Customer Reviews

Bound

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Fourteen-year-old Xing Xing lives in ancient China and her life is literally "bound". Bound by the old traditions of China where she must become the servant of her stepmother after her father's death. Bound by the injustice and ill treatment of women. Bound to remain a servant the rest of her life and be neglected by society. Bound to never find a husband because she has no parents to arrange her a suitable marriage. Xing Xing spends her days being a slave girl to her half-sister Wei Ping who is also bound, but in a different way. Wei Ping has her feet cruelly bound to make them small, a tradition in China, that symbolizes wealth and elegantness, a painful compulsory act if a girl is going to marry into the high society. Xing Xing however does not complain about her role in the family and secretly feeds her passion of and gift of poetry and calligraphy. She secretly dreams of a different life of freedom, a life that seems so far away, that is until the village has its annual festival, a big celebration in which Xing Xing's stepmother hopes to find a husband for Wei Ping. Things are going to change however and greed in the end might threaten all that Xing Xing has built up for herself.

I am a Chinese-American and I really did feel this book lived up to my expectations and the Chinese Cinderella myth that is was based on. Life in Ancient China was not easy for women and the bound feet was something that my great-great-grandma had to go through too and it was a terrible experience for her. I have become a fan of Donna Jo Napoli after her book Daughter of Venice and Bound lived up to everything I'd hoped for. A definite recommendation!

This is not your familiar, comfortable Cinderella story. There are no magic wands or pumpkin coaches, and happily ever after happens only in, well, fairy tales. Real life offers few of these sugar spun fantasies, particularly for three unsupported women in a Ming dynasty Chinese village. Fourteen year old Xing Xing, her stepmother, and her half-sister Wei Ping are each bound: socially, ideologically, and financially. The physical, crippling binding of Wei Ping's feet is a metaphor for an encompassing system of patriarchal privilege. But in another sense of the word, to be bound is also to be heading towards something-- not so much a fate, as a rare and precious choice of fates.

That freedom of choice is the greatest of presents from Xing Xing's dead mother. She may (or may not) be incarnated as a giant white and red carp, in a pond near the potter's cave in which the three women continue to live with increasing poverty after the death of Xing Xing's father. The orphaned Xing Xing lives on her stepmother's charity, such as it is, as a virtual slave. Life isn't all bad, of course. Xing Xing finds joy in writing calligraphy and poetry into the sky, in visiting the beautiful carp, in the beauty of a painted pottery shard, and in the green dress and very special pair of slippers her mother secretly left behind for her.

These four women-- Xing Xing, her dead mother, Stepmother, and Wei Ping-- and their relationships to each other are at the heart of the story. Napoli redraws Stepmother as an understandable, if not likable, figure who behaves as she does for very good reasons: ideology, jealousy, and an anxiety for Wei Ping's and her own wellbeing, for which she is willing to sacrifice Xing Xing's. The psychological undercurrents, particularly the hint of tensions between Stepmother and Xing Xing's mother when they were both alive as the potter's two wives, drive and fill in the frame of the story. No effort is made to make a traditional villain into a heroine, as with Napoli's earlier retelling of Hansel and Gretel (The Magic Circle), but Stepmother is a fully realized and complex character.

Other characters are less well drawn than Stepmother. Xing Xing is a little bland in comparison, though her conflicting desires to conform to social norms for women and to find her own voice make her a likable heroine who, though forward thinking, is not jarringly anachronistic. The prince is appealing, but he appears only briefly and rather belatedly. Despite (or because of) this, Napoli pens a conclusion as convincingly real as it is satisfying.

It doesn't all work perfectly. The magic is incorporated with subtle ambiguity in the figure of the carp, but it seems to be almost a cop out to have a blatantly magical slipper that is too small for bound feet (only when belonging to the wrong people) but fits unbound ones (belonging to the right person). The details of historical setting can also be rather awkwardly introduced, like when Stepmother mentions the "jiang hu lang zhong," immediately adding, "a barefoot wandering doctor." Overall, however, Cinderella fits in so well with a Chinese setting-- unsurprising, given that the oldest recorded versions of the tale are Chinese-- that it seems odd that Cinderella isn't set there more often.

Napoli rewrites a tale that traditionally takes place, once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, with an unflinching honesty that comes with its own brand of wisdom, logic, and magic. Bound is no longer quite a romance, in either form or content, but it is a deeply thoughtful retelling that reads as though a slipper were finally returning to its proper owner; that this was the way it really happened.

I was VERY excited to see that a new book had come out by Donna Jo Napoli. I love many of her books. My favorite is Zel, and Sirena is also very good. Bound is a very excellent book and I am very pleased with it, especially because it was better than Beast, which i personally thought could have been a bit better.
Bound is based on the Chinese version of Cinderella. I loved how it was filled with details about life in ancient China, and it was very interesting to learn more about the tradition of girls having their feet bound to make them smaller. The only small complaint I have with this book is that the end seems a bit rushed, but I really loved how the whole book was filled with Xing Xing's daily life. I especially was fascinated with Xing Xing's crazy stepmother. The book IS expensive, but i suggest you buy it!

I can't believe this book received starred reviews from professional review sources. This is one of the most unbearably bad example of "cramming as much outlandish details from another culture and making the readers FEEL such outlandishness down their throat" stories I have ever encountered.

I like Napoli's books, generally. However, I am Chinese and what she is telling is a story that is NOT really set in China, but a completely erroneously imagined land in her mind.

She gets so many customs wrong -- and especially glaring is her references of the Chinese "PUNS." It show a complete lack of understanding of the Chinese written language. CARP (Li with a 3rd tone) and ADVANTAGE (Li with a 4th gone) are completely DIFFERENT WORDS. They don't look ANYTHING alike... and since they're different in TONES, they cannot be considered puns to each other. And, the ludicrous claim by the "prince" of how the name of the Dynasty (Ming/2nd tone) and Fate (Ming/4th tone) are puns to each other makes me cringe with anger. (Especially consider how unskillfully this is done - NO Chinese speaking person will say, "Ming, speaking with a lifting tone" and "Ming, speaking with a downward tone.." Grrr...

How did this book pass other Chinese consultants to be published is BEYOND my understanding!!!! Do NOT buy this book -- do NOT include it in your "multicultural" curriculum .. because it is INACCURATE...

"Fins like red clouds at sunset,
Eyes like gold tears of joy, sparkling wet
White fish in cold water, happily met" (pg 21)


Xing Xing writes this poem in the dirt while she dreams of achieving her deceased father's aspirations for her; perfection in painting, poetry, and calligraphy. She writes it to what seems to be her only friend, a beautiful carp that lives in a moat near her home. Wandering away from her daily chores she speaks to her trustworthy friend every chance she gets. She begins to believe that the spirit of her dead mother lies within the fish's heart. Tucked away in an ancient oriental village, thousands of miles where the European Cinderella is living her chronicle, Xing Xing stars in her own Cinderella story.

With both Xing Xing's biological parents departed, Xing Xing is left in the care of her stepmother with the company of her stepsister, Wei Ping. Shortly after Xing Xing's father's death, Stepmother starts to "prepare" Wei Ping for marriage. Stepmother insists on finding Wei Ping the grandest husband possible, one who will take all of them in. Xing Xing serves as the family servant and is emotionally abused by both Wei Ping and Stepmother, mutually considering her unworthy of being a wife, with unbound ugly feet and being too educated for a woman.

In order to make Wei Ping a suitable wife in ancient China, her feet need to be bound. The process of foot binding literally includes breaking the bridge of the foot and tying it back with tight strips of material. Wei Ping is left crippled in agonizing pain for months after stepmother binds her feet, taking all of her helplessness and anger out on Xing Xing.

An accident happens and stepmother sends Xing Xing to go look for a "wandering doctor" a few towns away. Xing Xing sets off, her miseries disappearing slowly along the way, befriending the doctor and finding happiness in herself.

Rather than having a pumpkin turn into a carriage, Xing Xing turns the doctor's medical supplies cart into her own wonderland of calligraphy, decorating the bottles to the best of her ability. The doctor's dog serves as her stallion, leading them wherever they go. In place of a fairy godmother, Xing Xing has the beautiful fish guiding her. Xing Xing's life turns into a fairytale, finding her own prince and magical slipper at the end.

Donna Jo Napoli truly captures a bit of both worlds in her Novel, truly inspiring readers of all ages to never stop dreaming.

I read this book in the hopes of finding a quality book to include in my class library for those students who are not quite ready to read the Amy Tan novels I have included there. I found the book to be not as interesting and engaging as I had hoped. The basic story line is interesting, but seems to be lacking in some regard -- perhaps too superficial. I never really seemed to feel invested in the story or attached to the characters.

That being said, it would probably appeal to some of the readers in my class of 8th graders, most likely those with a lower reading level.

How many of you have siblings? Well those who do can relate to this book. Do you remember when you thought your mother loved a sibling more than you? Well this is a reality for young Xing Xing; her step-mother does love her step-sister more. Xing Xing's mother and father died when she was young, and from then on she was forever forced to tend to her step-mother's and step-sister's every wish.'Bound' by Donna Jo Napoli was the Cinderlla story of a girl in ancient China. Donna Jo Napoli has also written 'Breath' and 'Beast' and many more. Even thought the customs are real and the places are real, this book is still fiction, furthermore it is historical fiction.
The title 'Bound' has many meanings; one, Xing Xing was bound to her father's second wife and daughter. Two, bound or destined to be unmarried with no parents to arrange for a suitable husband. Also, another meaning involving her step-sister; her step-sister's feet were being bound. In ancient China, women with large feet and unmarried women were frowned upon. Xing Xing's step-sister, Wei Ping, is having her feet boung during the novel, feet binding is a process in which one's feet are bound to break the toes in order to have smaller feet. Xing Xing is named 'lazy one' by her step-mother, when in reality she is the one doing all the work. She cooks, cleans, runs errands, and tends to her aggonizing sister.
When her father passed away, his last wish was for Xing Xing to take care of his spirit and her mother's spirit. Step-mother is not only cruel to Xing Xing, but also neglect to take care of their family's ancestors, which is wrong and will bring about bad luck for their fmaily. More than bad luck, Xing Xing is worried about disappointing her father,so she makes it her duty to tend to her parents' spirits. Many minor conflicts and struggles occur along the way; including an evil raccoon, a beautiful fish that may or may not be reincarnated as her mother and a beautiful ball that is held. At the time of the ball, Wei Ping, Xing Xing's step-sister, is trying to find a suitable husband. For some odd reason, Step-mother is being nice to Xing Xing and allowing her to go to the ball. Xing Xing knows step-mother is up to something, so she decides not to go with her. Later she sneaks out to the ball wearing her dead mother's dress and golden shoes. At the time of the ball is when the Cinderlla part kicks in. I won't give away the ending, but everyone knows every Cinderlla finds her Prince Charming. This is not the only major conflict; a reoccuring conflict is step-mother being cruel to Xing Xing and her mother's spirit and Xing Xing having to take care of the family when both step-mother and step-sister are ill.
I strongly recommend this book to girls because it a has a beautiful ending, but still has substance. The author spares the gruesome details of feet binding and other atrocities, however, does not try to cover them up. I really enjoyed this book and I learned alot about ancient Chinese customs. A few such as feet binding and their way of life. 'Bound' is a book i would recommned to any girl reader.

I can't speak for the cultural and historical accuracies, as I'm ignorant myself. I suggest reading all these reviews, as there is at least one that explains some glaring mistakes that make a big difference (unless you don't know about them, but what can you gain by that?). In a book like this, where it is supposed to be set in an actual time and place, accuracy is key, fantasy or no.

Someone complained that Xing Xing is too obedient. Cinderella was EXTREMELY obedient and complacent: she was "good." That's the whole story. That's the first and foremost reason I have, though there are others, like considering the time period and traditions; Xing Xing isn't given a social peer group that encourages her to rebel. The last thing one should be worrying about is how obedient she is.

I felt as though the book was building up towards something bigger, but it never really got there. The ending with the prince...entirely too short and almost thrown away. It's not as if that part is very great in the other versions of Cinderella; it's just sort of a letdown after all the details that went into the subplots of the raccoon kit, etc.

The main plot of the story was NOT centered on Xing Xing's self-discovery or self-worth or any real change. It was moving in her journey to follow a traveling medicine man, which, when finished, is sort of a let-down as you realize, wait, it's all wrapping up. THAT was the build up to THIS? which is, of course, the climax, which isn't much of anything at all.

I read it all in a couple of hours (it's less than two hundred pages), and it read smoothly and easily; it just didn't have a real POINT to it. Nothing very strong. If you're a Napoli fan, as I was, read it, but you might be disappointed. If you're interested in the author for the first time, read The Magic Circle, Sirena, or Spinner. Those are some of the best, and good to get you started.

This book is a great Chinese version of the Cinderella story, which you can tell Ms. Napoli did a lot of research for by the rich detail and description of Chinese life in that period. Also, it was not your typical Cinderella story in that Xing Xing (pronounced Shing Shing) got along pretty well with her half sister Wei Ping until the end, but I won't give away what happened then! Not to mention, this book was very engrossing and I found that it was extremely difficult to put down; I would even take it into restaurants with me! I had no trouble becoming attached to Xing Xing, the main character, and it was one of those rare books that brings tears to your eyes. Furthermore, the things that happened to Xing Xing because she was a girl were all realistic.(Excluding the whole fairy-tale thing.) The only reason I'm giving it four stars is because fantasy is more my type of thing and I wish it hadn't ended so abruptly! All in all if you need a break from really long books and want to read something suspenseful, interesting, and fairly short, then read this book! It's definitely worth it!

Donna Jo Napoli's well-written, elaborate retellings of classic stories have reinvented those fairy tales for new, more sophisticated audiences. With her new novel, BOUND, Napoli continues her tradition by placing the Cinderella story in a specific time and place: the seventeenth-century Ming Dynasty in northern China. By doing so, Napoli is able to combine actual history with fairy tale elements to create a rich and emotionally complex novel.

After Xing Xing's beloved father dies, she is left to the custody of his second wife, her cruel stepmother. Stepmother has just one goal: to help her only daughter Wei Ping marry well. Although Wei Ping is already fifteen years old, Stepmother decides to bind her feet, a process that was usually begun in early childhood. Stepmother is convinced that this horrific process, which her late husband frowned upon, will make Wei Ping more attractive to potential suitors. Instead, it gives the girl debilitating pain and a life-threatening infection.

While her stepsister heals, Xing Xing becomes the family servant, dressed in rags and only secretly practicing the "three perfections" --- painting, poetry, and calligraphy --- which her father had valued and helped cultivate in her. Xing Xing loves to learn, but adults in her society discourage it, saying that "lack of talent in a woman is a virtue." As Xing Xing attempts to practice her art and evade her evil Stepmother, she finds solace from an unexpected source --- a giant fish who may be the spirit of her late mother.

Napoli's story bears a general resemblance both to traditional Western Cinderella stories and to the much older Chinese Cinderella tales. By placing her story in a specific time and place, Napoli also introduces historical details and themes about the value of women, which add depth to the tale. All the familiar elements are here: the cruel stepmother, the stepsister (who here is not really evil, just needy), the fancy dress, the lost shoe, and the prince. What may be surprising is why Xing Xing seeks to marry the prince --- rather than romance, prestige, or the love of fine things, Xing Xing seeks a royal marriage because it may be her only chance to grow into a strong, accomplished, and independent woman.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl