A review by misshrek
Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang

4.0

Emotionally a difficult read, but I loved the themes, characters, and settings explored in this collection. The rapidly shifting culture of pre/postwar Shanghai and all the societal expectations that came with it is super fascinating to me, and add in the layer of traditional Chinese gender roles and familial dynamics… *whew SpongeBob meme* I will say I preferred all the stories that centered the female perspective versus the males.

I also found myself wondering what was lost in the translation, and wishing I could read the works in the original language intended as I felt some of meanings in Chinese couldn’t totally be translated into English. Sometimes it made for a confusing (and strangely alienating??) experience as a reader.