Scan barcode
garys's review against another edition
2.0
Read for a book club assignment.
Almost every sentence in this book is expressed as a metaphor or simile. Also, the narrator and characters repeat themselves as though the reader won't understand unless without reading something multiple times. It's interesting at first, but soon grows tiring. Perhaps this is a normal way of writing in Chinese, but I found it got in the way of the story.
The story itself is an interesting way to present criticism of the government in a fictitious manner, which I assume helps the author avoid punishment. The concept of people reverting to their base instincts while dream walking is compelling.
The author makes fun of his own books in multiple ways throughout. Firstly, he make cameo appearances as a neighbor and uncle of the 14-year-old narrator. Also, this narrator reads, but doesn't much like, the authors books, saying things like, "When I read his books, it is as though I were asking my eyes to eat rotten fruit..." and, "Even if I felt that Uncle Yan did not write well, I would have no choice... but to read his books, the same way that even if you don't like sweet potatoes, you still have no choice but to eat them if that is all you have." And to top this off, he makes fun of his books by giving them fake names. For example, the book "Lenin's Kisses" is referred to in the story as "Kissing Lenin" among other names.
Again, much nuance might have been lost in the translation. But I felt that overall the story was rather tedious and many of the characters' responses to life and death rather dull and uninspired. Fortunately, it's a much shorter novel than Atlas Shrugged.
Almost every sentence in this book is expressed as a metaphor or simile. Also, the narrator and characters repeat themselves as though the reader won't understand unless without reading something multiple times. It's interesting at first, but soon grows tiring. Perhaps this is a normal way of writing in Chinese, but I found it got in the way of the story.
The story itself is an interesting way to present criticism of the government in a fictitious manner, which I assume helps the author avoid punishment. The concept of people reverting to their base instincts while dream walking is compelling.
The author makes fun of his own books in multiple ways throughout. Firstly, he make cameo appearances as a neighbor and uncle of the 14-year-old narrator. Also, this narrator reads, but doesn't much like, the authors books, saying things like, "When I read his books, it is as though I were asking my eyes to eat rotten fruit..." and, "Even if I felt that Uncle Yan did not write well, I would have no choice... but to read his books, the same way that even if you don't like sweet potatoes, you still have no choice but to eat them if that is all you have." And to top this off, he makes fun of his books by giving them fake names. For example, the book "Lenin's Kisses" is referred to in the story as "Kissing Lenin" among other names.
Again, much nuance might have been lost in the translation. But I felt that overall the story was rather tedious and many of the characters' responses to life and death rather dull and uninspired. Fortunately, it's a much shorter novel than Atlas Shrugged.
More...