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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
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.
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.
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
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?!)
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.
*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.
I received this book through Goodreads FirstReads.
I've said this before, but I really don't like rating books on a five-star scale. While it makes things easier, I find it really difficult to rate books of all different genres on the same scale. Having said that, a medium-high 3 is probably what I would give this book.
I Am China is a novel that centers around three characters and jumps time and place with each "chapter." Kublai Jian and Mu are a Chinese couple whose lives have diverged and their writings, letters, and diary entries have found their way into Iona's hands. Iona is a young translator of Chinese writings living in London. She begins to translate the writings of these two individuals and becomes deeply invested in their lives.
If you are a fan of books that are organized into letters or found documents, this is a must read for you. The story was interesting, but moved slowly until the end, when if felt a bit rushed. I liked learning about three different characters and, overall, the character development was pretty strong. However, I feel like I spent a lot of the novel getting to know Iona without really getting to know her. She wasn't as well defined a character as Kublai and Mu.
Overall, I enjoyed this book.
I've said this before, but I really don't like rating books on a five-star scale. While it makes things easier, I find it really difficult to rate books of all different genres on the same scale. Having said that, a medium-high 3 is probably what I would give this book.
I Am China is a novel that centers around three characters and jumps time and place with each "chapter." Kublai Jian and Mu are a Chinese couple whose lives have diverged and their writings, letters, and diary entries have found their way into Iona's hands. Iona is a young translator of Chinese writings living in London. She begins to translate the writings of these two individuals and becomes deeply invested in their lives.
If you are a fan of books that are organized into letters or found documents, this is a must read for you. The story was interesting, but moved slowly until the end, when if felt a bit rushed. I liked learning about three different characters and, overall, the character development was pretty strong. However, I feel like I spent a lot of the novel getting to know Iona without really getting to know her. She wasn't as well defined a character as Kublai and Mu.
Overall, I enjoyed this book.
The novel is so well written. The letters between Jian and Mu are often filled with such beauty, and the third person perspective works wonderfully with the unfolding story. I really liked the use of several different tales mixing with one another, each of them coming to the forefront of the novel at intervals. The use of different cultures, and the way in which Guo outlined them, were so strong.