Reviews

Το τοτέμ του λύκου by Jiang Rong

novabird's review against another edition

2.0

This had a very long opening sequence of an origami of repeated action scenes with not a lot of variance to hold my attention.

justonemorebookhonest's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

voraciousvegan's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

3.75

putzbru's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

srutiramesh's review against another edition

4.0

A really interesting book about the role of wolves in the lives of the grassland nomadic tribes of the Inner Mongolian Region in China conveyed through the eyes of Chen Zhen, a university student from Beijing who is sent there during the Cultural Revolution in the 60s. The book captures the position that wolves occupy in the grassland food chain, how all life in the region is touched by the wolves' presence. The nomadic groups see the wolf as a spiritual symbol which is intertwined with every aspect of their life, it gives and it takes away. What struck me the most was the ecological balance of the grasslands that is brought out through the spiritual and the symbolic ideas and associations that the people there have with it. Often while I was reading this, I was reminded of the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone National Park and the cascading effects that it had.

Spoiler

The events that take place in the later part of the book, with the killing off of the wolves and the effects that Chen Zhen and his friend see when they go back thirty years later truly serve as reminders about the complexity of our ecosystems and fragility of ecological balance.

The book does tend to romanticise the relationships and the hardships of life in the difficult conditions of the IMR grasslands, but on the whole a very interesting read. Very inspiring on the topic of human-wildlife coexistence and balance.

gicungdc's review against another edition

5.0

Đọc cuốn này trong lúc rừng amazon đang cháy, hiểu dc sự vĩ đại của Sói, sự tàn nhẫn của con người, muốn đc một lần tới thảo nguyên, và từ giờ nhất quyết ko bao giờ ăn thịt chó nữa

melanie852's review against another edition

adventurous sad 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? No

3.0

gwenkooi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

gbatts's review against another edition

4.0

Like a Chinese version of Moby Dick, a book more serious and less homoerotic.
The focus on harmony is an important tale for the climate crisis.
Translation is wonderfully done.

w0lves_and_r4vens's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0