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signegsl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
itadakinasu's review
I really wanted to like The Four Books, especially since my thesis in university was about the effects of Communism on Chinese society.
Lianke's book truly exemplifies the hopelessness and meaninglessness of life under Mao's Communism. Not only are the main characters not introduced by name (rather, by nickname or profession/title), but the person responsible for their re-education regularly invents outrageous incentives to waste their time, attention, and energy chasing an imaginary prize. The tasks assigned to them are pointless and exacting, and even if they succeed there's no payoff.
Lianke did a fantastic job building and maintaining tone throughout what I read. He balanced description with dialogue well and didn't overdo the introspection. Using references to real history as well as a bit of satire, The Four Books will be enjoyed most by people interested in either Chinese history or Communism.
Unfortunately, the main strength of Lianke's book is also its biggest hurdle: the writing style.
Reading this felt like trying to dig my way out of an underground bunker with a nail file. I struggled to make even a few pages of progress over the course of over 5 months of dedicated effort. Each time I picked up The Four Books, I braced myself only to feel my eyes glaze over a few moments later.
In the past, I would have forced myself to finish the book because I bought it and already put in a few hours of effort to read it. Now though, I cherish my free time and would much rather spend it on things that I look forward to reading.
I'd recommend reading an excerpt first. If you read and enjoy the writing style in the excerpt, then there's a pretty good chance that you'll enjoy the rest of the book. It didn't do anything for me though.
Lianke's book truly exemplifies the hopelessness and meaninglessness of life under Mao's Communism. Not only are the main characters not introduced by name (rather, by nickname or profession/title), but the person responsible for their re-education regularly invents outrageous incentives to waste their time, attention, and energy chasing an imaginary prize. The tasks assigned to them are pointless and exacting, and even if they succeed there's no payoff.
Lianke did a fantastic job building and maintaining tone throughout what I read. He balanced description with dialogue well and didn't overdo the introspection. Using references to real history as well as a bit of satire, The Four Books will be enjoyed most by people interested in either Chinese history or Communism.
Unfortunately, the main strength of Lianke's book is also its biggest hurdle: the writing style.
Reading this felt like trying to dig my way out of an underground bunker with a nail file. I struggled to make even a few pages of progress over the course of over 5 months of dedicated effort. Each time I picked up The Four Books, I braced myself only to feel my eyes glaze over a few moments later.
In the past, I would have forced myself to finish the book because I bought it and already put in a few hours of effort to read it. Now though, I cherish my free time and would much rather spend it on things that I look forward to reading.
I'd recommend reading an excerpt first. If you read and enjoy the writing style in the excerpt, then there's a pretty good chance that you'll enjoy the rest of the book. It didn't do anything for me though.
skylarinho's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
abey's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookwormsarah's review
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bored_and_confused's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
cxlmgood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
waiehse's review against another edition
5.0
An amazingly visceral book about the Great Leap Forward.
deepakchecks's review against another edition
3.0
The book starts interestingly enough, a surreal, metaphorical take on the lives of people living in Mao's China. People belonging to various professions including a scholar, musician, author, theologian, technician, etc. are all sent to participate in a Re-ed program. The improbable tasks that they are made to do, the promise of rewards they are provided and the people ultimately convince themselves that the tasks done are for the betterment of the nation. The stifling of freedom and the tortures met out to these people are captured hilariously - no doubt the books was controversial in China. However, the books gets repetitive - not sure if this is me during vacation - but, I found my interest in the proceeds waning as the book nears the end.