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suprconman99's review against another edition
I was excited about the premise of this book — a biting political critique of authoritarian China disguised as a nightmarish fable. It is that, but unfortunately the execution is incredibly tedious. Glacial pacing, a strange writing style in which phrases and sentences are repeated often and unnecessarily (an effect of the translation maybe?), excessive use of similes and metaphors. It renders the whole reading experience a chore. Which is a shame because their is definitely substance and merit in the underlying themes and messages of this book. But after slogging through about 60% of it I found I was actively not enjoying it, which is reason enough to stop. DNF.
paramrb's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
emburger's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't going to leave a review as I didn't think I have much to say about this book, but after reading other people's reviews here, well:
1) this novel isn't lost in translation. I read this in the original Chinese text and it was just as repetitive and tedious. I think the writing was deliberately so, partly because the story was narrated by a simpleton kid, but also considering the dream-state of this narrated world, it's understandable for one to recount things slowly, deliriously. Imagine if you're the only lucid person in a world gone mad. You'd want things to end, you'd give anything for the night to end, for the sun to finally rise. It was so interesting too, for time to stop having any meaning; the village was stuck at 6am for a few chapters, and nasty things continued to happen. What a nightmare.
2) I was inching my way through the tedium of the story, each chapter bringing me closer to daylight hour...only for the inexplicable fog to descend, keeping the village shrouded in blackness still. At this point I think Yan Lianke truly succeeded in making me feel a certain claustrophobic nausea. Is this what it's like to live in an authoritarian state? The constant "Oh god please stop why is it not stopping??" One might be better off "sleepwalking".
3) and of course it takes one morally ambiguous character to finally, literally, save the day. Through means that could not have existed if he had been an honest fellow. Fascinating.
4 stars for what this book made me think and feel, 1 star for the painful process.
1) this novel isn't lost in translation. I read this in the original Chinese text and it was just as repetitive and tedious. I think the writing was deliberately so, partly because the story was narrated by a simpleton kid, but also considering the dream-state of this narrated world, it's understandable for one to recount things slowly, deliriously. Imagine if you're the only lucid person in a world gone mad. You'd want things to end, you'd give anything for the night to end, for the sun to finally rise. It was so interesting too, for time to stop having any meaning; the village was stuck at 6am for a few chapters, and nasty things continued to happen. What a nightmare.
2) I was inching my way through the tedium of the story, each chapter bringing me closer to daylight hour...only for the inexplicable fog to descend, keeping the village shrouded in blackness still. At this point I think Yan Lianke truly succeeded in making me feel a certain claustrophobic nausea. Is this what it's like to live in an authoritarian state? The constant "Oh god please stop why is it not stopping??" One might be better off "sleepwalking".
3) and of course it takes one morally ambiguous character to finally, literally, save the day. Through means that could not have existed if he had been an honest fellow. Fascinating.
4 stars for what this book made me think and feel, 1 star for the painful process.
jennbib's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the premise of this book and wanted to love it. However, I felt there was a lot of repetition and this made it a slow and at times difficult read,
abey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jessetrex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
svandersijde's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
misslin's review against another edition
2.0
I know this is satire but it definately loses something in translation. I ploughed through the last 100 pages without really gaining that much insight into the why or wherefore of the story. The fire made a bit of sense but it took a heck of a long time to get there.
ken_bookhermit's review against another edition
Stylistically and tone-wise, it's not for me. It might just be the translation, though I doubt the translator went the staccato-rhythm route on their own. Otherwise, this is a visually appealing book. The cover is fantastic, and the typeface they used made me read more than I normally would've. This is also the first book I've seen that pushed the novel to the absolute last page. Nice! Good job saving on blank pages!