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lynnie05's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
meme_too2's review against another edition
5.0
Loved how this book flowed. The story was sweet and full of characters you could care about. I'm not sure why it would have been banned, and to be honest, I guess I didn't get the ending. It's one of those that leaves you wondering. But the way the story is told is really beautiful and I cared.
doctabird's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I was able to read the untranslated version. I felt like there was a lot lost in translation. I could see it being very poetic, if not for some of the Chinese to English explanations that were necessary for a more Western audience.
aradhyatrivedi's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
itsgs's review against another edition
4.0
Review of the English translation by Jeffrey Kinkley:
A bittersweet tale of life in yesteryear rural China (Hunan/ Sichuan region during the end of imperial rule). The crux of the story is the relationship between a young girl, Cuicui, who is coming of age; and her grandpa, who is the village ferryman. There isn’t much by way of a story, but that is not a shortcoming for this book. The focus is the simple life and beliefs/ customs of the unsophisticated characters, and the village of Chadong itself with the river and bamboo-rich mountains that pan it. My enjoyment from reading this book just came from the beauty in these simple things.
Not sure why this book was banned in China.. would love to understand what was unacceptable about this gentle unsophisticated book..
A bittersweet tale of life in yesteryear rural China (Hunan/ Sichuan region during the end of imperial rule). The crux of the story is the relationship between a young girl, Cuicui, who is coming of age; and her grandpa, who is the village ferryman. There isn’t much by way of a story, but that is not a shortcoming for this book. The focus is the simple life and beliefs/ customs of the unsophisticated characters, and the village of Chadong itself with the river and bamboo-rich mountains that pan it. My enjoyment from reading this book just came from the beauty in these simple things.
Not sure why this book was banned in China.. would love to understand what was unacceptable about this gentle unsophisticated book..
bradleys's review against another edition
2.0
Though frequently compared to [a:Lu Xun|7509399|Lu Xun|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1426653622p2/7509399.jpg] in his impact on modern Chinese literature, Shen's chef d'œuvre pales in comparison to both the tragic-realist depiction of rural living in [a:Mao Dun|4833374|Mao Dun|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459718274p2/4833374.jpg]'s seminal "[b:Spring Silkworms|487991|The Shop of the Lin Family & Spring Silkworms|Mao Dun|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347345941l/487991._SY75_.jpg|476264]" or the radical redefinition of the literary norms made manifest in Lu's corpus. Border Town's saving grace is the rich depiction of the inner live of its otherwise unrealistically perfect characters.