Customer Reviews

Shanghai

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

 

 

The novel is pulp, no doubt. But among pulp rivals, it stands out.
New was a very literate man, a Hongkong based professor of English literature, who also knew his Chinese history.
The book is part of a trilogy. It is the first part and covers roughly the first half of the 20th century in Shanghai. If you know nothing about that period and place, this is as good an entry level as any. The novel tells the story of a young English customs official (first lesson: China's customs were run by foreigners during the last emperors' reign), who arrives in Shanghai around the turn of the century and who is going to experience the glory and the misery of the place and the generic expatriate over the next 50 years.
Of course he has to quit soon and start his own business, as the emperors have to quit soon and start whatever they started (have a look at Bertolucci's Last Emperor for the details of that story). He lives through ups and downs of an undefined period. The peak of undefinition is the bloody war between Chiang Kai Shek and the newly founded Communist Party (which was an offspring of the Kuomintang, which itself was a Leninist party; this in the face of all the terrible simplificators who think that George Marshall 'lost' China to the Communists! as if it was his to lose!)
Japan invades and things turn hard; Japan loses the war and things look up for a moment, but then down again, the Communists win the civil war, and the hero's business tacks in its tail and runs to Hongkong.
As far as pulp goes, this book is top notch.
If you knew nothing of 20th century Chinese history before, now you know a lot.
Thanks to Mr.New!

A novel following the evolution of an Englishman, arriving to China in 1905, and the city he lives and works on, Shangai, until the late forties. Good characters and story, and an excellent historical and sociological background for readers interested in China and the East.

This is an engaging historical novel of both Shanghai and China. The main plot and various subplots move along nicely, the main characters are interesting and generally well developed, moral issues related to imperalism are addressed, and the political and sociological background of the city and China are portrayed well. The author definitely captures the exotic mystique of the city during the early part of the 20th century. A definite read for those interested in historical fiction about Asia.

In short, this is by far the best epic novel I've ever read. Having read all that James Clavell has written, this novel by Christopher New, in the same flavor of Clavell's Asian epics, actually exceeds Clavell's offerings in taste and flow of the narrative. I am a great fan of Clavell and I thought nothing could exceed "Tai Pan" for depth of character development and suspense. Then I read Shanghai.

I expected a lot more out of this book, but basically it's a copy of Clavell's Noble House set in Shanghai. Having worked in China for several years I may be a bit of a cynic on these type of books, however I felt the characters and story were not well developed. It does give you some glimpse of old Shanghai, but the awkward Chinese the author uses (not standard Pinyin) makes it hard understand names etc. Overall the book was lacking the detail that I was hoping describing life in Shanghai. In addition it was the standard story of a foreigner coming to Asia, falling in love with a local and having a falling out with his foreign wife. On the other hand, the writing style is easy reading and could be a good book for tourists on the plane ride over.

Shanghai is the kind of book people mean when they say "They don't write them like that any more." It's one of the biggest, best, most fascinating novels I've read in years, and I read maybe 100 novels a year. The story of John Denton, a British expat, becomes the story of the city of Shanghai over 50-some years of turbulent history, but for all the historical content the characters (and they're great characters) remain front and center. This is the first in New's trilogy about China, and it brilliantly sets the stage for what's to come. I recommend it very highly.

I realy like this book. I think this one of the best fiction books about China I have read. I recomend this book highly

This book was...long. Much longer than it should've been.

Shanghai, for the longest time (especially pre-war Shanghai) was said to have been Gomorrah to Berlin's Sodom. True enough, especially if you read this novel.

Opening with John (that's the Englishman)'s move to Shanghai, his career (quite checkered, with smuggling, extortion, ect), his loves (a lesbian wife and a scintillatingly beautiful mistress -eventually second wife), his children (three by his first wife, two by his second) and his obsession with the city which spanned forty-five years.

Intersped are passages about his wife, Ellen, whom he married like Isable Archer did Gilbert Ormond -only he's "Isabel", and his relationship with Lily, a Chinese sing-song girl and actress who he'd known all those years since he go there, and their relationship in all the glorioso and excesses of love (which didn't need to be written down). And strangely, which he seemed more and more detatched and emotionally inaccessable every time he gets what he wants, and all other things unexplained.

You'd have to brave this novel -it's not deftly enough to carry you through the entire thing, and quite lacking the speed and pace of novels by Colleen McCullough, John McLean or Margaret George to make a 400+ pages work seem short.

This novel dies as it grows. If you love the individualism, heroism and power of James Clavell, get ready for the cynicism, impotence and sadness of Christopher New. The first quarter of the book shows great promise and then spirals into nothingness in its attempt to break the Clavell traditions of absolute good vs absolute evil, all the while moving into the murky waters of moral relativism. I was left feeling empty and cold by this novel. Save your money and time and read something by Clavell, Ayn Rand or Mario Puzo.