lisagfrederick's review
3.0
This is a solid, if not spectacular, effort by a first-time novelist (although she's an accomplished short story writer). First, the good: Freudenberger really nails the sense of place, and she's a skilled wordsmith - plenty of evocative turns of phrase. And she handles the back-and-forth between POVs quite nicely. That said - the pacing feels uneven. It's slow to the point of inertia in the first half, then accelerates too rapidly, as if she were rushing for the finish line. And the characterization feels thin in spots - particularly the two teenage kids. By far the most compelling chapters are the dissident's flashbacks to his life in China's underground artistic community. I actually might have liked the book better if Freudenberger had just done away with the storyline about his California host family and kept the focus on China.
ssaurer's review
3.0
It was a good story and kept my attention, but this book has not aged well in 14 years. I assume the point was that everyone's a dissident in their own special way. Or perhaps it was trying to be more Henry James-ish in analyzing the effect of foreigners and Americans on each other. In any case, there was just too much going on with too many characters so that it came across as superficial.
featherbooks's review
3.0
I read this book avidly and easily with interest in the China storyline juxtaposed with the dissident's visit to Los Angeles and the California family's home. Found that the dysfunctional Americans and the Chinese characters grew somewhat thin in the end despite occasional moments of sympathy although the story marches along.
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