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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A comic and satirical view of Communist China,
By
This review is from: In the Pond (Paperback)
Deceptively simple, this slim book, set in Communist China, is the story of Shao Bin, a maintenance worker by day and an aspiring artist by night. When denied a larger apartment for his small family, he creates a political cartoon blaming his bosses for corruption. This begins of series of increasingly provocative attacks and counterattacks as the humble man outwits his superiors over and over again.The author, Ha Jin, came to the United States at the age of 29 in 1985, having spent six years serving in the People's Liberation Army. His descriptions of daily life and typical frustrations are refreshing. This is not a book about prison camps or starvation. This is not a book about the tyranny of communism or of escape to freedom. This is simply a book about a man who wants a larger apartment. Anyone who has ever felt frustration by being a little fish in a big pond can identify with Shao Bin who, in spite of setback after setback just keeps on going. There is satire in this book, and very funny slapstick comedy, and I felt myself laughing out loud at times. Do not miss this delightful gem of a book.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read This Book,
By Kim Shannon (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In the Pond (Hardcover)
Normally I wouldn't take the time to do something like this, but this is one of the best books I've ever read. When I read, I tend to be aware of style--that an author is trying to convey something in a certain way. I was swept away by this book. In the book, the main character thinks about what it means to produce a masterpiece; he thinks it means to become one with the artistic piece. "In the Pond" must be a masterpiece. The story is so alive. You live the book as you read it. You feel as if you're there. If you'd like to get outside of yourself completely for awhile, this is the book for you.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A slim, sly and perceptive novel,
By mtlaurafl@aol.com (Florida & Kentucky) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In the Pond (Hardcover)
After first reading Ha Jin's short story collections, like Under the Red Flag, I was very interested in reading a novel. He did not disappoint. One might expect the gut punch his stories like "Emperor" throw at us, but rather Jin did what few can do well. He created a subtle satire that extends beyond Communist China to all the world, just imagine your corporate heirarchy instead of a communist regime. Using humor that is either sly or farcical, he reminded me of another cunning writer, Don Delillo. In studying what makes a hero, he gets closer to such a character, a more real person than any Odysseus could ever be. This is the best book that I have read in the past year, except maybe McCarthy's Cities of the Plain.
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