Reviews

Bron in Sončnica by Cao Wenxuan

jujudepamplemousse's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Bronze et Tournesol est une histoire d’amitié entre Bronze, un jeune paysan muet, et Tournesol, la jeune fille d’un cadre artiste envoyé dans une école de cadres du 7 mai. Le récit se déroule dans les zones humides du nord de la province de Jiangsu en Chine, pendant la révolution culturelle des années 1960 et 1970.

Tout d'abord, la prose est extrêmement belle. En plus de l’affection touchante que Cao Wenxuan crée entre les enfant et les autres membres de la famille, ses descriptions vives, lyriques et parfois saisissantes scintillent au coeur des pages. Le travail de traduction de Brigitte Guilbaud rend pleinement justice à l’histoire. L’auteur (et la traductrice) sont maitres dans l’utilisation des mots pour dépeindre des images.

De plus, l’histoire est captivante. Avec Bronze et Tournesol qui se battent pour survivre et prospérer les enjeux ne pourraient être plus élevés. Can Wenxuan est capable de tisser des observations sophistiquées sur les réalités de la pauvreté tout en mettant en évidence les valeurs familiales face à ses difficultés de la vie rurale. C’est un récit émouvant plein d’amour, de courage et de sacrifices. Sans en dire trop, la conclusion de l’histoire est pour moi la cerise sur le gateau. Qui a dit que les histoire pour enfants devaient forcément se terminer par 'ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d'enfants'.

Un citation de Can Wenxuan qui reflète bien ce livre: “I don’t agree that children’s literature is all about books that make children happy. Blind happiness can easily lead to superficiality, from which one may not be able to sense the depth of human life”.
Je trouve l’étiquette ‘Littérature d’enfance et de la jeunesse’ tout comme celle de ‘film d’animation’ extrêmement réductrice. Une oeuvre classé comme littérature d’enfance et de la jeunesse peut très bien être appréciée par un adulte, certaines histoires, comme Bronze et Tournesol, sont parfois même plus riches et développées que des oeuvres de littérature pour adulte. Un oeuvre capable de concilier plusieurs niveaux de compréhension pour différentes cibles d’âges mérite des récompenses. Ainsi, je ne suis pas surprise que ce livre soit le lauréat de différents prix. Un bel ouvrage pour enfants et adultes !

deschatjes's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

#Chinese #realistic_fiction #translated

Beautiful lyrical book of a young orphaned girl and her friendship with a poor mute boy in the family that adopts her. Apparently there are 7 books in the series, unfortunately only the first one has been translated - hopefully we will be seeing more!

jnishi's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Through and through a most beautiful novel. Excellently written and translated. It reads like a poem lyrical and heartfelt. Simply beautiful.

evilanchovy's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

a really touching story. dragged in the middle for me, but i loved the characters.

mikaylaslibrary's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.5

This was a very sweet children's book, and one that I would recommend to those who want a children's book that isn't for children. 

jerihurd's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I'm catching up on my middle grade reading. This was surprisingly good--reminded me of a Chinese Little House on the Prairie (even had a plague of locusts).

dlberglund's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

For a middle grade novel, there was a great deal of pain in this book. The characters are so lovable, but there is pain and suffering in every chapter. Four or five years go by in the story, but our two main children remain innocent, optimistic, and hard working. I am grateful to the PEN program for facilitating more translations of works written in other countries.

sweddy65's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This would have been the perfect book for me when I was a tween.

worldlibraries's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Bronze and Sunflower, is a Chinese middle grade novel written by Cao Wenxuan, a children's book author so revered he won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Children's Literature (often referred to as the Nobel Prize of Children's Literature). The book was expertly translated by the esteemed Helen Wang.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The story takes place in rural China, during the cultural revolution, when city folks were forced to go to the countryside to work in the fields and be 'reeducated.'
Sunflower is the daughter of one of these people. Circumstances cause her to get to know local people, and one family in particular, with a mute son named Bronze. I think Bronze and Sunflower and their adventures will stay with me for life. This is a five-star fabulous read and I was happy to inhabit their world. I think readers who loved Heidi would especially enjoy this book. It is full of love and joy.

crispyrainbow's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

A wonderful book. Must read