mistercrow's review against another edition
5.0
Omfg this book is my soul. Cannot even begin to describe just how much I love this book. It’s so poetic too. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!!
borumi's review against another edition
2.0
This book could have been so much better with this kind of subject, but I guess the author couldn't deal with the heavy burden. She seemed to be as overwhelmed as the characters and kept asking us 'What is the meaning of all this?' Ok, I understand that neither life nor good books offer answers and lets you ask more questions, but when the author literally keeps asking questions in the book, it gets very tedious and superfluous. I also had a hard time relating to any of the characters. Maybe it's because the author was undecided on which perspective the story would be engaged.
nate_meyers's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a masterpiece. Madeleine Thien is an extraordinarily-gifted writer, and many of the sentences she writes were so good that I paused and re-read them. This book is outstanding for its themes, structure, and story.
"Do Not Say We Have Nothing" follows members of a Chinese family for three generations from the 1940s to the early 1990s, from the beginning of Mao Zedong's reign to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Each generation faces massive political upheaval--the land reform campaign, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square protests--but the questions each generation faces in light of this turmoil are the same. These are questions of identity and conformity--who am I if I am forced to project several different selves? Which self is real? How much (or little) of my true self can I show before putting myself and my family in danger? If I don't conform, is there anything to be gained by my rebellion? Can I live like this?
To explore these questions, Thien structures her book around the number zero. As she writes, "Wasn't zero also something meaningful, a number in and of itself? In jianpu notation, zero indicated a caesura, a pause or rest of indeterminate length. Did time that went uncounted, unrecorded, still qualify as time? If zero was both everything and nothing, did an empty life have exactly the same weight as a full life? Was zero like the desert, both finite and infinite?"
The brilliant structure of the book is such that it is a circle, it starts exactly where it ends. The chapters of Part One add up to 7, while the chapters of the second part (called Part Zero) count down to 0. The book's movement is towards Tiananmen Square, which was originally constructed to be the heart of China--the zero point from which everything radiates. This structure reinforces the themes that history is quickly forgotten from generation-to-generation and the past mistakes are repeated.
The characters are also brilliant, even as their stories are tragic. The poetic names Thien gives her characters (Wen the Dreamer, Big Mother Knife, Sparrow, Swirl) become an integral part of the story, knowing the characters must hide their true names to remain safe from the government. Each generation has one character who represents its heart--Big Mother Knife must hold the family together through the land reform campaign, Zhuli's abandonment and loneliness cause her great inner turmoil during the Cultural Revolution, and Sparrow's past inaction finally gives him bravery during the Tiananmen Square riots.
Please read this book. It is endlessly beautiful, you'll learn a lot about China's history, and I haven't even mentioned the musical component. The central family is largely comprised of musicians, such that musical themes permeate every part of the book.
"Do Not Say We Have Nothing" follows members of a Chinese family for three generations from the 1940s to the early 1990s, from the beginning of Mao Zedong's reign to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Each generation faces massive political upheaval--the land reform campaign, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square protests--but the questions each generation faces in light of this turmoil are the same. These are questions of identity and conformity--who am I if I am forced to project several different selves? Which self is real? How much (or little) of my true self can I show before putting myself and my family in danger? If I don't conform, is there anything to be gained by my rebellion? Can I live like this?
To explore these questions, Thien structures her book around the number zero. As she writes, "Wasn't zero also something meaningful, a number in and of itself? In jianpu notation, zero indicated a caesura, a pause or rest of indeterminate length. Did time that went uncounted, unrecorded, still qualify as time? If zero was both everything and nothing, did an empty life have exactly the same weight as a full life? Was zero like the desert, both finite and infinite?"
The brilliant structure of the book is such that it is a circle, it starts exactly where it ends. The chapters of Part One add up to 7, while the chapters of the second part (called Part Zero) count down to 0. The book's movement is towards Tiananmen Square, which was originally constructed to be the heart of China--the zero point from which everything radiates. This structure reinforces the themes that history is quickly forgotten from generation-to-generation and the past mistakes are repeated.
The characters are also brilliant, even as their stories are tragic. The poetic names Thien gives her characters (Wen the Dreamer, Big Mother Knife, Sparrow, Swirl) become an integral part of the story, knowing the characters must hide their true names to remain safe from the government. Each generation has one character who represents its heart--Big Mother Knife must hold the family together through the land reform campaign, Zhuli's abandonment and loneliness cause her great inner turmoil during the Cultural Revolution, and Sparrow's past inaction finally gives him bravery during the Tiananmen Square riots.
Please read this book. It is endlessly beautiful, you'll learn a lot about China's history, and I haven't even mentioned the musical component. The central family is largely comprised of musicians, such that musical themes permeate every part of the book.
kaitoro_walker13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An incredible book of a massive scale, this book is a joy to read, and I would fully recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Slavery, and Police brutality
Minor: Mass/school shootings and Genocide
bookmarkedbyfi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sboo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
madams12's review against another edition
2.0
going into this book I was super intrigued & excited to learn about periods of Chinese history I knew so little about. but the book fell SO short of my expectations - I had to drag my eyes through it. The narrative had such incredibly dense language with complex musings and confusing over lapping stories.
there were some real moments of greatness about the cultural revolution but they were few and far between. how can an author make such an interesting part of history so tedious and dull ! I leave this book feeling frustrated and annoyed
there were some real moments of greatness about the cultural revolution but they were few and far between. how can an author make such an interesting part of history so tedious and dull ! I leave this book feeling frustrated and annoyed
athoughtfulrecord's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
katrinaamartin's review against another edition
5.0
I’m not sure where to begin - I have not had a book wreck me like this in a long time.
The comparison of Thien’s scale and minutiae to that of Tolstoy is rightfully deserved - she introduces the reader to a multitude of characters, and yet you feel distinctly connected to each one.
An incredible epic of Chinese history, Do Not Say We Have Nothing asks important, unanswerable questions of history, art, and ourselves.
The comparison of Thien’s scale and minutiae to that of Tolstoy is rightfully deserved - she introduces the reader to a multitude of characters, and yet you feel distinctly connected to each one.
An incredible epic of Chinese history, Do Not Say We Have Nothing asks important, unanswerable questions of history, art, and ourselves.