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Fleurs de Chine (Regards croisés)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 15, 2019
This is the first time I read a book from Chinese author Wei-Wei. This title is a short story book, divided in 16 short stories about 11 female characters named afer 11 flowers: Magnolia, Ketmie, Chrysantheme, Gardénia, Armoise, Orchidée, Pivoine, Jasmin, Azalee, Camélia and Lotus.
The major themes are about Chinese women: weight of traditions on woman, marriage, consequences of one child policy on women and first born daughters, economic self-empowerement/independance, cultural revolution...
These short stories are independant one from the other, but are somewhat related. Thus, it is best to follow the chronology of the stories and not skip them. Leading character in one story is related to another leading character in another character; one leading character becomes a passive secondary character in another story, 2 stories are about the same woman with 2 different names living 2 different lives; one leading story is mentioned briefly in another.
Most of the stories are about Chinese woman born and raised in rural areas, of different ages and generation. Most of the stories are set in the southern city of Old Bainan. The stories are set in different periods of time from 1930's til 1990's.
The author's writing style is very descriptive throughout the book about landscape, about daily lives, and routines. The descriptive writing style is very useful when the story contains landscapes such as in the first and third stories, but it was unnecessary to used it in other chapters. Describing the entire menu of a restaurant or each movement done by another character inside her shop is just stretching the book too much.
Like so many short stories books I've read before, readers will like some and not be interested in others. I liked very much the first and third story about Magnolia and Chrysanthéme, which are about 2 womand, born and raised in rural area into poor families, one was forced to an arranged marriage and then left to join the Red Army and another was about to be forced to an arranged marriage, but fled with her lover into unknown territories.
The story about Chrysanthème was about the long march the Red Army of 250.000 men and women did to move from one province to a another far away, but they all perished but 7.000 due to conflict, famine, disease, and the long walk through dangerous road in snowy mountains and marecages. I didn't know of this event at all until I read it in this book.
Like most short stories books, depending on readers you may like some stories and not others or enjoy reading them all or none of them.
The major themes are about Chinese women: weight of traditions on woman, marriage, consequences of one child policy on women and first born daughters, economic self-empowerement/independance, cultural revolution...
These short stories are independant one from the other, but are somewhat related. Thus, it is best to follow the chronology of the stories and not skip them. Leading character in one story is related to another leading character in another character; one leading character becomes a passive secondary character in another story, 2 stories are about the same woman with 2 different names living 2 different lives; one leading story is mentioned briefly in another.
Most of the stories are about Chinese woman born and raised in rural areas, of different ages and generation. Most of the stories are set in the southern city of Old Bainan. The stories are set in different periods of time from 1930's til 1990's.
The author's writing style is very descriptive throughout the book about landscape, about daily lives, and routines. The descriptive writing style is very useful when the story contains landscapes such as in the first and third stories, but it was unnecessary to used it in other chapters. Describing the entire menu of a restaurant or each movement done by another character inside her shop is just stretching the book too much.
Like so many short stories books I've read before, readers will like some and not be interested in others. I liked very much the first and third story about Magnolia and Chrysanthéme, which are about 2 womand, born and raised in rural area into poor families, one was forced to an arranged marriage and then left to join the Red Army and another was about to be forced to an arranged marriage, but fled with her lover into unknown territories.
The story about Chrysanthème was about the long march the Red Army of 250.000 men and women did to move from one province to a another far away, but they all perished but 7.000 due to conflict, famine, disease, and the long walk through dangerous road in snowy mountains and marecages. I didn't know of this event at all until I read it in this book.
Like most short stories books, depending on readers you may like some stories and not others or enjoy reading them all or none of them.
July 27, 2011
bee-oo-tee-fool composition of flowers :) Nice way to arrange several stories and create some flashback while reading. Wei-Wei tells about China social events, in a short way, and book characters, in a longer way. It is all about life with drama, love, happiness. Each part is alike a story, so reading can be interrupted for a small time, with the benefit to start or continue another story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews