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stevenyenzer's review
4.0
Provides a fascinating peek into Chinese culture. Some of the stories struck me as quite apocryphal, but I didn't mind.
victoriathuyvi's review
5.0
An incredible look into China of the 50's to modern day. Even though Yu Hua only concentrates on ten words, this selection covers a wide breadth of history and society. Plus, the stories to illustrate each word are not only enlightening, but also downright entertaining. Yu Hua is a masterful storyteller. I was a fan of his novel, To Live. Now, I am a fan of the writer himself.
vivacissimx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Both history & memoir, the author hits his stride when relating anecdotes with a unique blend of nostalgia, absurdism, and dryness. For me his method of social critique was a bit take or leave, and while 'reflection' is inherent to a book like this I'd have really enjoyed a chapter explicitly focused on dialectics, basically.