Reviews

Fenfang leaves the tiny village she grew up in at the age of 17, looking for life in the big city of Beijing. These 20 "fragments" tell of her experiences striking out on her own. Halfway through this book, I felt like it wasn't that interesting. But in the second half the main character grew on me and I felt I could understand her life and perspective more. It was an interesting picture of a young woman making a life for herself in China.

llunamere's review against another edition

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dnf- i can't do first person narrative i just can't

aominian's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

straightforward but alive

consumption

qamart's review

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. I think Fenfang is a character that will stick with me for a while. It was nice to finally read a book about an artist where the end isn’t a miraculous breakthrough where things just start working out.

foggy_rosamund's review against another edition

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3.0

Guo's first novel, originally written in Chinese, and later revised for the English edition, this is a fragmentary account of one young woman struggling to find a fulfilling existence in Beijing. Fenfang works first in various factories, and then as a film extra, living from hand to mouth, and caught in an abusive relationship. This is a blunt, loose novel: it's definitely not Guo's best work, and feels unfocused, the characters not fully realised. But it has a certain narrative strength, grabbing the reader's attention, and the shortness of the sections make it a page-turner. Worth reading, but I'd recommend trying some of Guo's other work before this one.

sarahpittalwala's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

miloulou's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed how vivid this story is written, with an intensity to the desperation and despair to the main character as she navigates her 20s as an impoverished girl from the countryside in Beijing.

However, I found myself ultimately dissatisfied with how adrift she remained throughout the fragments. Each story he a brief meaning that was quickly glossed over to move forward to the next story. I suppose this could be a reflection of real life - sometimes bad things happen and all we can do is move on. But she also just felt so detached from everything that was happening that I has a hard time understanding her.

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