jessica_h's review against another edition
Really wanted to like these stories, but the writing just did nothing for me. I found myself having to reread sentences because it wasn't going in. Each story had a different translator aswell, so maybe this had a jarring effect. On the surface the individual summaries of each of the stories sound like plots that I tend to enjoy. But although the stories are well written, the writing style just wasn't flowing for me.
differentsisters's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Short stories have never really been my thing so it was a struggle to get into each of the stories. I liked that they focused on one moment in time of the characters, I could feel the history of them. It’s a me thing.
pourcheresse88's review against another edition
3.0
The book was set in pre-communist China. Whoa, this is new to me.
I can see how people either love this book or were upset with this book, particularly with the ending playing a huge role that people mostly judge. For me, I was neutral on this one. Yes, the ending was THAT predictable, but Chang's way of writing charmed me and blew me away. Even though I read the translated version of this book, it didn't strip away the irresistibly impressive, minimally crafted plot with a sense of tragedy in a dramatic and theatric type of way. Yes, it was predictable, but my heart is also incredibly broken from it.
I can see how people either love this book or were upset with this book, particularly with the ending playing a huge role that people mostly judge. For me, I was neutral on this one. Yes, the ending was THAT predictable, but Chang's way of writing charmed me and blew me away. Even though I read the translated version of this book, it didn't strip away the irresistibly impressive, minimally crafted plot with a sense of tragedy in a dramatic and theatric type of way. Yes, it was predictable, but my heart is also incredibly broken from it.
samrinr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pleiadesfall's review against another edition
4.0
all in all, the descriptions and nuances are so vivid they almost jumped out of the book. I think reading in the original language will accentuate the beauty of the writing more but I can't read hanzi so yeah. The translation's great, though. Also, because I've seen the movie I like the movie a little bit better. The movie brought the details from the past alive where in the book it was just a recount of events from Jiazhi's perspective. I understand. It was a short novella so everything's compact.
catherinet's review
5.0
An outstanding collection of short stories. There are no heroes here only real people with all the intricacies that humans come with, surrounded by lush descriptions of 1940s Shanghai that paint scenes more vividly than many novels I’ve read.
A real talent.
A real talent.
lit_terary's review
3.0
These are the first works by Zhang Ailing that I read, yet, for many reasons, I already knew everything about this author beforehand. Needless to say, knowing her background, themes etc. greatly aided and bolstered my reading experience. That being said, I’m not a fan of novellas, and they often leave me quite lukewarm, so these three are not an exception. One thing that I like, though, and that was consistent in all three, was the female characters. I found them well portrayed, captivating, nuanced and with a very strong presence. They were also all very different from each other, which is not usually a given. Overall, I’ll have to read a full-length novel to make my own opinion on Zhang Ailing.
coolkidlily's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0