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Review
‘Li’s writing is beautifully spare and controlled.’ The Times
'Yiyun's confidence as a storyteller lends her fiction a traditional air, but there's nothing old fashioned about her perspective…When I've sampled other recent Chinese writing, I've had a sense of western publishers being seduced by the novelty of it all, snapping up authors with dramatic histories and slim talents. Yiyun is the real deal…Yiyun has the talent, the vision and the respect for life's insoluble mysteries to be a truly fine writer. Michel Faber, Guardian
'Great narrative skill…demonstrates that the best way to learn about people in a foreign culture is through good fiction.’ Irish Times
'Li has a remarkable talent for telling the story of the whole of China through apparently insignificant lives.' New Statesman
'These mesmerising stories present a glimpse of modern China more nuanced than any reporter could ever hop to gleam.' Daily Mail
‘Li's moving, engrossing stories are particular in their place…but universal in their themes and their relevance.’ The Observer
'If you have ever wondered what life is like in modern China, but can't afford the airfare and lessons in Mandarin, you should read this book. In fact if you haven't given China a second thought, this is a collection of stories worth reading.’ Impac News
Melanie McGrath, Evening Standard
'a wonderfully well-written, fascinating and affecting collection
of stories.'
of stories.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This collection of short stories based in China captures invaluable insights into 20th century Chinese traditions and every day way of life there. Li's narrative style adds a sort of mythical tone to the stories, as one might have expected ancient Chinese myths to be told. The way that Li focuses on the development of human feelings within Communist China really magnifies the effect that a Totalitarian regime can have on a human mind. The stories act as a kind of historical insight into China over the last 100 years but also act as an analysis on human behaviour in general and how people act and cope under extreme situations.
I absolutely loved the style of this book and how it allows your imagination to expolore at times extremely surreal situations. A great book!!
I absolutely loved the style of this book and how it allows your imagination to expolore at times extremely surreal situations. A great book!!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read this book after reading Yiyun Li's wonderful novel "The Vagrants" which really impressed me. However, I found this collection to be of variable quality. Some stories touched me but others left no impact. Although the stories have the author's hallmarks of showing how people are emotionally connected no matter how much they suppress their emotions and no matter what the political vagaries, they are not much more than vignettes of people's lives, there is no particular theme or themes to this book. Yiyun Li's talent is her sharp eye that is able to observe deep inside her characters to unravel their thoughts and motivations. But the stories are not connected enough to give us a broader picture of China (or Chinese immigrants), and they do not have the universality of her novel "The Vagrants". I see these stories as early attempts at her craft, practicing for a much the much bigger canvas of "The Vagrants" which she wrote after this.
Format:Paperback
Yiyun Li's debut mixes existing socio-political Chinese history with observations and personal insight in order to explore how cultural identity and familial upbringing influence our decisions and affect our lives. She strives to highlight the consequences to the individual in a State where weakness is to be avoided and individuality can be seen as a precursor to insurrection. I know that sounds really heavy reading and at times it is but all of that is secondary to the human story, the personal reasons people do the things they do rises to the surface with a resounding thump in each of the character studies on offer. Her work is about cause and effect, and about following or denying your heart.
That's distilling it to something barely worthy of the text but is all I can manage in a short space. Li writes in English and while her prose style is obviously influenced by her Chinese teachings her technique strips the text of all unnecessary chaff, leaving behind the essential and truthful voice of an author inching into greatness.
That's distilling it to something barely worthy of the text but is all I can manage in a short space. Li writes in English and while her prose style is obviously influenced by her Chinese teachings her technique strips the text of all unnecessary chaff, leaving behind the essential and truthful voice of an author inching into greatness.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Black/White
I finished this book and I have mixed feelings. Not because the stories are bad. On the contrary, they are quite good. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2008 by Milan R.
What we sacrifice makes life meaningful
Yiyun Li's stories are anchored in the Chinese past as well as in the present.
The scars of the Cultural Revolution with its indiscriminate victimizing, its drastic... Read more
The scars of the Cultural Revolution with its indiscriminate victimizing, its drastic... Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2008 by Luc REYNAERT
Short stories more powerful than long ones
A great selection of short stories narrated in clear and no-nonsense way, like a surgical blade dissecting human being's emotions in modern China. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2008 by X. Zhang
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