Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the Tianamen Square uprising, a Chinese literature professor suffers a stroke and relives his suffering in the Cultural Revolution through his dementia. His star pupil and future son in law is tasked with caring for him but is disturbed at what he learns from...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the Tianamen Square uprising, a Chinese literature professor suffers a stroke and relives his suffering in the Cultural Revolution through his dementia. His star pupil and future son in law is tasked with caring for him but is disturbed at what he learns from the old man’s ravings.
Tim W wrote this review Thursday, September 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
My Take: Before this book I hadn’t been sure about what to make of Ha Jin. His most acclaimed book ‘Waiting’ is a justified classic (best described by a reviewer as taking Romeo and Juliet, extending the courtship over 20 years and setting it in North Western China – stay tuned for a much longer post on this in future). But I was less impressed with his collection of loosely themed short stories in “The Bridgegroom“. It was interesting, but nothing special. I couldn’t work out whether he was a great writer or whether he just struck it lucky with one great story.
After reading The Crazed though I’m willing to give him his dues as a great writer. While he has a fairly bare style and a very dark outlook, Ha Jin is able to craft stories with remarkably strong emotional substance. As an ex-pat Chinese author he’s got a rich palette of emotional subject matter to draw on, but he’s careful not to overplay the emotional triggers.”
“Not as good as I expected. I'd hoped for more about the Tienanmen Square protests. Instead I got a lot of complaints about higher education in China.”
Susan K wrote this review Tuesday, June 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An interesting if slowly moving novel of a Chinese professor of Literature who suffers a stroke and cared for my one of his students, engaged to the teacher's daughter. The stroke leaves the professor with an uncanny ability to express his critical truths.”
She wrote this review Wednesday, May 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Unlike "Waiting," which I really didn't like all that much, this book was fantastic. If you're interested in modern Chinese history, especially the time of the 1989 student protests, this is the book for you. ”
Becky R wrote this review Wednesday, May 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Finished this last night, January 07, 2008. Did not like it as much as other Ha Jin's other novels, Waiting and War Trash. A grad student in China has to help take care of his professor and future father-in-law after the elder man has a stroke. The novel was a little frustrating for me because the pace was slow and because the professor delivers several out-of-character rants about love and politics, but neither the main character nor the reader knows how much of what he is saying, he really means. The novel does do a good job of portraying the oppression and parania of communist China. The end of the novel, which describes the slaughter of the student protesters in Tiananmen Square, was the strongest part. I much preferred War Trash. ”
Sharon R wrote this review Tuesday, January 8 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Another portrayal of an oppressed life in communist China fraught with suspicion and paranoia. I thought Waiting was better, although The Crazed has a more hopeful ending.”
dharmabummer wrote this review Saturday, August 2 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Displaying 1-7 of 7
