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a_goofy_thing's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mary_soon_lee's review
4.0
"The Journey to the West" is a lengthy 16th century novel, regarded as one of the four great classics of Chinese literature. The author of the book is uncertain, but is thought to be Wu Cheng'en. This volume contains the first twenty-five chapters of the hundred-chapter narrative, plus extensive notes and a ninety-six-page introduction by the translator, Anthony C. Yu. I found the introduction a difficult read, no doubt due to my prior ignorance about almost everything it covered. But the introduction was helpful, and I am glad I labored through it.
The book itself defied my expectations. It was neither dry, nor dense, nor inscrutable. To my surprise, it appears to have been intended to be fun, and, despite the intervening centuries, I often found it such. The narrative is a fantastical retelling of Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures, a pilgrimage that took place roughly a thousand years before "The Journey to the West" was written. In the retelling, there are gods, monsters, dragons, trickery, humor, and a plethora of epic fights. There is also a remarkably large amount of poetry, serving both as description and commentary, and the poetry lightened the reading. Since this volume contains only the first quarter of the story, I will postpone further comments for now.
The book itself defied my expectations. It was neither dry, nor dense, nor inscrutable. To my surprise, it appears to have been intended to be fun, and, despite the intervening centuries, I often found it such. The narrative is a fantastical retelling of Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures, a pilgrimage that took place roughly a thousand years before "The Journey to the West" was written. In the retelling, there are gods, monsters, dragons, trickery, humor, and a plethora of epic fights. There is also a remarkably large amount of poetry, serving both as description and commentary, and the poetry lightened the reading. Since this volume contains only the first quarter of the story, I will postpone further comments for now.
jackievr's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marmarta's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
julicke95's review
4.0
It took me a long while to finish this, but not because of a lack of interest. It's remarkable how this 500 year old Chinese classic manages to be so many things at once. It's a fictionalized account of the pilgrimage of the historical monk Xuangzang, an argument for the superiority of Buddhism over Daoism and Confucianism, an allegory of enlightenment, and a fantastical tale filled with monsters, magic, and amazing characters that reads like an unhinged DnD campaign.
While I appreciated the lengthy introduction and the many helpful footnotes, a lot of the information went way over my head and was difficult for me to get through. This translation is clearly aimed at the serious student of Chinese literature and religion, not the average reader like me. Still, as it's the only unabridged English translation available, it's the best option if you want to get the full story. And once I resigned myself to missing much of the context and stopped googling everything I didn't understand, I could appreciate the story for what it was.
The structure of the story took some getting used to, as it started with a lot of long backstory about Monkey and Tripitaka before turning into a monster-of-the-week episodic adventure once the actual journey began. Now that the gang's all assembled though and the journey is in full sway, I'm looking forward to more banter, ridiculous fights and monkey business (pun intended) in the other volumes.
While I appreciated the lengthy introduction and the many helpful footnotes, a lot of the information went way over my head and was difficult for me to get through. This translation is clearly aimed at the serious student of Chinese literature and religion, not the average reader like me. Still, as it's the only unabridged English translation available, it's the best option if you want to get the full story. And once I resigned myself to missing much of the context and stopped googling everything I didn't understand, I could appreciate the story for what it was.
The structure of the story took some getting used to, as it started with a lot of long backstory about Monkey and Tripitaka before turning into a monster-of-the-week episodic adventure once the actual journey began. Now that the gang's all assembled though and the journey is in full sway, I'm looking forward to more banter, ridiculous fights and monkey business (pun intended) in the other volumes.
moonlightangxl's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
emelkay24's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
quisby's review against another edition
5.0
If Jackie Chan summoned the Three Stooges and they went on to write a 2,000 page adaptation of Pilgrim's Progress indebted to Tolkien and steeped in alchemy, Taoism and Buddhism, it might be roughly similar. Delightful, extravagant, bizarre, ornate and luxurious.
paul_cornelius's review against another edition
5.0
This translation is a comprehensive work covering 100 chapters of Journey to the West. Volume I consists of the first 25 chapters. It's a bit of a slow start, but once the journey itself begins and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, you're drawn quickly to the next adventure. (In all, it also resembles a travel book, albeit one of mythical landscapes and legendary escapades.) What is going to be off putting for quite a few readers is the translator's Introduction, which covers almost 200 pages. The Intro contains much interesting and valuable information, especially for scholars in the area, but it most appropriately should be positioned as an Afterwards. Too much analysis and detailed citing of earlier works makes it largely valueless for someone with but a bare minimum of knowledge about Journey and its place in Chinese literature.
What couldn't be helped, is my trying to find equivalents in other myths and epics. The tale of the Monkey King and his search for immortality, for example, echoes Gilgamesh. Old Monkey's abilitly to transport himself over vast distances with but one step and riding across the sky on clouds sounds similar to Seven-League Boots and Arabian Nights. And, yes, the way in which villainous characters are drafted into Tripitaka's (Xuanzang) band and made into monks, wayward though they may be, reminds me of The Wizard of Oz. Outrageous you say? Oz includes "The Dainty China Country" in its tale, and, indeed, Oz could be China.
Up next. Volume 2.
What couldn't be helped, is my trying to find equivalents in other myths and epics. The tale of the Monkey King and his search for immortality, for example, echoes Gilgamesh. Old Monkey's abilitly to transport himself over vast distances with but one step and riding across the sky on clouds sounds similar to Seven-League Boots and Arabian Nights. And, yes, the way in which villainous characters are drafted into Tripitaka's (Xuanzang) band and made into monks, wayward though they may be, reminds me of The Wizard of Oz. Outrageous you say? Oz includes "The Dainty China Country" in its tale, and, indeed, Oz could be China.
Up next. Volume 2.