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aslihan's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lindong524's review against another edition
I read the book in Chinese. It struck me to be so plain and straightforward in the beginning, I had not known what to expect, but the simple language allowed a powerful story to take charge, to run deep in my mind. I think this is perhaps a testimony to Yu Hua's craft as an author, relying not on style but by a mastery of language and pacing to grip his reader's hearts.
It's always fascinated me, how the underprivileged people of China, or anywhere I've been, share the same vacant look in their eyes. As if they've emptied souls into their lives and have nothing more to give. How easy it is to pretend that they don't have rich inner lives as "humans" do. A elitist fault on my part, for that is precisely the story that Yu Hua tells.
Fu Gui's story spans the Chinese civil war, the Land Reform, Great Leap Forward, Great Chinese Famine, Three-anti and Five-anti Campaigns, and the Cultural Revolution. Monumental tragic moments are depicted from the perspective of a poor country farmer to show how the tides of history spares no one. That within these great big times, there are people striving, struggling to just live. It celebrates not the greatness of history but the greatness of the small folk who suffer senseless tragedies without meaning or purpose - how many uneventful deaths did Fu Gui have to endure - and simply survive.
To Live is a bucket of cold water that will put away any existential crises. It is a reminder that, for most of us, to live is not a great big fight for a great big cause. To live is to simply put one foot in front the other and march on, like boats against the current even if we are borne back ceaselessly into the past, destined to live out Sisyphus' plight.
It's always fascinated me, how the underprivileged people of China, or anywhere I've been, share the same vacant look in their eyes. As if they've emptied souls into their lives and have nothing more to give. How easy it is to pretend that they don't have rich inner lives as "humans" do. A elitist fault on my part, for that is precisely the story that Yu Hua tells.
Fu Gui's story spans the Chinese civil war, the Land Reform, Great Leap Forward, Great Chinese Famine, Three-anti and Five-anti Campaigns, and the Cultural Revolution. Monumental tragic moments are depicted from the perspective of a poor country farmer to show how the tides of history spares no one. That within these great big times, there are people striving, struggling to just live. It celebrates not the greatness of history but the greatness of the small folk who suffer senseless tragedies without meaning or purpose - how many uneventful deaths did Fu Gui have to endure - and simply survive.
To Live is a bucket of cold water that will put away any existential crises. It is a reminder that, for most of us, to live is not a great big fight for a great big cause. To live is to simply put one foot in front the other and march on, like boats against the current even if we are borne back ceaselessly into the past, destined to live out Sisyphus' plight.
winter13's review against another edition
4.0
4/5. did they really have to kill off every character? like what is this infinity war??
yasemin2's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
specificwonderland's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Not sure how I got this added to my TBR but I have 2 hypotheses: 1. Books like The Good Earth which I read in HS and enjoyed 2. Books like Thirst for Love by Mishima that we read in book club 5-10y ago and I also loved.
If you liked either of those, you will like this. Realistic character studies. Set in the 40s in rural China before and during communist rule. A father's broken journey into and out of parenthood.
If you liked either of those, you will like this. Realistic character studies. Set in the 40s in rural China before and during communist rule. A father's broken journey into and out of parenthood.
maydas's review against another edition
5.0
Mahvetti, duvardan duvara aldı aldı savurdu, parçaladı, kalbimi göğüs kafesimden çekip aldı sonra pişirip yedi, ciğerime ispirto döküp yaktı. Bir ara kendimi öldüreceğimi sandım.
Çok iyi kitaptı. Bir süredir beni bu şekilde etkileyen bir kitap okumamıştım. Herkese öneririm.
Not: Ablamın önerdiği kitabın kötü çıkma olasılığı zaten çok az,,,,,
Çok iyi kitaptı. Bir süredir beni bu şekilde etkileyen bir kitap okumamıştım. Herkese öneririm.
Not: Ablamın önerdiği kitabın kötü çıkma olasılığı zaten çok az,,,,,
junyan's review against another edition
2.0
花了一小晚上的时间看完。说实话，完全是自作自受。最无辜的挣扎活着的人是男主身边的女性，把写作焦点放在女性生上的话会是不一样level
chloezhou97's review against another edition
4.0
I read the Chinese version of the book since I am Chinese. When I am was reading the book, I pictured not just Fugui's life but a whole generation of livings. My father was born in 1964, the year in which the cultural revolution was about to outburst. Kugen, the grandson of Fugui reminds a great deal of my father, as his own family also suffered from poverty, starvation, loss of loved ones, and his father was damned as a counter-revolutionary activist. I am going to read the English version of the book to see if reading it in English will evoke emotions different from the Chinese one.
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
simple yet heartbreaking story of a foolish young man who has grown old and wise.