First-rate book, first-rate artist, delicious read
Reviewed by
an Amazon user,
February 18, 2008
The deliberately fractured English of this novel and its engaging, almost breezy style belie its stunning mastery of the form on almost every other level.
It's not too much of a stretch to compare Guo with Joseph Conrad or Vladimir Nabokov as writers who have been blessed with the astonishing ability to adopt English, as adults, from their native foreign tongues, and raise it to the level of art.
This book can be enjoyed on a number of levels, from that of sheer entertainment, to a worthy example of female bildungsroman. The more levels you perceive, the more you will appreciate it.
Buy it, read it, share it with friends. We will all be hearing a lot more from and aobut Xiaolu Guo in the future.
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Recommended
Reviewed by
an Amazon user,
February 12, 2008
Told with the broken English of Z, a young woman from a small town in China coming to learn English in London for a year. There she meets an older man, a "drifter", and we follow their imperfect story as Z discovers herself and how to communicate through her lover. I read this book in a couple of days, it is a quick read that touches without pretense on issues such as loneliness, happiness, couplehood, friendship, sex, independence/dependence. Z will break down your prejudices and make you see people in a new light. Recommended.
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Well written novel, frustrating characters
Reviewed by
an Amazon user,
December 19, 2007
In spite (or maybe because) of the deliberately bad English throughout the beginning of the novel, this book is very well-written. Guo has a talent for creating life-like characters and her pacing is solid. The story focuses on "Z," a 23 year old Chinese woman on a study abroad trip in England. Soon after she moves to the U.K., she meets her lover, "You." I generally hate when authors speak to a "you," as it can often be a clunky literary technique, but Guo does it well.
The reason I give this book four stars rather than five (after all the good things mentioned above) is that I really didn't like the characters. "Z" is a spunky girl, but she is very dependent on her lover to give her a sense of identity. I can understand her need for security since living in a foreign country can amplify all the lonely feelings we carry inside, but I just can't really like a character who puts her all into her lover, especially when he doesn't reciprocate...it seems self-loathing. And her lover is no better. He's wishy-washy, likes to argue in circles and seems passive aggressive. I wanted to shake both of them! So if I had to rate this book, I'd give it 5 stars for the author's writing and the novel's artistry, but 3 stars for how much I enjoyed the book.
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A lovely book
Reviewed by
an Amazon user,
December 6, 2007
The story concerns a young Chinese woman who is sent to London by her parents. She is to enroll in an school to study English, and then come home after a year to work in her family's shoe business. She meets, falls in love with, and eventually lives with an englishman. The book's conceit is that, as the protagonist's command of English improves, so does the writing. It's a fascinating study of how the ability to express one's self directly correlates with the amount of feeling expressed. There are also some great facts about the inherent differences between the English and Chinese languages, both spoken and written, and how each language encourages expression (or suppression) of certain things. Compelling reading, thoughtful, and very true to life. Recommended! Curl up with a hot drink on these cold winter days and enjoy a lovely, thoughtful novel.
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Great exploration on cultural difference
Reviewed by
an Amazon user,
November 3, 2007
As a Chinese, I think this book truly protraited the deep-inside cultural difference between China and the west (at least Britain). I sometimes feel the same pain of misunderstanding as her when I am in the States. She is NOT a representative image of average Chinese girl today, (especially the ones in the cities) however, the underlying philosophy, e.g. attitude toward love, definition of relationship, intimacy, etc. are very genuinely presented in the book. I love it.
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