thought. But it’s combined with a love story and a sense of history which stops the novel from being a political statement. I enjoyed I Am China, and will be seeking out Xiaolu Guo’s other books.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Iona lives a lonely, solitary life, complicated only by random sexual encounters and hints of some pain in the past. When she is given a random jumble of papers and asked to translate them to see what she thinks of them, she is both intrigued and perplexed. What is the aim? Why has she been asked to ‘see if there’s a story’? She begins to translate and becomes entangled in the world of Kublai Jian, a punk underground musician in China and his partner, Deng Mu, a poet. Jian has left China, seeking refugee status in England after an incident which is gradually revealed. Jian’s past also comes to light, as does his struggle to obtain a sense of person and freedom in an immigration detention centre. Mu’s sense of loneliness at the loss of Jian is exemplified in a trip to the US, which has her wondering what her fate is in China. As Iona digs deeper and gains the interest of publisher Jonathan, things become a race against time with a number of political roadblocks.
Mu and Jian’s story was fascinating to me – the rebellion, the restrictions and the sadness. I wish that Mu could have played a greater role as she was a lovely character that I related to. Jian is angry, but that anger fades into hopelessness and despair. He seems to fade too with this into little more than a shadow. It was difficult to read, this angry young man with dreams of changing his country from the inside out running out of steam. Iona was the character that I couldn’t relate to. She holds herself aloof, away from things and it’s never clear why. She seemed to have plenty of opportunities for meaningful interaction during the book – her sister, brother in law, former professor and Jonathan – but she holds back from all of them and it wasn’t clear why, just a vague sense of unease lurking in her past.
The leap of faith where Iona comes to discover Jian’s fate was a little bit over the top for me, but it did make for good reading. I felt that just before that section, things had slowed down somewhat and the race against time combined with Iona acting on a hunch brought the pace back up for me. But what I loved most about I Am China was Guo’s writing. It’s beautiful, but not sentimental. She makes a lot of critical statements about the way countries act and treat their inhabitants, which raises food for thought. But it’s combined with a love story and a sense of history which stops the novel from being a political statement. I enjoyed I Am China, and will be seeking out Xiaolu Guo’s other books.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
paperavatar's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't entirely certain I liked this book until I got to the last 50 pages. The metaphorical connections between individuals and their homelands was brilliantly illustrated in the last few chapters, and the power of the novel's conclusion makes me think I wasn't taking the narrative seriously enough when I began the book. I should go back and reread it before rating it, honestly.*
I loved the way the poetry and music interwoven throughout the narrative sent me down the rabbit hole of the internet, where I discovered Cui Jian, Beijing rocker and political dissident. (Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OspWXXBEo4A) Mu's tribute to Allen Ginsberg--"China I've given you all and now I'm nothing./China two dollars and twenty-seven cents./I can't stand my own mind."--was deeply touching in a way I can't quite describe.**
This book's premise is rare--there aren't many well-written novels that focus on post-Tiananmen Chinese artists and revolutionaries. I hope we will see more in the near future.
*(At first, I was a little turned off by Iona's futile drive to satisfy her emptiness through a series of one-night stands. I'm weary of the woman-seeks-identity-in-man-but-later-discovers-herself theme.)
**(Also, in Cui Jian's song "Greenhouse Girl," there are these lines: "你問我要去向何方: You asked me where I was heading/我指著大海的方向 I pointed to the direction of the sea." I'm probably reading into this way too much, but this can't be coincidence, right?!)
I loved the way the poetry and music interwoven throughout the narrative sent me down the rabbit hole of the internet, where I discovered Cui Jian, Beijing rocker and political dissident. (Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OspWXXBEo4A) Mu's tribute to Allen Ginsberg--"China I've given you all and now I'm nothing./China two dollars and twenty-seven cents./I can't stand my own mind."--was deeply touching in a way I can't quite describe.**
This book's premise is rare--there aren't many well-written novels that focus on post-Tiananmen Chinese artists and revolutionaries. I hope we will see more in the near future.
*(At first, I was a little turned off by Iona's futile drive to satisfy her emptiness through a series of one-night stands. I'm weary of the woman-seeks-identity-in-man-but-later-discovers-herself theme.)
**(Also, in Cui Jian's song "Greenhouse Girl," there are these lines: "你問我要去向何方: You asked me where I was heading/我指著大海的方向 I pointed to the direction of the sea." I'm probably reading into this way too much, but this can't be coincidence, right?!)
thebobsphere's review
5.0
After reading two books about genocide ( Rwanda and Serbia respectively) I thought I was in for another round of senseless killing when I pulled out the title I am China from the jar (trust me my jar has a cruel sense of humour - whenever I'm totally busy the 500 pagers crop up, last july it thought that it would be a good idea for me to read all my non fiction books in one consecutive month etc) anyway this book was marvelous. Multi layered, well written and one excellent plot.
Iona translates Chinese documents, however one day her publisher mails a diary and series of letters, hoping that she can translate them so that they could be published. Once she starts to work on it she unravels a story about two lovers who must battle Chinese politics, Western attitudes and their own personal problems. As Iona reaches the end of the translating job she discovers that she has problems that must be faced as well.
What can I say? One of those surprises that crop up. Go read it ASAP. Trust me.
Iona translates Chinese documents, however one day her publisher mails a diary and series of letters, hoping that she can translate them so that they could be published. Once she starts to work on it she unravels a story about two lovers who must battle Chinese politics, Western attitudes and their own personal problems. As Iona reaches the end of the translating job she discovers that she has problems that must be faced as well.
What can I say? One of those surprises that crop up. Go read it ASAP. Trust me.
cuppa_curiositea's review
5.0
*4.5
I adored every aspect and angle of this book! Though the ending does suffer a bit from the ambition of the novel, I felt like the story was constantly questioning my own life and thoughts despite the dissimilar backgrounds. Each character has a unique voice, but I like that we are constantly reminded that Mu's and Jian's voices are represented through Iona's lens. The writing is wonderful, but more than anything, this book is a fascinating dialogue on politics, culture, and art.
I adored every aspect and angle of this book! Though the ending does suffer a bit from the ambition of the novel, I felt like the story was constantly questioning my own life and thoughts despite the dissimilar backgrounds. Each character has a unique voice, but I like that we are constantly reminded that Mu's and Jian's voices are represented through Iona's lens. The writing is wonderful, but more than anything, this book is a fascinating dialogue on politics, culture, and art.