helenlouise0304's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
book_wyrm88's review against another edition
4.0
I was not sure what to expect from this book but have to say I very much enjoyed it. It reminded me in ways of Sarah's Key. I enjoyed seeing the differences and at different times clashes of culture. It was a great reminder of differences between not just individuals but also customs and how sometimes the law does not always protect those that need it and is at time a guideline depending on the circumstances.
I would definitely recommend this book.
I would definitely recommend this book.
soniacaillou's review against another edition
5.0
Une lecture qui m'a touchée à bien des égards.
Quelle finesse, quelle histoire (quelles histoires, même) dans l'écriture, dans les personnages.
Quelle finesse, quelle histoire (quelles histoires, même) dans l'écriture, dans les personnages.
j_mikyla's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
emily2807's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
Jan-Philipp Sendker’s The Language of Solitude (translated by Christine Lo) is a strange hybrid novel. Some chapters read like a slightly overwritten literary tale of a Western man and his Chinese lover. Others could have been taken from a thriller. Still other chapters offer some gripping family historical drama. On their own, they work quite well. Together, the effect is of a book that tries to do too many things for no discernible reason. The characters rescue this book from itself, fortunately. Even though it’s messy, I found that I rather enjoyed the tribulations of Paul Leibovitz and the Wu family...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss for review consideration.
rain_97's review against another edition
3.0
The synopsis was inviting, made me expect a little too much. The story itself was good, the author could have spent a little more time taking risks and patient enough to write more on the details of the "scandal". I felt the ending was really rushed and wrapped up way too nicely.
flogigyahoo's review against another edition
4.0
Jan-Philipp Sendker writes in German about Asia. I have now read 3 books by him and this one is his best.
Paul Liebowitz has lived in Hong Kong for 40 years and speaks both Mandarin and Hong Kong Chinese fluently. He has lost his 12 year old son to illness and is now in a relationship with Christine Wu, a 41 year old Chinese woman who fled China with her mother when she was 5 and now works in a travel agency. They do not live together but their relationship seems to be getting stronger when she receives a letter from her brother, Da Long, who lives in China and has never contacted her before. He asks for her help but will only explain when she comes to the tiny village he lives in. Christine is terrified to travel to China so Paul says he will come with her. When they arrive it appears that Da Long was under the impression that Christine was a doctor who could help him with his very ill wife. All the doctors in China have diagnosed her with brain damage or something similar. Christine returns to Hong Kong the next day but Paul decides to stay on because he is not satisfied that Da Long is getting the best treatment for his wife. He befriends Lin Lin, Da Long's daughter and begins to check out her mother's illness. He very soon learns that the fish she loved to eat comes from a lake nearby contaminated due to chemical dumping by a huge conglomerate and that others have fallen ill in the same way as her mother. He encourages Lin Lin to put the story of the coverup on the internet, never realizing how different China is from the West. He soon learns.
Sendker is not a great writer. I did not stop to enjoy the way he wrote like I do with, say James Lee Burke, but he gets his message across and I enjoyed the book.
Paul Liebowitz has lived in Hong Kong for 40 years and speaks both Mandarin and Hong Kong Chinese fluently. He has lost his 12 year old son to illness and is now in a relationship with Christine Wu, a 41 year old Chinese woman who fled China with her mother when she was 5 and now works in a travel agency. They do not live together but their relationship seems to be getting stronger when she receives a letter from her brother, Da Long, who lives in China and has never contacted her before. He asks for her help but will only explain when she comes to the tiny village he lives in. Christine is terrified to travel to China so Paul says he will come with her. When they arrive it appears that Da Long was under the impression that Christine was a doctor who could help him with his very ill wife. All the doctors in China have diagnosed her with brain damage or something similar. Christine returns to Hong Kong the next day but Paul decides to stay on because he is not satisfied that Da Long is getting the best treatment for his wife. He befriends Lin Lin, Da Long's daughter and begins to check out her mother's illness. He very soon learns that the fish she loved to eat comes from a lake nearby contaminated due to chemical dumping by a huge conglomerate and that others have fallen ill in the same way as her mother. He encourages Lin Lin to put the story of the coverup on the internet, never realizing how different China is from the West. He soon learns.
Sendker is not a great writer. I did not stop to enjoy the way he wrote like I do with, say James Lee Burke, but he gets his message across and I enjoyed the book.
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