Lijia Zhang

Ik had geen idee vooraf over dit boek, ik ben er gewoon aan begonnen omdat ik in mij ereader maar eens begon met de letter Z. De kaft is echt heel slecht en past wat mij betreft absoluut niet bij het verhaal dat zich veel meer richt op de fabrieksarbeidster Lija.

Op het einde na, heb ik met plezier deze biografie gelezen. Het einde kwam voor mij op een heel raar punt. Ik weet niet of er nog een vervolg op komt, maar dat zou voor mij de enige reden zijn om een boek op dat punt te eindigen en dan zou ik het nog geen goede plek vinden.

De rest van het boek heb ik met veel plezier gelezen. Ik moest even wennen aan de schrijfstijl,die erg direct en zonder franje is. Het is meer een opsomming van feiten, waarbij je tussendoor wel de emotie voelt, maar de schrijfstijl past wel heel goed bij de sfeer van het socialistische China. Het verhaal had me in zijn grip en ik voelde mee met de persoon. Eigenlijk schommelt mijn waardering tussen de twee en drie sterren, maar uiteindelijk heb ik besloten om er twee sterren van te maken, gezien het totaal onbevredigende einde.
… (mais)

I absolutely loved this book. In a way reminiscent of Peter Hessler's books such as Oracle Bones, it brought to life Chinese society through the representative experiences of two of its members. The "prostitute meets nice guy" love story was told without clichés or improbable results, and the main characters felt vivid and true to life. I also loved the chapter titles, which are Chinese idioms, and felt the author's use of English as a non-native speaker was powerful, with just enough variation to make the story feel authentically foreign but not to distract.… (mais)

After so many years I finally read the book. Yes it is a novel and I was fascinated till the end as I was eager to know how the story would end. (I won't tell you!)
The book is one of those that discourage me. Being a writer myself and vaguely planning to write a kind of novel/love story, I feel so poorly able to write anything after reading Lotus. Yes, it it took her some twelve years to write the novel. But how she could develop the story with all the details fascinates me and leaves me with a sense of helplessness. There are many details in the story that sound very familiar to me so I can say she knows what she is talking about. Contrary to what other book reviews may say the depiction of the individuals is pretty realistic, the way they act and feel. That is how many Chinese really are. As mentioned in SCMP: "Male sexuality in the novel is either brutish or monkish. This may be a function of the setting, but in a novel of sexual empathy, this feels like a structural flaw." I tend to disagree because I see it the same way as the author. Many aspects of the attitudes of the people depicted are very realistic. That is how some segments of Chinese society are.
In other words, a thumbs up for the book. Great stuff, at times I felt emotional as some scenes seemed all too familiar.
So I do not fully agree with the review of SCMP.
The full book report: https://www.damulu.com/2020/08/14/lotus-by-lijia-zhang/… (mais)

Amazing Language, Disappointing Story

This is the author's memoir from her young adult years in the 1980s. Most of the book takes place after Zhang's mother forced her to leave high school and take over her old job at an arms factory. Zhang is surrounded by a job that lacks luster, coworkers more interested in napping than working, and an arguing family. Through it all, Zhang finds constant comfort in studying and reading.

Having just finished several memoirs that were set during periods of political upheaval, I was expecting a little more conflict in this book. Compared to those memoirs, Zhang's life is peaches and cream. She goes through boyfriends and interests much like any young person does. She makes several discoveries about herself, such as developing a love of poetry.

This is the book. There are relatively few hardships and relatively little conflict. I usually take notes when I read but found this narrative so dry that I stopped.

Nevertheless, Zhang's use of the language shines. She makes constant analogies and uses wonderful proverbs to illustrate how and why people act. These analogies show just how artistic and ornamental English can be. Zhang's ability to use the language rivals the best modern authors from any country.… (mais)