Customer Reviews

Among the 36 Strategies, Running away is the top one

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't be put off thinking this is a deep political or cultural book. It is, but it is also fascinating in its detail and fun in the way it opens a door on life in modern China. The pace is none stop and the characters so memorable. By the second page, I could not put the book down, but walked around with it open as I cooked and did laundry with the other hand. Chia Chen is an author with real talent for capturing the moment.

My second day of reading this book and I am severly upset at our lack of cultural exchange. What have we been missing is the one questions not sufficiently answered by international book reviewers world wide. The treasure trove of supressed literary genius has exploded on to an unprepared public. Don't miss out.

the grimreader.

Though the novel (Among The 36 Strategies, Running Away Is The Top One) focuses on the discoveries of one character (Xuya Zhao) on a trip back to her native country, it achieves a nearly epic sweep in its portrayal of the social fabric of contemporary China. It is, first and foremost, a novel about a personal quest-both to uncover secrets in the past and resolve present problems. The quest takes Xuya, the protagonist, from a troubled and conflicted life in New York City to China. In the process, the novel manages to look back into recent Chinese history; to portray the opening of China to the world economy today; and to introduce readers to a large and varied cast of characters. Stylistically, it is virtuosic, ranging from Dickensian caricature to magical-real lyricism to genuinely affecting pathos. Its emotional range is similarly large. Chia Chen has achieved something extraordinary. Writing a novel of great size and scope, she has also managed to mold her material, as various as it is, into an exciting narrative of discovery: Chen's novel is large and important, and it is also a crackling good read.