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jsslwy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jasonchamb's review against another edition
4.0
A Song Everlasting is Ha Jin's subdued tale of a popular Chinese singer turned unexpected dissident. While on tour with a state-sponsored musical troupe, Tian is approached to perform in a private event. Unbeknownst to him, the event is sponsored by a pro-Taiwan group, and Tian is plunged into bureaucratic dangers. He faces denouncement and loss of his passport and his position. He and his wife decide that for him to remain safe, he should take refuge in the United States.
Tian's life in the U.S. is difficult. He has limited opportunities to perform, and what chances he does have are stymied by the Chinese government and the media it quietly backs.
While the corruption and coercion of the government serves as a backdrop for this novel, the forefront is consumed with Tian's struggles for life in America to achieve personal and professional freedom and to survive in a country with few restrictions, but few supports as well. Tian navigates his way through a multitude of problems, including financial troubles, marital strife, and a near-disastrous health scare to navigate his way in this new world, ultimately finding a home amongst a small circle of friends and family.
Very moving and understated, and ultimately uplifting.
Tian's life in the U.S. is difficult. He has limited opportunities to perform, and what chances he does have are stymied by the Chinese government and the media it quietly backs.
While the corruption and coercion of the government serves as a backdrop for this novel, the forefront is consumed with Tian's struggles for life in America to achieve personal and professional freedom and to survive in a country with few restrictions, but few supports as well. Tian navigates his way through a multitude of problems, including financial troubles, marital strife, and a near-disastrous health scare to navigate his way in this new world, ultimately finding a home amongst a small circle of friends and family.
Very moving and understated, and ultimately uplifting.
taylormcneil's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Remembering a book's characters as one remembers a friend or acquaintance is a good test for how good a book is. Ever since I finished A Song Everlasting, I've been thinking Yao Tian, his life and struggles, and the people he interacts with. When I see older Chinese man and women walking the bike path in my town, I wonder -- is their story like Yao's?
A reluctant immigrant to the US after political missteps, Yao's life in America almost entirely revolves around the Chinese diaspora community; I'm hard-pressed to think of any non-Chinese characters. Yao is a singer who was quite successful back home; in the US, he struggles, in part because the Chinese government wants him to fail, and send a message to those at home thinking that life outside of China is better. He's mostly naive, and mostly surrounded by those who are not. His story is compelling, in a soft-spoken kind of way.
Some writers like to show off their writing chops; Ha Jin is not one of them. He's here to tell a story, no frills involved. And maybe it's more powerful for that -- it focuses us on Yao's life and story, and those of his friends and family.
Jin clearly has an ax to grind with the Chinese government, which has kept him from publishing any of his books in China that are in any way political, and Yao similarly voices that criticism of a controlling, authoritarian government, which keeps him in the US. Yao and his friends see in China a very clear choice, between security and freedom. In China, Jin says, you can't have both. Yao, like Jin, chooses freedom.
I recommend this book as both a story of personal redemption and a way to better understand the Chinese immigrant community in the US.
A reluctant immigrant to the US after political missteps, Yao's life in America almost entirely revolves around the Chinese diaspora community; I'm hard-pressed to think of any non-Chinese characters. Yao is a singer who was quite successful back home; in the US, he struggles, in part because the Chinese government wants him to fail, and send a message to those at home thinking that life outside of China is better. He's mostly naive, and mostly surrounded by those who are not. His story is compelling, in a soft-spoken kind of way.
Some writers like to show off their writing chops; Ha Jin is not one of them. He's here to tell a story, no frills involved. And maybe it's more powerful for that -- it focuses us on Yao's life and story, and those of his friends and family.
Jin clearly has an ax to grind with the Chinese government, which has kept him from publishing any of his books in China that are in any way political, and Yao similarly voices that criticism of a controlling, authoritarian government, which keeps him in the US. Yao and his friends see in China a very clear choice, between security and freedom. In China, Jin says, you can't have both. Yao, like Jin, chooses freedom.
I recommend this book as both a story of personal redemption and a way to better understand the Chinese immigrant community in the US.
txc9649's review
5.0
I really enjoy this book mostly because I am interested in reading anything about Chinese government and their treatment to the dissidents. Although the end of the book is not what I expected for Tian, I still give this a 5 stars. The story might be a little bit long for others to follow but I completely enjoyed it. Chinese government can be cunning in the way it treats its citizens so people got to do what they got to do. Great, easy read. Highly rec!
mesal's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley as well as Knopf Doubleday for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ha Jin's upcoming novel is a character-driven, reflective tale about a Chinese singer forced out of his home country, taking refuge in the United States and hoping to become naturalized. You can really tell that the author drew from his own experiences as a man who moved from China to the States, rejecting mainland politics and forging a different life.
The writing style is very straightforward, with short, simple sentences that methodically get the story across to the reader. That isn't to say that the language itself is plain. Quite the opposite: the author constantly uses poetry and verse in his writing, elevating it to a degree. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to get used to such a writing style, but one chapter in and I stopped noticing it entirely, drawn in by the plot, characters and setting.
Neither NetGalley nor Goodreads specify this anywhere, but I'm pretty sure this is fiction, regardless of how realistically it has been written. (You could have fooled me into thinking that Ha Jin was writing Yao Tian's biography. I would have believed you.) The author really takes you into the minds of the characters and the reasons behind every tiny action, leaving no detail unmentioned.
I felt that a lot of this book managed to relate to current affairs as well. No matter the year, there is always a government in the world that the people find controlling and oppressive, and that truth has not changed even today. I found that many of the poems Ha Jin quoted, or the lyrics Yao Tian wrote, perhaps unintentionally could easily be used in reference to countries that aren't China but would fit just as well. I won't be quoting them, though, regardless of how much I want to, because at the end of the day this is still an ARC. If you want to see what I'm talking about, read the book when it comes out next month :)
Ha Jin's upcoming novel is a character-driven, reflective tale about a Chinese singer forced out of his home country, taking refuge in the United States and hoping to become naturalized. You can really tell that the author drew from his own experiences as a man who moved from China to the States, rejecting mainland politics and forging a different life.
The writing style is very straightforward, with short, simple sentences that methodically get the story across to the reader. That isn't to say that the language itself is plain. Quite the opposite: the author constantly uses poetry and verse in his writing, elevating it to a degree. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to get used to such a writing style, but one chapter in and I stopped noticing it entirely, drawn in by the plot, characters and setting.
Neither NetGalley nor Goodreads specify this anywhere, but I'm pretty sure this is fiction, regardless of how realistically it has been written. (You could have fooled me into thinking that Ha Jin was writing Yao Tian's biography. I would have believed you.) The author really takes you into the minds of the characters and the reasons behind every tiny action, leaving no detail unmentioned.
I felt that a lot of this book managed to relate to current affairs as well. No matter the year, there is always a government in the world that the people find controlling and oppressive, and that truth has not changed even today. I found that many of the poems Ha Jin quoted, or the lyrics Yao Tian wrote, perhaps unintentionally could easily be used in reference to countries that aren't China but would fit just as well. I won't be quoting them, though, regardless of how much I want to, because at the end of the day this is still an ARC. If you want to see what I'm talking about, read the book when it comes out next month :)
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