Shortlisted for the 1982 Booker Prize, this novel explores the clans and conflicts of Soho's Chinatown, where the Chen family arrive and want to succeed as restaurateurs in the 1960s. No family can survive for long without encountering the Triads. By the author of "The Redundancy of Courage".
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Two things really fascinated me about "The Monkey King" and "Sour Sweet", the first two of Timothy Mo's novels and the first two that I read.
The first is that, despite it now being 6 years since I read these books, I am staggered by the clarity and longevity of the pictures that Timothy Mo painted in my head. I have since found this with all of Mo's novels: the vividness of the depiction of the scenery or interiors makes me feel as if I've watched a film of the story, rather than read a book. I haven't sat back and analysed his writing to find out how he does it - and partly I haven't done so now for fear of spoiling the magic with which I remember the stories.
The second is that Mo's main characters in these two novels are unknowing innocents simply living their lives, such that the reader can see the wider implications of their actions when they cannot do so themselves. For example, in "The Monkey King" the reader is all too aware that Wallace Nolasco fits in far lower down the hierarchy of the Poon family than he thinks. Again, in "Sour Sweet", the thought of triad involvement is more often with the reader than with the characters. Often, the dramas that unfold in the stories are the result of quirky accidents rather than design - but that's what gives the stories such authenticity. Consequently, you feel as if you're a privileged observer quietly watching the characters live their ordinary lives for a few years. I could quite happily believe that the main protagonists had lived their lives like this before the events told in the story, and would continue to do so, just as naively, after the book is finished.
I thoroughly recommend Mo's writing to you if you enjoy novels that totally immerse you in the observation of others' lives - even where those lives are not always pretty. I found the "Monkey King" and "Sour Sweet" so deliciously different that I've subsequently read Mo's other 4 novels: "An Insular Possession", "A Redundancy of Courage", "Brownout on Breadfruit Boulevard" and "Renegade or Halo2". I suggest that you read them at a time when you can really indulge yourself by giving each of them the attention it deserves. These are absolute gems.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
the story about the chinese immigrant population in London in the late sixties and seventies is vividly brought to life. It is a feat to bring every mood into one story-funny,sad,loving,violence,age,childhood-that you long to find the outcome,but when over regret havin finished. The characters stay with you far after you've put the book away. You savour the second reading with more appreciation.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Allen Tsui
Format:Paperback
The story of a Hong Kong Chinese couple facing the challenges of moving to London during the late 1960s. A little bit stereotypical in parts but generally poinant observations of having to overcome language differences, working conditions and cultural challenges.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written & fascinating
Great insight into life behind the scenes in Chinatown - good for food lovers! Definitely a worthy nominee for Booker Prize
Published 2 months ago by Richard Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
a fine book
Lovely writing, with a fine sense of observation couched in elegant prose, delicate humour (a touch of Barbara Pym...) and deep underlying irony. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bernard GALTIER
5.0 out of 5 stars
tasty
If you've ever wondered about life beyond the counter of your local Chinese takeaway then this book will not disappoint. Read more
Published 6 months ago by thetruthshallsetyefree
5.0 out of 5 stars
Me + Sour Sweet = Love Affair
every few years I re-read 'Sour Sweet' and am reminded of how beautiful and clever the writing is and the insight I was given into a community/people that I knew little about. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Soulie61
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sour sweet
I read this book at school for my A-levels a long time ago. It was as good as I remembered it.
Published on 13 July 2010 by Ms. Ns Hudson
1.0 out of 5 stars
Timothy No
Another reviewer has remarked that you are 'quietly watching the characters live their ordinary lives for a few years'. It feels longer. Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2009 by Maurice Hill
4.0 out of 5 stars
HK meets London
Have read a couple of other books by Mo, so was surprised that I had never heard of this one.
A great little find - set in '60s England, the Chen family are coming to... Read more
A great little find - set in '60s England, the Chen family are coming to... Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2008 by soffitta1
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