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jlmahoney's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Murder
prolocomotives's review against another edition
3.0
read this for one of my history classes… it was fine it was mostly context for the story of woman wang (like only the last 30 pages r about her…) which is a classic historian move ! i think it was fine i really loved P’u’s stories and I think he’s the most talented writer out of this text tbh !!
zeezeemama11's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book on recommendation. I moderately enjoyed it, although it read more as a textbook at times rather than a pleasurable read. It was intriguing, although at times overbearing in the information that was offered. I would only recommend it to readers who are already engrossed with the topic. Not really idle reading. My opinion might be skewed in concerns to this author's book because I was more in the mood for the idea of the book rather then the historically accurate one that it turned out to be. I would however give this author another try at a later date. As I mentioned earlier it was an intriguing read and I'm curious as to the other topics in which the author writes on.
venerablemonster's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly interesting. This was assigned for a history course I am currently taking and wasn't so enthusiastic about it at the start. But a combination of an interesting historical perspective combined with a keen interest in the subject matter, this book held my attention all the way through. My only problems arose at the form of the story telling which, to me at the time, seemed random. Looking back, overall, it was a very interesting read, and if you have an interest in China during the 18th and 19th centuries, check out this short book.
krayfish1's review against another edition
4.0
This is an interesting look into mid-1600's Chinese society. It's a few stories from a poor province illustrated with contemporaneous fiction stories from Pu Songling. The author writes a dream sequence for a woman about to be murdered by her husband, which is weird, but the rest of the book is excellent. It's also short.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting in some points, but I find the writing style and tone to be rather dull.
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