A review by antonism
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
5.0
5 / 5
It seems to me I always find it harder to write detailed reviews about good books than bad ones. Bad elements always stick out starkly while when something is really good the end result is often so harmonious and works so perfectly that often you don’t distinguish the individual parts.
But why do I say all this you might wonder? Because Bridge of Birds, a novel of Ancient China the never was, written by Barry Hughart is simply stunning, amazing and incredibly enjoyable.
The first thing that pops out almost immediately is the clever humor. And I mean clever in a subtle, intelligent and satisfying way. Hughart is a genius and when you catch yourself smiling after reading a witty passage, you also feel smart too.
Characters:
I really really liked the characters and especially the two main protagonists. Both of them are extremely likable and relatable. They feel realistic with their short-comings and by the half point of the book, I came to care so much about them as if I’ve known them for a long time. They are thoroughly and carefully presented and well-developed throughout the story. The secondary characters are all very rich and enjoyable and fit each scene and setting. In a way, all the secondary characters come out rather funny in some way just because of who they are and the circumstances they happen to be in, and not just because they are forced to be funny or ridiculous.
World-building:
One could say that this is almost a historical novel with many fantastical elements. There are a lot of occult and mysterious things going on, a lot of exaggeration and awe in the way the world is made. But take away the divine and weird/magical elements, and this could easily have happened in ancient China 10 centuries ago.
The world is incredibly detailed and keeps surprising the reader with its beauty and mystery. The protagonists have a sketchy idea about places and people but they are mostly discovering things as they come, a feeling that pervades the reader as well. The promise of something crazy or strange just after the next road bend or beyond that hill is always there and never disappoints.
Plot & Story:
The plot is about a long and near-impossible search for a certain artifact that might be able to cure the children of the protagonist’s village. This of course is just the pretext, the surface of the whole mystery. There is a “deeper” plot running through the novel which is revealed only at the final chapters (and probably rewards re-reading). I felt that that bigger stake made the book better, cleverer and meatier.
The book is divided in a few parts and a careless reader might think that there are themes and scenes repeated. At first look this superficial repetition might feel cheap. Truth is that this repetition is another literary trick employed by Hughart to subvert tropes and make the reader expect one thing and deliver a bigger amaze-punch just a bit later. Personally, when I noticed that “superficial” repetition of themes and motives during the second repeat and the way Hughart handled the plot-twist for it, I was really excited for the third probable repeat of a theme or motive.
Needless to say that there are plot-twists all over the place. If you have expectations of certain things, they are most probably going to end up wrong. If you think that Hughart is writing with tropes, he will laugh at your face and prove you a fool. Some plot-twists might be half-expected, others come out of nowhere but none of them could even be called incredulous or unfounded because the whole book is set to be full of wonder and surprises and crazy things happening… in the most realistic and logical, albeit insane, way that could happen.
[quote coming soon]
Also, and I need to write or say this out loud somewhere, chapter 9. "A Brief Interlude for Murder" is one of the best chapters I've ever read in any book! If you are not impressed and amazed by its cleverness after reading it, then you probably didn't get it fully and you should just read it again!
Writing & Pacing:
I found the writing immensely satisfying and enjoyable. Hughart can certainly write well and while most of the time he writes to move the plot and dialogue forwards when he stops occasionally to describe he can be staggeringly astonishing.
[quote coming soon]
Other than the beauty of the writing, the main obvious element and maybe driving force of Hughart’s prose is the humor and cleverness. This is not humor in the style of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, it will not slap you in the face with a smelly trout. This is the style of humor that after you finish reading a sentence or a paragraph you will feel at the back of your mind that you read something really cool. Then you check it again and you go…” Aah.. ow wow!” and then you smile to yourself or even laugh out loud in some instances. (True story, at some point I was reading this book while lying next to my baby daughter that I had just managed to put to sleep and I read the passage when Master Li and Tex-Ox fell from the tower window (if you’ve read the book you definitely know what I’m talking about). I started chuckling, then chortling, then laughing so hard that I woke the baby up…!!)
In general, the writing enhances the atmosphere of the plot and the experience of reading the book. The dialogues are really well made, with each person clearly having his own distinct voice and style.
Conclusion:
You’ve probably already guessed it by the rating and my words until now that I’ve totally loved this book. It was so surprisingly enjoyable. Needless to say that I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It doesn’t matter if you like oriental/Chinese settings or not, I didn’t care for it either before I read it. It doesn’t matter if you like fantasy or humor, none of them is forced on the reader. Instead they are delicately provided at first then given freely later so that they will enjoy both.
A totally unexpected crazy book, delightfully enjoyable and totally worth reading!
It seems to me I always find it harder to write detailed reviews about good books than bad ones. Bad elements always stick out starkly while when something is really good the end result is often so harmonious and works so perfectly that often you don’t distinguish the individual parts.
But why do I say all this you might wonder? Because Bridge of Birds, a novel of Ancient China the never was, written by Barry Hughart is simply stunning, amazing and incredibly enjoyable.
The first thing that pops out almost immediately is the clever humor. And I mean clever in a subtle, intelligent and satisfying way. Hughart is a genius and when you catch yourself smiling after reading a witty passage, you also feel smart too.
Characters:
I really really liked the characters and especially the two main protagonists. Both of them are extremely likable and relatable. They feel realistic with their short-comings and by the half point of the book, I came to care so much about them as if I’ve known them for a long time. They are thoroughly and carefully presented and well-developed throughout the story. The secondary characters are all very rich and enjoyable and fit each scene and setting. In a way, all the secondary characters come out rather funny in some way just because of who they are and the circumstances they happen to be in, and not just because they are forced to be funny or ridiculous.
World-building:
One could say that this is almost a historical novel with many fantastical elements. There are a lot of occult and mysterious things going on, a lot of exaggeration and awe in the way the world is made. But take away the divine and weird/magical elements, and this could easily have happened in ancient China 10 centuries ago.
The world is incredibly detailed and keeps surprising the reader with its beauty and mystery. The protagonists have a sketchy idea about places and people but they are mostly discovering things as they come, a feeling that pervades the reader as well. The promise of something crazy or strange just after the next road bend or beyond that hill is always there and never disappoints.
Plot & Story:
The plot is about a long and near-impossible search for a certain artifact that might be able to cure the children of the protagonist’s village. This of course is just the pretext, the surface of the whole mystery. There is a “deeper” plot running through the novel which is revealed only at the final chapters (and probably rewards re-reading). I felt that that bigger stake made the book better, cleverer and meatier.
The book is divided in a few parts and a careless reader might think that there are themes and scenes repeated. At first look this superficial repetition might feel cheap. Truth is that this repetition is another literary trick employed by Hughart to subvert tropes and make the reader expect one thing and deliver a bigger amaze-punch just a bit later. Personally, when I noticed that “superficial” repetition of themes and motives during the second repeat and the way Hughart handled the plot-twist for it, I was really excited for the third probable repeat of a theme or motive.
Needless to say that there are plot-twists all over the place. If you have expectations of certain things, they are most probably going to end up wrong. If you think that Hughart is writing with tropes, he will laugh at your face and prove you a fool. Some plot-twists might be half-expected, others come out of nowhere but none of them could even be called incredulous or unfounded because the whole book is set to be full of wonder and surprises and crazy things happening… in the most realistic and logical, albeit insane, way that could happen.
[quote coming soon]
Also, and I need to write or say this out loud somewhere, chapter 9. "A Brief Interlude for Murder" is one of the best chapters I've ever read in any book! If you are not impressed and amazed by its cleverness after reading it, then you probably didn't get it fully and you should just read it again!
Writing & Pacing:
I found the writing immensely satisfying and enjoyable. Hughart can certainly write well and while most of the time he writes to move the plot and dialogue forwards when he stops occasionally to describe he can be staggeringly astonishing.
[quote coming soon]
Other than the beauty of the writing, the main obvious element and maybe driving force of Hughart’s prose is the humor and cleverness. This is not humor in the style of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, it will not slap you in the face with a smelly trout. This is the style of humor that after you finish reading a sentence or a paragraph you will feel at the back of your mind that you read something really cool. Then you check it again and you go…” Aah.. ow wow!” and then you smile to yourself or even laugh out loud in some instances. (True story, at some point I was reading this book while lying next to my baby daughter that I had just managed to put to sleep and I read the passage when Master Li and Tex-Ox fell from the tower window (if you’ve read the book you definitely know what I’m talking about). I started chuckling, then chortling, then laughing so hard that I woke the baby up…!!)
In general, the writing enhances the atmosphere of the plot and the experience of reading the book. The dialogues are really well made, with each person clearly having his own distinct voice and style.
Conclusion:
You’ve probably already guessed it by the rating and my words until now that I’ve totally loved this book. It was so surprisingly enjoyable. Needless to say that I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It doesn’t matter if you like oriental/Chinese settings or not, I didn’t care for it either before I read it. It doesn’t matter if you like fantasy or humor, none of them is forced on the reader. Instead they are delicately provided at first then given freely later so that they will enjoy both.
A totally unexpected crazy book, delightfully enjoyable and totally worth reading!
"Take a large bowl," I said. "Fill it with equal measures of fact, fantasy, history, mythology, science, superstition, logic, and lunacy. Darken the mixture with bitter tears, brighten it with howls of laughter, toss in three thousand years of civilization, bellow kan pei — which means 'dry cup' — and drink to the dregs."
Procopius stared at me. "And I will be wise?" he asked.
"Better," I said. "You will be Chinese.”
― Barry Hughart, Bridge of Birds