Customer Reviews

Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ms. Fallows does an admirable job breaking down and explaining what learning Chinese is all about - and does this in a very engaging fashion. Her skill as a linguist gives her the skill to provide insight covering not only the language aspect of learning Chinese, but more importantly into the cultural aspect of learning Chinese, which I think is even more valuable and much rarer. For example she discusses the ramifications of using a single spoken word "Ta", but different characters to mean he, she, it and the history of the word. Her chapter on direction, orientation and maps is especially interesting because of the difference between how the Chinese arrange maps and the Western world arranges maps.

I could continue talking about the specifics, but her book overall provides valuable insight and is a great foundation for anyone trying to learn Chinese, understand Chinese culture or is planning a visit to China. I wish Ms. Fallows book had been written five years ago when I started learning Chinese - it would have vastly shortened my learning curve. Get this book today - you'll be glad did.

I quite enjoyed this book. Like the author, I am a linguist who has studied Chinese, though I've only had the opportunity to make one short visit to China. This book was a chance to vicariously visit China with someone whose perspective I very much admire.

However, the type-setting in the Kindle edition was VERY disappointing. About half of the Chinese characters show up as little boxes. Another 25% are weirdly big and pixelated. It's as if they weren't aware that the book had non-Roman characters in it, or didn't proof-read. I expect better from the Kindle experience.

Dreaming in Chinese is a the story of how learning the Chinese language gives one a glimpse in the the Chinese way of life. It is written in a very straightforward style but is not without charm. Fallows can back the rather whimsical look at one of the world's hardest languages for western language learners with the poignant knowledge of a trained linguist. Her stories, which might seem to be light on content, are actually quick revealing and she chose each chapter's focus well as taken together, they do a decent job illustrating several key points of the Chinese mindset.

While language learners and linguists will enjoy the book, it might seem to others that the book is somewhat shallow. The author's life abroad, while a definite challenge, can come off sounding rather privileged. Learning a language is not easy and Fallows doesn't portray it as such, but she constantly references their travels and multiple homes which can make the trials of learning Mandarin seem like a luxury rather than a necessity.

As another reviewer mentioned, her presentation of Chinese varies and the lack of consistency can be disruptive to the flow of the text as well as the whole of book. If possible, the Chinese should be presented with the character, pinyin, and translation.

The book is very readable, mostly enjoyable, and well thought out.

I agree with the other 3 star ratings that the book is a lighthearted read, with little substance. I also found at least one mistake: the book says that Xiamen means "below the gate", but in fact, the "xia" in Xiamen is not the same as the "xia" that means "below". It's just a minor issue, but as a previous reviewer mentioned, it would have been obvious as a mistake if all Chinese words were accompanied by the character as well as the pinyin. In fact, the author admits that her husband is the one good at characters - I would have thought he would have caught that one...

If you want a really good read by an author that has truly lived the life of "lao bai xing" (the common people), check out anything by Peter Hessler, such as River Town or Oracle Bones.

I actually enjoyed reading this book. Its short and easy to get through. But you get what you pay for. The book feels like a non-cohesive hodgepodge of stories. I found a few of Deborah Fallows statements repeat, almost word for word, throughout her book. The book feels more like you're having a conversation with the author at a dinner party about her recent trip to China, rather than reading a well though-out planned book. This book is merely her musings on the topic, with no study to back anything up, or even interviews with experts in the field. I suspect that the rave reviews written on the back cover were from her, or her husband's friends, as they are both in the academic world and have access to these people. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the book and its lighthearted read. Just don't expect anything really substantive and be prepared for repetition, even though the book is so short. Also, there is no organized flow to the book. Just a random collection of short musings on topics, often time making little connection to the language. This entire book should have been condensed into a few pages as an introduction to a Lonely Planet book on China, rather than its own book on language.

This little book packs a wallop in terms of zeroing in on the intersection of language and culture. I just called my daughter-in-law, recently returned from two years in Shanghai, to promise her own hot-off-the-press copy within the week. How I wish we'd read it before we went to visit them in Shanghai, but Fallows herself arrived just about the same time. Her descriptions clearly capture and explain some of the daily experiences that befuddle expats, and she does so as a warm and willing learner with an academic's sensibilities. This is a wonderful book for travelers, expats, exchange students, and the college language student who's realized that Chinese will be well worth the effort.

In the last few years at our house, we've laid down a path through personal narratives of China that vividly capture westerners' China experiences, among them Susan Jane Gilman's at-once riveting and infuriating odyssey of clueless college grads in the 1980s (Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, Peter Hessler's 1990s Peace Corps journal River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.), Nicole Mones sumptious feast The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel, and Hessler's newest Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory. In Dreaming in Chinese, Fallows' delivers a lovely framework for them all.

What a treat!

Deborah Fallows is a linguist, but still she struggled to learn Chinese when she and her husband spent three years living and traveling in Shanghai and Beijing. Using insights she gained from her language studies, this short fun book explores Chinese culture through the idiosyncrasies of Mandarin, China's most common language. Each of the 14 chapters covers a different linguistic and cultural quirk, including why the Chinese aren't good with pronouns, why they don't often say, "I love you" and why they consider too much politeness to be rude.

Linguist Deborah Fallows lived in Beijing and Shanghai with her husband for three years. The result is this charming book which is perfect for those undertaking the study of Mandarin (which she refers to in the book as Chinese) or those merely with an interest in China today. As Fallows struggles to learn Mandarin, the dominant language of China, she shows us the differences between Mandarin and Western languages, and its ties to the Chinese people's view of the world. For example,Chinese moves from the big to the small. Addresses start with country, city, street and then apartment number. Names begin with family name and then personal names. Dates are written year, month and day. Whether discussing the Chinese lack of pronouns or the special difficulties of learning to read and write the language, Fallows illustrates her points with stories from her encounters with the Chinese people and their customs.

I picked up this book because it was thin and it looked interesting. Being born a Chinese but never lived in China, I learned Chinese at a young age and had never thought about difficulty in learning it.

So reading Ms Fallows's book gave me a more understanding and appreciation for my language. She's written with such ease and flow that it seems like you were having a conversation with a friend who just came home from overseas and was telling you all the fun things she discovered.

I don't think she ever intended the book to be a guide for anything. I didn't expect it to be academic. She just tried to recall her experience and relate them to the language she learned. Some of her stories made me smile in recognition and for her insight.

After finished the book, I wish it were longer.

This book is an anecdotal, autobiographical look at modern China and Chinese culture based on the author's experiences while living in Shanghai and Beijing. The author draws upon her experiences with learning and using the Chinese Mandarin language to explore a variety of ideas and themes about Chinese culture, Chinese society, and Chinese perspectives about life.

This book does not present any systematic survey or study of Chinese culture or Chinese Mandarin. However, the author does make some perceptive and insightful observations about Chinese culture and Chinese Mandarin. This book is more suitable for casual reading than for scholarly study.

Anyone interested in a systematic, scholarly look at how Chinese culture influences and affects Chinese forms of speech and communications should consider reading Ge Gao & Stella Ting-Toomey, Communicating Effectively with the Chinese (Communicating Effectively in Multicultural Contexts) (SAGE Publications, 1998).