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patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
Based on the Chinese myth of Meng Jiangnu who brought down the Great Wall with her tears of mourning, this instalment of the Canongate Myths series has ended up a surreal fairytale against a backdrop of a country in despair.
Binu comes from a village where crying from your eyes is forbidden as doing so will mean your death is imminent. The women of the village get round this by shedding their tears via various body parts. When her husband is taken away to work on the Great Wall, Binu is grief-stricken and sets out across China to take him his winter clothes. I'm not familiar with much Chinese myth or superstition but I did enjoy all the unusual beliefs that Binu encounters.
Whilst only a short novel, it does remind me of the sort of journey based tales that began with Gulliver's Travels and has become a favourite within the fantasy genre. It even remind me a little of Neil Gaiman's Stardust in a way. Binu is travelling across a land unknown to her and she meets strange people on the way and gets herself in and out of all sorts of scrapes.
I was disappointed by the low average rating here, though obviously not enough to put off reading it. Expectations have a big part to play in enjoyment of a book. If you are looking for historical fiction then pass it by but if you enjoy Grimm's Fairy Tales and stories where the character goes on a weird and wonderful journey, definitely give Binu a go.
Binu comes from a village where crying from your eyes is forbidden as doing so will mean your death is imminent. The women of the village get round this by shedding their tears via various body parts. When her husband is taken away to work on the Great Wall, Binu is grief-stricken and sets out across China to take him his winter clothes. I'm not familiar with much Chinese myth or superstition but I did enjoy all the unusual beliefs that Binu encounters.
Whilst only a short novel, it does remind me of the sort of journey based tales that began with Gulliver's Travels and has become a favourite within the fantasy genre. It even remind me a little of Neil Gaiman's Stardust in a way. Binu is travelling across a land unknown to her and she meets strange people on the way and gets herself in and out of all sorts of scrapes.
I was disappointed by the low average rating here, though obviously not enough to put off reading it. Expectations have a big part to play in enjoyment of a book. If you are looking for historical fiction then pass it by but if you enjoy Grimm's Fairy Tales and stories where the character goes on a weird and wonderful journey, definitely give Binu a go.
saraxuherondale's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This one star is too much for this boring ass book. It's so unnecessarily long, probably unedited, and I did NOT have fun. I skimmed through the second half because I just couldn't bring myself to care. It was too repetitive and stupid, with so many completely useless moments. If this were a short story it would be fine, but 300+ pages of this shit? No thank you. This just might be the first book I will give away to a library, I don't wanna see it on my shelves ever again.
caityq's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Binu was an interesting read - the tone of the book was in part set by the fact it is translated from Chinese.
The surreal tone of the book was very enjoyable, as was the broad cast of character Binu encountered.
Parts were paced a little oddly, and sometimes it didn't flow perfectly, but overall an enjoyable read.
I found Binu's attitude generally very compelling, and her determination admirable.
I thought some parts were pace a little oddly. Some people also were cruel for the sake of it, but it was intertwined with the surreal tone, so sometimes worked.
I found the ending a bit of a let down - the entire book you're waiting for Binu to get to her husband, spirit or otherwise. Then at the very end the perspective shifts to a miner running down the hill telling her she can stop crying - which I found a bit disappointing.
The surreal tone of the book was very enjoyable, as was the broad cast of character Binu encountered.
Parts were paced a little oddly, and sometimes it didn't flow perfectly, but overall an enjoyable read.
I thought some parts were pace a little oddly. Some people also were cruel for the sake of it, but it was intertwined with the surreal tone, so sometimes worked.
I found the ending a bit of a let down - the entire book you're waiting for Binu to get to her husband, spirit or otherwise. Then at the very end the perspective shifts to a miner running down the hill telling her she can stop crying - which I found a bit disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe it's because I'm an ugly American, but I didn't like this book. I'm giving it two star because of the wonderful writing in the beginning and in other places, so it's more two stars for style.
I knew about this legend before I picked up this book, so I wasn't coming into the story as a total know nothing. I also haven't read anything by Tong before, and, in all fairness, I should point out that I haven't read much in the way of Chinese literature. In truth, part of the problem I had with this book could be due to translation issues.
The first 80 pages of the book are pretty good. Tong does a good job setting up the whole myth. It's true Binu feels more like a type than a person, but sometimes that works in book. I liked the frog.
BUT (and this is a little bit of a spoiler)
Things go wonky. There really is no other word for it. There is this huge (okay, not huge, but it felt huge) section where Binu faints and then gets sexually molested. While I can understand this would undoubtably occur because of (a) the male dominated culture (b) she's traveling alone, Tong's description lingered way too long on some aspects of it, almost as if he thought the reader would get some type of "happy" out of it. Now, this could be a translation issue; I haven't read enough by Tong to know. It, however, put the reader in an uncomfortable position of voygeur. It was strange. The reader wasn't put in the view of the victim, but, almost, in the view of the molestor. It also didn't help that some of those molestors were young boys.
I almost put the book down, but I prefer to force myself to read things that make me a little uncomfortable.
Sadly, the book never seemed to get quite back on track to the end. Binu starts on a journay, yet the trip is described in jumps. Some things just seemed put into the story for no good reason. It also feels like Tong takes a story for women and drags it kicking and screaming into a story for men. (I know, it sounds sexist, but that's what it feels like).
I knew about this legend before I picked up this book, so I wasn't coming into the story as a total know nothing. I also haven't read anything by Tong before, and, in all fairness, I should point out that I haven't read much in the way of Chinese literature. In truth, part of the problem I had with this book could be due to translation issues.
The first 80 pages of the book are pretty good. Tong does a good job setting up the whole myth. It's true Binu feels more like a type than a person, but sometimes that works in book. I liked the frog.
BUT (and this is a little bit of a spoiler)
Things go wonky. There really is no other word for it. There is this huge (okay, not huge, but it felt huge) section where Binu faints and then gets sexually molested. While I can understand this would undoubtably occur because of (a) the male dominated culture (b) she's traveling alone, Tong's description lingered way too long on some aspects of it, almost as if he thought the reader would get some type of "happy" out of it. Now, this could be a translation issue; I haven't read enough by Tong to know. It, however, put the reader in an uncomfortable position of voygeur. It was strange. The reader wasn't put in the view of the victim, but, almost, in the view of the molestor. It also didn't help that some of those molestors were young boys.
I almost put the book down, but I prefer to force myself to read things that make me a little uncomfortable.
Sadly, the book never seemed to get quite back on track to the end. Binu starts on a journay, yet the trip is described in jumps. Some things just seemed put into the story for no good reason. It also feels like Tong takes a story for women and drags it kicking and screaming into a story for men. (I know, it sounds sexist, but that's what it feels like).
movingtoguam's review against another edition
1.0
I read about 50% in earnest before I started to skim the pages. In the beginning I found this book quite enjoyable, but I soon found myself very frustrated with the main character Binu. A lot of terrible things happen to the poor woman, but she was not prepared at all for the journey she was taking on, so I found it very hard to sympathise with her.
creatrix's review
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
sauvageloup's review
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
enjoyed this, reminded me of the magical realism and grittiness of Red Sorghum, though it was less graphic.
pros:
- really interesting folklore and magical elements, including Bínu's tears, the frogs, the butterflies, etc.
- Interesting quest tale and good writing, liked some of the turns of phrase
- the ending was suitably dramatic
cons:
- it was slow and a bit frustrating with how many obstacles Bínu faced, and her passivity at times, and it felt like the book sagged a lot in the middle
but i'm glad I read it and enjoyed it
pros:
- really interesting folklore and magical elements, including Bínu's tears, the frogs, the butterflies, etc.
- Interesting quest tale and good writing, liked some of the turns of phrase
- the ending was suitably dramatic
cons:
- it was slow and a bit frustrating with how many obstacles Bínu faced, and her passivity at times, and it felt like the book sagged a lot in the middle
but i'm glad I read it and enjoyed it
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