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pteroskaska's review against another edition
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? N/A
2.25
arquero's review against another edition
3.0
A disillusioning story.
While rickshaw boy focused on the personal experience of the protagonist, this one clearly took a truly global view at the misery and decadence of a whole nation. And what a nation!
Wondering how China overcame this.
cf. Penguin island
While rickshaw boy focused on the personal experience of the protagonist, this one clearly took a truly global view at the misery and decadence of a whole nation. And what a nation!
Wondering how China overcame this.
cf. Penguin island
housarah's review against another edition
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mxmlln's review against another edition
2.0
Story: 2.5 / 10
Characters: 4
Setting: 6
Prose: 3.5
Themes: Communism, Politics, Civilizations, Culture, Customs
Characters: 4
Setting: 6
Prose: 3.5
Themes: Communism, Politics, Civilizations, Culture, Customs
skabard's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
imandanial's review against another edition
4.0
Excellently written. A story about a man stranded on Mars, inhabitated by Cat People. Befriended by a local cat-man, he learns all aspect of cat-life - Felinese culture, cat-poetry, etc. A satire at its best; that lampoons 1930s China. Lao She unfolds the brutality and violence of early Communist era via dystopian society.
Really a worth reading!
#catpeople #laoshe #china #satire #read4malaysia #book #novel #literature
Really a worth reading!
#catpeople #laoshe #china #satire #read4malaysia #book #novel #literature
not_mike's review against another edition
4.0
Hardcover, novel.
A good translation of Lao She's text. This version contains a biography of the author, a history of the text, and a brief history of China in the early 20th century. Each chapter begins with a context of the time as footnotes, establishing the context of what Lao She satirizes. Translated for a Western audience, as the whole text (apparently) was not broken up into chapters. While the SF premise is deceiving (man travels to Mars, meets a planet inhabited by cats that has an awful resemblance to the Chinese Republic), the weight of this work is in its a balance of humor akin to Dickens or Swift, the former of which the author was influenced by after reading his novels. While the beginning is lighthearted and comical, about the latter half of the novel (I'd say about 40%) is pretty grim and reads as if the author abandoned the whole Martian premise to tell a period of Chinese history in government change, revolution, and war.
A good translation of Lao She's text. This version contains a biography of the author, a history of the text, and a brief history of China in the early 20th century. Each chapter begins with a context of the time as footnotes, establishing the context of what Lao She satirizes. Translated for a Western audience, as the whole text (apparently) was not broken up into chapters. While the SF premise is deceiving (man travels to Mars, meets a planet inhabited by cats that has an awful resemblance to the Chinese Republic), the weight of this work is in its a balance of humor akin to Dickens or Swift, the former of which the author was influenced by after reading his novels. While the beginning is lighthearted and comical, about the latter half of the novel (I'd say about 40%) is pretty grim and reads as if the author abandoned the whole Martian premise to tell a period of Chinese history in government change, revolution, and war.
jakeyjake's review against another edition
4.0
This is an awesome satire of China that helped me get a feel for the real social, economic, and political issues were causing so much duress in the 1930s.