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elusivity's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite Chinese classics, written in the vernacular Chinese that was low-culture for the time, yet depicting lives of the upper class and attendant servants and hangers-on. Have read it many times, and will do so in the future.
zmorgason's review
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
eressea0806's review against another edition
5.0
今年讀完的第二本電子書
人民文學這版本，跟我小時候看的不知名路邊攤精裝書
各別用字有挺大的差異~看來是程X本與庚辰本的差別
這本的注釋還有附上版本比較，原先應該是給人研究用的吧
只是變成電子書就很難查找了
記得小時候讀的版本還有附缺頁的胡適紅樓夢考證
裡頭寫到後四十回名利心太重，寶玉就差中狀元了
以前年紀小沒感覺，這回重讀
讀到賈府抄家又起復，世職丟了又重襲
西平北靜王，王王包庇，最後聖恩仍眷
就覺得果然後四十回還是有差，確實祿蠹令人不耐啊~~
人民文學這版本，跟我小時候看的不知名路邊攤精裝書
各別用字有挺大的差異~看來是程X本與庚辰本的差別
這本的注釋還有附上版本比較，原先應該是給人研究用的吧
只是變成電子書就很難查找了
記得小時候讀的版本還有附缺頁的胡適紅樓夢考證
裡頭寫到後四十回名利心太重，寶玉就差中狀元了
以前年紀小沒感覺，這回重讀
讀到賈府抄家又起復，世職丟了又重襲
西平北靜王，王王包庇，最後聖恩仍眷
就覺得果然後四十回還是有差，確實祿蠹令人不耐啊~~
saraxuherondale's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
I liked this book a lot! My only drawbacks were the translation (I read it in Croatian), and I wish we had more of Bao Yu and Dai Yu, but it's okay. One of the main plot points is the decaying middle Chinese class, and the slowish degradation of the large wealthy family. But to be completely honest, I enjoyed the love story and it's main character much more. I really liked reading about him and his untraditional behavior, the way he's drawn to women and despises doing "manly work", including politics. One day I will read this novel in Chinese, and I can't wait to see how I will feel about it then.
I liked this book a lot! My only drawbacks were the translation (I read it in Croatian), and I wish we had more of Bao Yu and Dai Yu, but it's okay. One of the main plot points is the decaying middle Chinese class, and the slowish degradation of the large wealthy family. But to be completely honest, I enjoyed the love story and it's main character much more. I really liked reading about him and his untraditional behavior, the way he's drawn to women and despises doing "manly work", including politics. One day I will read this novel in Chinese, and I can't wait to see how I will feel about it then.
yetilibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, this book--one of the four Chinese Classic Novels--was a marvelous read, although its intricacy cannot be overstated. Some compare it to Shakespeare, but it's more like a saga with little Shakespearean offshoots every few chapters. The cast of characters is enormous, and the overarching narrative truly does transcend space and time.
My primary complaint about this book--a long, complex, elegant Chinese drama--is that it needs a better guide to the characters. There is a genealogy chart in the front, but it is incomplete, and there are so many distant relatives, recurrent unrelated characters, and servants not mentioned in the genealogy, that a list of dramatis personae (in addition to a thorough and complete genealogy chart) would have been very helpful.
A glossary would also have been handy. Chinese terms and honorifics are usually explained when they first appear, but if I needed to double-check what a term meant, I had to find the page where it first appeared to do so. A glossary would have solved that problem. (Of course, knowing some basic Mandarin would have been even better, but unfortunately I lack that skill set.)
My primary complaint about this book--a long, complex, elegant Chinese drama--is that it needs a better guide to the characters. There is a genealogy chart in the front, but it is incomplete, and there are so many distant relatives, recurrent unrelated characters, and servants not mentioned in the genealogy, that a list of dramatis personae (in addition to a thorough and complete genealogy chart) would have been very helpful.
A glossary would also have been handy. Chinese terms and honorifics are usually explained when they first appear, but if I needed to double-check what a term meant, I had to find the page where it first appeared to do so. A glossary would have solved that problem. (Of course, knowing some basic Mandarin would have been even better, but unfortunately I lack that skill set.)
sif's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
pscykath's review against another edition
This is for academic purposes and tbh, I did not managed to read it properly. I might reread a different version though cause the one I got is harder to read
rukistarsailor's review against another edition
3.0
I have conflicted feelings about Dream of the Red Chamber. On the one hand, I'm happy to have read one of the Four Classic Chinese Novels, and I'm sure the book is more meaningful than I realize. On the other hand, there were so many problematic elements in the book that I didn't appreciate, and I don't think this particular translation was the best I could have chosen (though it's the only translation available to me at the moment). I was upset that the Chinese names were either directly translated into English or written in the outdated Wade-Giles romanization system instead of in pinyin, and that several scenes were missing in this version.
I'm probably going to have to do more research about and analysis of Dream of the Red Chamber, but for now, here's what I know:
- The order of the Jia household has been compromised. We can see this in several instances, including the servants' insolent behavior toward their "superiors," and Baoyu's living with girls instead of boys.
- Daiyu likes to make herself out to be a tragic heroine. That's why her cousins compare her to an actor in one of the live theater performances they watch.
- Daiyu and Baochai are foils of each other.
- Jia Zheng definitely represents Confucianism, which makes me think that Baoyu possibly represents both Taoism and Buddhism.
Weirdly enough, I enjoyed the story about Third Sister Yu even though I don't completely understand it.
Overall, I think I need to do more research to truly appreciate Dream of the Red Chamber.
I'm probably going to have to do more research about and analysis of Dream of the Red Chamber, but for now, here's what I know:
- The order of the Jia household has been compromised. We can see this in several instances, including the servants' insolent behavior toward their "superiors," and Baoyu's living with girls instead of boys.
- Daiyu likes to make herself out to be a tragic heroine. That's why her cousins compare her to an actor in one of the live theater performances they watch.
- Daiyu and Baochai are foils of each other.
- Jia Zheng definitely represents Confucianism, which makes me think that Baoyu possibly represents both Taoism and Buddhism.
Weirdly enough, I enjoyed the story about Third Sister Yu even though I don't completely understand it.
Overall, I think I need to do more research to truly appreciate Dream of the Red Chamber.
juliabeaumont's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25