A review by soniapage
Rickshaw Boy by Lao She

3.0

I wish I could read Chinese so I could read what the author actually wrote. This translation seemed so dull - at first it was like reading a newspaper article or a primer (see Jane run). But then, there were whole pages spent describing a sunset or a rainstorm. It's hard to tell whether this uneven writing was the translator trying to pad the story or if it was originally written this way by the author. There are a lot of modern expressions used which seemed out of place. If it was written seventy years ago, did people then say "mixing it up" when they meant fighting? Indeed, the translator even, in his introduction, said "I have opted for contemporary relevance over period prose" and saw "no reason to be quaint". Maybe a little "quaint" would have improved the story and been more in line with what the author wanted to say.

The story is about the downward spiral of a rickshaw puller which parallels the demoralizing troubles many people suffer these days. The ending was stunning, though abrupt.

I honestly hated the book throughout most of my reading and felt I had wasted my money buying it. However, I gave it three stars because it is such a powerful story.