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A Free Life (Vintage International) Paperback – January 27, 2009

by Ha Jin (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 107 ratings
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A New York Times Notable Book

One of the Best Books of the Year: Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Entertainment Weekly, Slate

 In A Free Life, Ha Jin follows the Wu family — father Nan, mother Pingping, and son Taotao — as they sever their ties with China in the aftermath of the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square and begin a new life in the United States. As Nan takes on a number of menial jobs, eventually operating a restaurant with Pingping, he struggles to adapt to the American way of life and to hold his family together, even as he pines for a woman he loved and lost in his youth. Ha Jin's prodigious talents are in full force as he brilliantly brings to life the struggles and successes of the contemporary immigrant experience.

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  1. Print length
    672 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    January 27, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.28 x 1.43 x 8.04 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0007183062
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0307278609
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
107 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the author's clarity and meticulousness. The narrative quality is described as thoughtful and introspective, with parts of the U.S. adding to the human value.

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ReadabilityNarrative quality
6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the author's clarity and meticulousness.

"...through the six hundred page plus length of the book, I find it well-written and structured, as well as a compelling story of immigrant life for an..." Read more

"I am a fan of Ha Jin's novels, and love the clarity and meticulousness he brings to his representation of everyday life in mainland China..." Read more

"I enjoyed the beautifully written and thoughtful book. I recommend it to anyone/everyone with an interest in Chinese culture" Read more

"...I would still recommend it. It is an easy read. The charters are well defined and it was interesting to watch them evolve into The American culture." Read more

3 customers mention "Narrative quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative quality and find it thoughtful. They say parts of the U.S. add to the human value of the narrative and find it a very introspective view of a man with many conflicts.

"...and friends in different parts of the U.S. add to the human value of the narrative." Read more

"...I found this a very introspective view of a man with many conflicts ie...." Read more

"I enjoyed the beautifully written and thoughtful book. I recommend it to anyone/everyone with an interest in Chinese culture" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • DC Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Free Life
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    I received this book by Ha Jin in good time and in the condition advertised. Although I am only half through the six hundred page plus length of the book, I find it well-written and structured, as well as a compelling story of immigrant life for an educated Chinese couple. Their struggles are familiar but different from those of other ethic immigrants. The stories of their neighbors and friends in different parts of the U.S. add to the human value of the narrative.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • PA Smith
    4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Ha Jin writes about the Chinese immigrant experience in America. This is the second book of his that I have read. Recommended.
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  • Claudine Kahan
    3.0 out of 5 stars Unusual flatness from Ha Jin
    Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I am a fan of Ha Jin's novels, and love the clarity and meticulousness he brings to his representation of everyday life in mainland China (before or around the Tien An Men period.) I also enjoy his quiet wit. His book on the siege of Nanking, while more dramatic, is equally successful in rendering the reality experienced by ordinary people. But here, in this book which appears to celebrate the life made available to the narrator in the US, the tone is strangely different. What is lacking is his very subtle humor, and the nuances that help build a character's depth. Occasionally one gets glimpses of the sensitivity that is there, most strongly in the portraying of the main character's wife and child, but it is unfortunately offset by the coarseness of unnecessary conclusions.
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  • marlene k freed
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoy Ha Jins writing having previously read Waiting. I found this a very introspective view of a man with many conflicts ie. a previous love, having to make a living yet really just wanting to be a sucessful writer. How Nan handled these conflicts and eventually being happy
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Super Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed the beautifully written and thoughtful book.

    I recommend it to anyone/everyone with an interest in Chinese culture
    Helpful
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  • algo41
    4.0 out of 5 stars exeptionally interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021
    “A Free Life” is exceptionally interesting. As a social novel it provides insight into educated Chinese expatriates in the US, those whose education is not in subjects which provide monetary reward, such as political science; struggling to make a reasonable living is important. Some of the characters have literary achievements, large and small, in the US and in China and are part of a social network. Attitudes about mainland China are of some importance.

    There are a great many plot developments, each of which in itself is neither contrived nor implausible. The husband is a complex character while his wife is to some degree stereotypical, but also sometimes surprising, with many talents. The memory of the husband’s first girlfriend casts a shadow over their marriage, but for me this was the least satisfactory aspect of the novel. On the other hand, it is nice that while very serious people, the couple at the heart of this novel do both have a sense of humor.
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  • Shirley M Barry
    1.0 out of 5 stars boring
    Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023
    Last year I read Han Jin's Waiting and I liked it. This year I bought A Free Life at a used book sale. I did not realize it was by the same author until I saw a list of his other books on the book jacket. Which leads to one of the problems I have with A Free Life; it is based on the same premise as Waiting: a Chinese man is married with a child. He "carries the torch" for another woman but for some reason or other he cannot get a divorce. His work forces him to work in a different city that keeps him away from his family. The rest is filler. Honestly, I wish authors would exercise more creativity than to use the same plot in more than one book.

    The other problem I have with this book is that it is BORING. It was so slow moving. It is my opinion that few novel should be 657 pages; most of them that start out to be that long need to be edited down--including A Free Life. I read 135 pages but could not imagine reading 522 more pages. So rather than wasting any more time on it I gave up and put it in the donation pile.
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  • Jayfred
    2.0 out of 5 stars Not good enough.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2017
    I enjoyed some of his other books but this one was disappointing. The father and the son are not very likable. I gave up after 40 pages.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • KM
    5.0 out of 5 stars 良心的です。
    Reviewed in Japan on September 23, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    初めての注文方法だったので不安でしたが、アメリカから他国へ、期限内に確実に配達されました。
    安心しました。機会があったら、また利用させていただこうとおもっています。
    有り難うございました。
    Report