Reviews

Rickshaw Boy by Lao She, Howard Goldblatt

lynnie05's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

socorrobaptista's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

A última frase do livro - "produto de uma sociedade doente" - indica bem do que trata a narrativa, de como nem sempre o trabalho duro é recompensado, e como pessoas humildes podem ser facilmente massacradas pelo sistema. Realista, e muito duro. Fiquei morrendo de pena do protagonista, de como ele se perde diante dos acontecimentos, e se torna tão corrupto quanto aqueles a quem ele desprezava. Triste.

oviedorose's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad

4.0

soniapage's review against another edition

3.0

I wish I could read Chinese so I could read what the author actually wrote. This translation seemed so dull - at first it was like reading a newspaper article or a primer (see Jane run). But then, there were whole pages spent describing a sunset or a rainstorm. It's hard to tell whether this uneven writing was the translator trying to pad the story or if it was originally written this way by the author. There are a lot of modern expressions used which seemed out of place. If it was written seventy years ago, did people then say "mixing it up" when they meant fighting? Indeed, the translator even, in his introduction, said "I have opted for contemporary relevance over period prose" and saw "no reason to be quaint". Maybe a little "quaint" would have improved the story and been more in line with what the author wanted to say.

The story is about the downward spiral of a rickshaw puller which parallels the demoralizing troubles many people suffer these days. The ending was stunning, though abrupt.

I honestly hated the book throughout most of my reading and felt I had wasted my money buying it. However, I gave it three stars because it is such a powerful story.

marthauhlig's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

joseph7m's review against another edition

3.0

Rickshaw Boy is both a social commentary and a political commentary, speaking about the state of life in the 1920s Warlord Era in China, and the downfalls of an individualistic society. We see Xiangzi, a very hardworking man trying to make his way up in the world with the continuous belief that if he tries his best, he will be rewarded. This, however, does not happen and instead we see his gradual descent as he slowly gives up on his dreams and wishes, battered and beat by the cruel society he lives in.

While the modern day world is certainly better off than we were in the 1920s, it's interesting to see the same exact storyline play out in today's world, particularly in the US. Many people are just one misfortune away from ending up on a similar path as Xiangzi. So, in that sense, his criticism very much still holds water today.

Beyond his commentary, the writing and tone of the book paints a very clear picture of life among the ordinary class in the China at that time and the simple yet often poetic prose was something I enjoyed a lot.

Overall, it's worth checking out this classic of modern Chinese literature.

100reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Need to reread.

the_f_reader's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

binstonbirchill's review against another edition

5.0

While this is the story of a man pulling a Rickshaw in 1930s China, it is also the story of the working poor in any era or country. Someone with a good understanding of Chinese history would undoubtedly get more out of this book that I did, hopefully a few years from now I can do just that.

jakeyjake's review against another edition

4.0

I wrote my undergraduate thesis on Lao She's novella Cat Country in 2013, but it was only this year that I finally read Lao She's two most famous works (Rickshaw Boy, and the play Teahouse).

This is a sad story. Worth reading, but depressing at times. There are moments when Xiangzi seems like he's on the up-and-up, but they never last long. If you've read Yu Hua's To Live, you have the general flavor of hope and endurance battered down by a lifetime of hardships. But this story takes place well before that one. Xiangzi has such small ambition—to own his own rickshaw and maybe have a wife—but everything from abduction and theft to rich manipulative women get in his way.