Scan barcode
thebobsphere's review
5.0
Xiaolu Guo’s A Lovers Discourse is named after a Roland Barthes book of the same name. Whether this is a tribute or homage, I do not know as I have not read the Barthes book. I have read many Xiaolu Guo books though and A Lover’s Discourse shares a good number of hallmarks found in her novels.
The main protagonist is a Chinese national, who managed to win a scholarship to the UK in order to pursue her Masters. In the process she meets a half German/ English man and they start going out with each other.
The focal point in this book is language and it’s varieties. I’ll start with the most obvious one.
Like Xiaolu Guo’s first novel, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers , the main protagonist struggles with the English language, the expressions, the meanings of certain words and when to put them into context. I noticed that the place names cause a lot of confusion. Additionally her boyfriend knows how to speak German and English so the couple have, what I call, ‘Language Clashes’ , that his there are some specific words in Chinese, which cannot be translated in English. The main protagonist’s partner does agree that certain German words cannot be translated. Yet when the narrator expresses frustration, the partner shrugs it off, causing mild anger. Incidentally, to create more breakdowns, the setting of the book is a Britain gearing for Brexit, something which also is a cause of confusion for the narrator.
Art is a language, which is treated. The narrator’s dissertation is an ethnography about a group of Chinese families which replicate major artworks perfectly. Although we say that the arts are a form of expression, does that still happen when artists copy famous works or does it been language can be easily cheapened? The partner is an architect and in his case he enthuses over certain structures which do not interest the narrator – is the language of art only accessible to those who can relate to it?
Then there is music. The narrator recalls an episode in her life involving a discman, which does shape her future. Again, to ask another question; can art have a profund effect on the audience, in a subconscious way?
A Lover’s Discourse formed part of the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize Shortlist and I was surprised, after all this is an accessible novel which can be read in a couple of hours. Looking back this is quite a rich book. One could see it as a brainer version of Xiaolu Guo’s debut but it’s also proof at how she manages to create a flowing novel and still pack an intellectual punch.
The main protagonist is a Chinese national, who managed to win a scholarship to the UK in order to pursue her Masters. In the process she meets a half German/ English man and they start going out with each other.
The focal point in this book is language and it’s varieties. I’ll start with the most obvious one.
Like Xiaolu Guo’s first novel, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers , the main protagonist struggles with the English language, the expressions, the meanings of certain words and when to put them into context. I noticed that the place names cause a lot of confusion. Additionally her boyfriend knows how to speak German and English so the couple have, what I call, ‘Language Clashes’ , that his there are some specific words in Chinese, which cannot be translated in English. The main protagonist’s partner does agree that certain German words cannot be translated. Yet when the narrator expresses frustration, the partner shrugs it off, causing mild anger. Incidentally, to create more breakdowns, the setting of the book is a Britain gearing for Brexit, something which also is a cause of confusion for the narrator.
Art is a language, which is treated. The narrator’s dissertation is an ethnography about a group of Chinese families which replicate major artworks perfectly. Although we say that the arts are a form of expression, does that still happen when artists copy famous works or does it been language can be easily cheapened? The partner is an architect and in his case he enthuses over certain structures which do not interest the narrator – is the language of art only accessible to those who can relate to it?
Then there is music. The narrator recalls an episode in her life involving a discman, which does shape her future. Again, to ask another question; can art have a profund effect on the audience, in a subconscious way?
A Lover’s Discourse formed part of the 2020 Goldsmiths Prize Shortlist and I was surprised, after all this is an accessible novel which can be read in a couple of hours. Looking back this is quite a rich book. One could see it as a brainer version of Xiaolu Guo’s debut but it’s also proof at how she manages to create a flowing novel and still pack an intellectual punch.
anaritadiogo's review
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jillian_mon's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I love love love the beginning of the book, as we went farther into the book around page 80 we take a turn downwards with some lengthy melancholic passages that don’t seem quite necessary and prolonged. Then again, the book is written wonderfully and one must remember that not all writing styles do not have to take the same shape as long as they are coherent and consistent which this book is.
forgereads17's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
msliz's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
fleursbooks's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
amym84's review against another edition
3.0
A Lover's Discourse is the story of an unnamed Chinese woman who moves to Britain to work on her dissertation. While feeling adrift and alone in a new place as a foreigner she meets a landscape architect and they begin to build a life together. The story plays out like a recollection of the pair with a heavy focus placed on "her". The characters formal names are never reveals which I think lends itself well to including the reader within the story.
I listened to an audiobook of A Lover's Discourse and honestly, I think it was the narrator Cindy Kay who really kept my attention rapt within the story. Her voice is crisp and clear and she moved from the "her" to the "him" characters with ease enough that I often forgot there was only one person narrating the story. It was a little difficult as first to discern the beginning of each new segment of story. As each chapter, or segment, begins with a small bit of rumination or dialogue from the segment as a header. At first it seemed like the book was repeating itself. It took me a couple times to realize these instances were headers kind of a preliminary introduction into what is going to be discussed next.
The story was not what I was really expecting though. With a title like A Lover's Discourse I just maybe expected more of a romance and while there is a romantic story, it just doesn't unfold the way I'm typically used to my romances unfolding. The story is very seated in reality, it's not flowery it's not overly fantastical. I suppose if I'm looking at the story clearly it's probably one of the most true to life relationships I've ever read about.
I was really interested in the focus placed on "her" experiences of emigrating to Britain. I loved her ruminations on what it means to be a woman on her own in a foreign country with no family. Pretty much starting completely over. I loved the frank discussions of language and culture differences between "her" and "him". Although I never really warmed up "him" and therefore, I wasn't ever really keen on their overall relationship. Like I said it's not an overly romantic or flowery type story, but I didn't feel their connection. I felt like there was a disconnect between what each of them wanted out of their life together that never really gets solved. Maybe that's a commentary on relationships in general. How it is difficult to be 100% on board with your partner in all their endeavors and needs and desires without sacrificing some of your own and vice versa.
Overall, it was an interesting, sometime eye-opening read. This is the first book I've ready by Xialou Guo, but I'm certainly interested in checking out her other works.
*Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I listened to an audiobook of A Lover's Discourse and honestly, I think it was the narrator Cindy Kay who really kept my attention rapt within the story. Her voice is crisp and clear and she moved from the "her" to the "him" characters with ease enough that I often forgot there was only one person narrating the story. It was a little difficult as first to discern the beginning of each new segment of story. As each chapter, or segment, begins with a small bit of rumination or dialogue from the segment as a header. At first it seemed like the book was repeating itself. It took me a couple times to realize these instances were headers kind of a preliminary introduction into what is going to be discussed next.
The story was not what I was really expecting though. With a title like A Lover's Discourse I just maybe expected more of a romance and while there is a romantic story, it just doesn't unfold the way I'm typically used to my romances unfolding. The story is very seated in reality, it's not flowery it's not overly fantastical. I suppose if I'm looking at the story clearly it's probably one of the most true to life relationships I've ever read about.
I was really interested in the focus placed on "her" experiences of emigrating to Britain. I loved her ruminations on what it means to be a woman on her own in a foreign country with no family. Pretty much starting completely over. I loved the frank discussions of language and culture differences between "her" and "him". Although I never really warmed up "him" and therefore, I wasn't ever really keen on their overall relationship. Like I said it's not an overly romantic or flowery type story, but I didn't feel their connection. I felt like there was a disconnect between what each of them wanted out of their life together that never really gets solved. Maybe that's a commentary on relationships in general. How it is difficult to be 100% on board with your partner in all their endeavors and needs and desires without sacrificing some of your own and vice versa.
Overall, it was an interesting, sometime eye-opening read. This is the first book I've ready by Xialou Guo, but I'm certainly interested in checking out her other works.
*Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.