Year: 2003
Pages: 304
First Sentence:
Why did my father always have to push me in front of the Mona Lisa?
Description:
An international literary phenomenon - is a blast of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll that opens up to us a modern China we've never seen before. Hong, who narrates the novel, and whose life in many ways parallels the author's own, drops out of high school and runs away at age 17 to the frontier city of Shenzen. As Hong navigates the temptations of the city, she quickly falls in love with a young musician and together they dive into a cruel netherworld of alcohol, drugs, and excess, a life that fails to satisfy Hong's craving for an authentic self, and for a love that will define her.
(source: Goodreads)
Quotes:
"I want to see a thousand lonely strangers dancing happily at my party. " -Hong
My Thoughts:
Well.. It was an interesting book for sure. I wouldn't say it blew me away or shocked me (maybe I am desensitized, or maybe I expected too much of it), but it was ok. The repetitive self indulgence of the main character (the narrator - Hong) was at times seriously annoying, but if you have patience to get through it, you're rewarded with a beautiful language and a refreshing glimpse into Chinese counterculture.
Rating:
21 comments:
This book has really nice cover, but it sounds weird. :D I think this is not my literary genre. :D
Nikita
bookworm.nikita@gmail.com
I havent heard of this one, but it looks interesting, different, I love that kind of books. Nice Review ^^
Interesting, I've never really indulged in books about people in different countries than my own.
Like many other commenters have stated: Interesting. And probably not in the way that makes me want to read this book. Your review is the first time I'm hearing about this book and the cover looked intriguing but the description did not. The fact that I'd have to have patience to get through it probably means it's not for me. Thanks for reviewing it! Nice review!
The book sounds good. I'll prolly give this one a shot. I love the cover! I love doodles! Thanks for the review!
Huh, three stars, maybe not worth a read then...
thanks for sharing this. I've never heard of this book before but am very interested in reading it. I love Ellen Hopkins' books and this sounds like it might be along the lines of that. Thanks for reading "outside of the box" to give us a look at something besides the paranormal genre.
I actually remember reading this when it was first published and raising an eyebrow (which is hard for me to do, I'm pretty hard to shock/surprise/confuse). It felt pretty loose-jointed to me, not tight enough, and kind of messy. But that actually could be on the translator/editor's end of things, so...yeah. I'm not sure. And I can't read in Chinese, so I can't give a straight answer on whether or not it was on the translator's end or not. I wish I could.
I love the honesty of your review on this. I like Chinese-related literature. :D
I liked this book, the chinese cultural intrigues me as well.
I like learning about other cultures...I have a feeling I'll either love this book or really dislike it....
I love the cover but after your review I will pass on this one. Thanks for the review.
from reading the description and your review i think this is a book i'll pass on and not add to my "must read" list. thanks for the review!
Leah
Never heard of this book. It sounds different to what i normally read, might check it out
i love the asian culture, ive actually been to China and watch asian dramas and they're portrayed very innocent, however the chinese dramas are more.. "open" than the japanese or korean, so i think i would enjoy reading this book. thanks for the review!
I've never heard of this book, but the story sounds really interesting, and I'd love to read a book that focuses so much on Chinese culture. The fact that you mentioned that the language is beautiful only makes me want to read it more.
I liked how honest your review was!
But this quote "I want to see a thousand lonely strangers dancing happily at my party." had me! Love it!
x
I know that one of the cardinal rules of readers is supposed to be "Don't judge a book by its cover", but I am such a lawbreaker when it comes to this rule. I try not to let it influence my decision to read a book, but it definitely makes me judge whether or not I think I will like it. I can tell you with no hesitation that when I saw this cover in your Review lineup, I immediately thought "no good for me". Seems like I was right. Thanks for being honest with your reviews, always. It is nice to know where to come for unbiased opinions!
Awesome cover and I loved the summary. I am proud to say it is currently on my to read list :D
I've never read a book like this, and I like to think I do have the patience to go through it, so I'll give it a try.
I'm glad I found this review--this book looks rather interesting!
Post a Comment