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Love In No Man's Land
The Changthang Plateau lies in the centre of Tibet. A vast, rolling grassland stippled with azure-blue lakes and ringed by snow peaks, it is home to seven-year-old Gongzha and his family who live, as their ancestors have done for centuries, by herding and hunting. But it is 1967 and the Cultural Revolution is seeping across China. Not even the grasslands of Tibet are immune. As the Red Guard systematically loot and destroy Tibet's monasteries, Gongzha helps hide two treasures belonging to his local temple: an ebony-black Buddha marked with an ancient symbol and a copy of the twelfth-century text the Epic of King Gesar, written in gold ink. The repercussions of his act will echo across the decades.
Gongzha will be taken far from home, to mountain peaks and subterranean labyrinths. He will lose love and find it. He will battle wolves, bears, outlaws and his own self as legend and history are interwoven in the story of a young man's quest to find happiness in a time of uncertainty and unrest.
Gongzha will be taken far from home, to mountain peaks and subterranean labyrinths. He will lose love and find it. He will battle wolves, bears, outlaws and his own self as legend and history are interwoven in the story of a young man's quest to find happiness in a time of uncertainty and unrest.
512 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2019
7 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Duo Ji Zhuo Ga
2 books3 followersDuo Ji Zhuo Ga is a HanTibetan author living in Lhasa. She wrote her first novel, Tibetan Marriage, in 2009 and has since published seven novels.
She serves as the ViceChair of the Tibet Writers Association
She serves as the ViceChair of the Tibet Writers Association
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 7, 2019
Love and intrigue in the high grasslands of Tibet
Love In No Man’s Land is an epic adventure written with passion and sensitivity. It covers the years from 1967 through to the early 2000s – but it could have come from an earlier time… a much earlier time. In many ways it is reminiscent of Middle Earth. It describes the village in the grasslands (at over 4,500m) where Gongzha was born and raised. Life is tough for the inhabitants of the grasslands. They hunt, tend their yaks and sheep, and live in yak-skin tents. They are a primitive, but very proud, people. Violence is the way of settling disagreements,
Then, in 1967, comes the Cultural Revolution with the Red Guards trying to take over and control every aspect of village life. Seven year old Gongzha is asked by the living Buddha to help him hide the much revered black Medicine Buddha from the Guards. He does so, and he buries it – promising to restore it to the Temple when the present danger has passed. Around the same time a bear called Kaguo is born in the grassland. Little does Gongzha realise what an impact the animal is to have on his life…
A few years later, Gongzha falls in love with Cuomo – a girl in the village. They vow to marry each other. Gongzha goes off to join the Chinese army, but returns every couple of years. He is almost home on his final visit when he sees Cuomo being mauled and killed by Kaguo (whom he recognises by her distinctive marking). Cuomo had disturbed Kaguo and her two cubs – and a bear mother will do anything to protect her young. Gongzha is distraught, and vows to slay Kaguo to avenge Cuomo’s death. He spends years travelling far and wide in the grasslands and mountains to accomplish his mission. He hunts and lives off the land.
Meanwhile Feng, a smart and sophisticated young business lady from Shanghai, decides to visit Tibet. She is a friend of the son of a doctor who used to work on the grasslands back in the late 60s. Her friend’s father recommends that she tries to visit Gongzha, who he has not seen for years but remembers fondly. She, almost by chance, encounters Gongzha in the grasslands – and falls in love with him (but doesn’t know whether he has with her – and is very aware of Cuomo). She goes back to Shanghai, but can’t get him out of her mind. She returns to Tibet to see if she can pick up where she left off. They find each other again, and embark on an epic adventure – first they are captured by a violent antelope poaching bandit gang, and then they live in a remote settlement where the inhabitants still practice the ancient religion of the grassland. All is explained about the tradition of the Medicine Buddha, which Gongzha still carries with him.
Feng and Gongzha live happily on the grassland ‘for ever’. Kaguo survives.
Love in No Man’s Land is a beautifully written (and beautifully translated) story of our times. The story is a real insight into the rapidly changing life of the tribes that live in the harsh grasslands and mountains of Tibet. In the course of the book, telephones appear and roads are built. It is about a people trying to move forward but maintain their past. Duo Ji Zhuo Ga is an author much famed in her native Tibet. She currently lives in Lhasa, the capital.
Highly recommended.
Love In No Man’s Land is an epic adventure written with passion and sensitivity. It covers the years from 1967 through to the early 2000s – but it could have come from an earlier time… a much earlier time. In many ways it is reminiscent of Middle Earth. It describes the village in the grasslands (at over 4,500m) where Gongzha was born and raised. Life is tough for the inhabitants of the grasslands. They hunt, tend their yaks and sheep, and live in yak-skin tents. They are a primitive, but very proud, people. Violence is the way of settling disagreements,
Then, in 1967, comes the Cultural Revolution with the Red Guards trying to take over and control every aspect of village life. Seven year old Gongzha is asked by the living Buddha to help him hide the much revered black Medicine Buddha from the Guards. He does so, and he buries it – promising to restore it to the Temple when the present danger has passed. Around the same time a bear called Kaguo is born in the grassland. Little does Gongzha realise what an impact the animal is to have on his life…
A few years later, Gongzha falls in love with Cuomo – a girl in the village. They vow to marry each other. Gongzha goes off to join the Chinese army, but returns every couple of years. He is almost home on his final visit when he sees Cuomo being mauled and killed by Kaguo (whom he recognises by her distinctive marking). Cuomo had disturbed Kaguo and her two cubs – and a bear mother will do anything to protect her young. Gongzha is distraught, and vows to slay Kaguo to avenge Cuomo’s death. He spends years travelling far and wide in the grasslands and mountains to accomplish his mission. He hunts and lives off the land.
Meanwhile Feng, a smart and sophisticated young business lady from Shanghai, decides to visit Tibet. She is a friend of the son of a doctor who used to work on the grasslands back in the late 60s. Her friend’s father recommends that she tries to visit Gongzha, who he has not seen for years but remembers fondly. She, almost by chance, encounters Gongzha in the grasslands – and falls in love with him (but doesn’t know whether he has with her – and is very aware of Cuomo). She goes back to Shanghai, but can’t get him out of her mind. She returns to Tibet to see if she can pick up where she left off. They find each other again, and embark on an epic adventure – first they are captured by a violent antelope poaching bandit gang, and then they live in a remote settlement where the inhabitants still practice the ancient religion of the grassland. All is explained about the tradition of the Medicine Buddha, which Gongzha still carries with him.
Feng and Gongzha live happily on the grassland ‘for ever’. Kaguo survives.
Love in No Man’s Land is a beautifully written (and beautifully translated) story of our times. The story is a real insight into the rapidly changing life of the tribes that live in the harsh grasslands and mountains of Tibet. In the course of the book, telephones appear and roads are built. It is about a people trying to move forward but maintain their past. Duo Ji Zhuo Ga is an author much famed in her native Tibet. She currently lives in Lhasa, the capital.
Highly recommended.
January 27, 2020
Visit the locations in the novel
Tibet is a country I have never been to and I haven’t read many novels set there either. The country always seems mysterious and almost fantastical to me. I imagine it to be something like the landscape of a fantasy novel – rocks, mountains and pathways up to a cloud covered sky.
Reading this, it’s pretty much an accurate picture yet this is no fantasy story. It’s a very real portrayal of a family who live in the grasslands of the area. We start the story in 1967 and travel right through the years to the early 21st century.
Culture and pride, religion and faith are important to people here so when Gongzha in the novel is asked to hide artifacts from monasteries, he does so. The Cultural Revolution has just started in China and so the Red Guards there are trying to control life, destroy culture and stamp on their honour and pride in every way.
The people here and their lives were fascinating to read about. Most of them live off the land, tending their yaks and sheep. They eat the meat but also use their skins for tents and other clothes so it’s a really interesting insight into life here. This really is life in a rural mountain environment where everything is created and controlled by strict community rules and expectations. It’s a land where tribes are family and where you get to see the real Tibet. It’s a breathtaking picture. Animals are at the centre of life.
IT’s an animal that is at the centre of the story infact. Gongzha rescues a bear which later brings danger to the village and to the girl he loves. When he sets out for revenge, the land becomes his hunting ground as well as that of the bear’s. Another woman from outside Tibet provides a storyline that takes Gongzha on yet another search. Again, the land provides the backdrop and also the centre of the characters experience and lifestyle. Where we are, who we meet and how we journey back to them are all messages that the novel carries well.
As I read, I really got a growing sense of the landscape and the people who live and survive here. How a raw and visceral place provides raw and visceral stories.Kudos to the translator as this is very lyrical and masterfully done. I can only imagine how brilliant it would be to read in the original!
November 27, 2022
A deeply moving book filled with love, loss and great beauty. I would recommend this book to all historical fiction lovers! The world building and imagination in this novel was spectacular & the landscape descriptions made me feel like I was in the Tibetan Wilderness too. I definitely think this novel is one that I will not forget anytime soon!!! 🤲🌹
August 27, 2020
Negativ Points:
For my personal taste, the storyline was too cheesy — I am no fan of overly romantic novels, especially when absolutely all the actions and the ending can be predicted from the beginning on...
Positive Aspects:
Nevertheless, I give 3 stars as I really enjoyed the description of the landscape in Tibet. It felt like actually travelling there and being amongst the grassland people. The reader discovers the habits, culture and traditions, as well as believes and how all of these elements shape the people and their way of living.
For my personal taste, the storyline was too cheesy — I am no fan of overly romantic novels, especially when absolutely all the actions and the ending can be predicted from the beginning on...
Positive Aspects:
Nevertheless, I give 3 stars as I really enjoyed the description of the landscape in Tibet. It felt like actually travelling there and being amongst the grassland people. The reader discovers the habits, culture and traditions, as well as believes and how all of these elements shape the people and their way of living.
February 25, 2019
This sounded really great, but took way more effort to get through than expected.
The settings and historical as well as political background was interesting, but I really struggled with the characters and the romance part of things.
It was a long book and not entirely my cup of tea. I expected more something like Pachinko by Min Jin Lee or Wild Swans (as it was described as).
Nonetheless thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
The settings and historical as well as political background was interesting, but I really struggled with the characters and the romance part of things.
It was a long book and not entirely my cup of tea. I expected more something like Pachinko by Min Jin Lee or Wild Swans (as it was described as).
Nonetheless thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
February 18, 2019
‘Blood flowed, tears flowed, life went on.’
Sweeping epic: cue the John Barry soundtrack with stunning views of Tibet, as a lone horseman gallops across the plateau….. OK, a little facetious, but that’s exactly what this book is crying out for. Many of the reviews I have read have gushed over this – me, not so much. It’s fine, but it’s not really my cup of tea.
This is the story of Gongzha, growing up in 1960s Tibet as the winds of change blow across the plateau, Mao’s Cultural Revolution throwing old traditions and beliefs out of the window. Hiding a statue of the Buddha and some texts in the face of destruction, Gongzha’s actions will have repercussions later in the book. The opening Prologue tells us about the death of Gongzha’s true love Cuomu, mauled to death by the legendary bear Kaguo, and then we step back in time with Part One to see how their love story developed. Part Two, a longer piece of narrative, jumps forward many years and introduces many new characters, central of them being Feng, who lives and works in Shanghai but visits Tibet where she meets Gongzha, now a wild itinerant nomad, roaming the plains still hunting down the bear Kaguo. This second part involves lots of love triangles, strange enigmatic figures who appear framed against the sky in suitably cinematic poses, and a gang of shadow hunters out for revenge. It’s all rather complicated, and for me there were just too many characters and too many strands for the author to keep track of that, well, I lost interest at times. The ‘romance’ is a bit Mills and Boon at times; when Feng meets Gongzha her hearts ‘flutters’ and a short time later we read: ‘How could this tanned and dusty man who ate raw meat, expressed happiness when he felt it and kept silent when he did not, not be attractive?’
I’m perhaps not the target audience for a book such as this; whilst the scenery and its descriptions were well-written, and the background story of Tibet changing over the decades, how the traditional values of its people and Buddhism evolve, are historically interesting, I found the characters a little two-dimensional and the ‘epic’ love story a little too unbelievable. Lots of near-death experiences, lots of weeping and ‘I can’t live without you’. Some people will love everything about this, but I was left a little underwhelmed, I’m afraid. 3 stars for the setting and some of the descriptions.
Sweeping epic: cue the John Barry soundtrack with stunning views of Tibet, as a lone horseman gallops across the plateau….. OK, a little facetious, but that’s exactly what this book is crying out for. Many of the reviews I have read have gushed over this – me, not so much. It’s fine, but it’s not really my cup of tea.
This is the story of Gongzha, growing up in 1960s Tibet as the winds of change blow across the plateau, Mao’s Cultural Revolution throwing old traditions and beliefs out of the window. Hiding a statue of the Buddha and some texts in the face of destruction, Gongzha’s actions will have repercussions later in the book. The opening Prologue tells us about the death of Gongzha’s true love Cuomu, mauled to death by the legendary bear Kaguo, and then we step back in time with Part One to see how their love story developed. Part Two, a longer piece of narrative, jumps forward many years and introduces many new characters, central of them being Feng, who lives and works in Shanghai but visits Tibet where she meets Gongzha, now a wild itinerant nomad, roaming the plains still hunting down the bear Kaguo. This second part involves lots of love triangles, strange enigmatic figures who appear framed against the sky in suitably cinematic poses, and a gang of shadow hunters out for revenge. It’s all rather complicated, and for me there were just too many characters and too many strands for the author to keep track of that, well, I lost interest at times. The ‘romance’ is a bit Mills and Boon at times; when Feng meets Gongzha her hearts ‘flutters’ and a short time later we read: ‘How could this tanned and dusty man who ate raw meat, expressed happiness when he felt it and kept silent when he did not, not be attractive?’
I’m perhaps not the target audience for a book such as this; whilst the scenery and its descriptions were well-written, and the background story of Tibet changing over the decades, how the traditional values of its people and Buddhism evolve, are historically interesting, I found the characters a little two-dimensional and the ‘epic’ love story a little too unbelievable. Lots of near-death experiences, lots of weeping and ‘I can’t live without you’. Some people will love everything about this, but I was left a little underwhelmed, I’m afraid. 3 stars for the setting and some of the descriptions.
February 16, 2024
A beautifully written story about love and lives, the wild nature and mesmerizing lanscapes. Life in Tibet seems to be separated from the rest of the world at the time the story took place. Despite the growing urbanization across many parts of China, people in Tibet still lived the old way - hunting and herding, just like their ancestors have done for centuries. It is almost completely untouched from time and the outside world.
'Blood flowed, tears flowed, life went on.'
In No Man's Land, the law didn’t govern here. So, people and nature had their own rules to protect balance and justice. One's blood could be paid for other's blood. One's life could be taken for taking other's life. Grassland people had their own rules to settle debt and punishment. The rules are simple, unsophisticated, similar to the raw and wild nature around them.
'It's like this fire - it will die down today, but tomorrow it will brighten again. The grassland too: its flower wither, but next year they will bloom again'
Lifes in No Man's Land were always changing. Accidents, sickness, starvation, and death happened here all the time. Just like the weather that dramatically changed in a short while: a snow storm to a sand storm to rain and sunny sky. It was as hard to predict the weather as to predict one's fate here. One could be lost in the vast land, never to be found. Others could stumble on animals, feeding the natural food chain. While some went to the cities, changing their lifestyles forever. Grasslanders tended to take life as a passenger. Come and go. Belonged, or once belonged. They lived by the rule of nature, of constant changes.
'No matter how beautiful the grassland is, it will never belong to just one person.'
There's a sense of owning nothing in the No Man's Land. No one ruled or survived the land without relying on each other. People, intelligent as they might be, still relied on animals for food and warmth. Killing animal species meant killing one's self as the natural food chain was broken, causing famine in the next years. Even animals relied each other on survival, a pack of wolves sacrificed their lives to steal food from human, so that a few could live on.
I was completely mesmerised by the culture, nature, and landscape in this book. It is rich in emotions, and there were scenes that made me cry. It's very intriguing how things can be meaningful and meaningless at the same time.The writing is also very lyrical and suits the setting well. It is undoubtedly beautiful, nostalgic, and, at times, cruel and wild.
In my opinion, one weak point of the book is the pacing. It's very slow in the first part, and seems to rush towards the ending. I feel like there are many things that were built up early: history, feelings, and many characters involved. However, the ending felt undeserved. Many mysteries were unnaturally revealed, and some situations feel unresolved (eg. Spoiler: when Gongzha gave up on taking Kaguo's life in the last few pages, I felt like it should have been longer, or been more detailed in terms of him moving on. I want to know more about his new life with Feng, and how he managed his conflicting emotions. He was stuck in the grief and anger towards Kaguo for half his life, and letting go of it is no easy task!)
Still, I overally found the book enjoyable. The story, characters, culture, and landscapes are imprinted in my mind. I would love to visit Tibet one day, and witness its lives, changes, and beauty.
"The wilderness became peaceful again. Several white clouds hung from the blue curtain of the heavens. On the distant sand dunes, antelopes gazed curiously at their surrounds. Herds of yak and sheep nibbled lazily at the grass."
'Blood flowed, tears flowed, life went on.'
In No Man's Land, the law didn’t govern here. So, people and nature had their own rules to protect balance and justice. One's blood could be paid for other's blood. One's life could be taken for taking other's life. Grassland people had their own rules to settle debt and punishment. The rules are simple, unsophisticated, similar to the raw and wild nature around them.
'It's like this fire - it will die down today, but tomorrow it will brighten again. The grassland too: its flower wither, but next year they will bloom again'
Lifes in No Man's Land were always changing. Accidents, sickness, starvation, and death happened here all the time. Just like the weather that dramatically changed in a short while: a snow storm to a sand storm to rain and sunny sky. It was as hard to predict the weather as to predict one's fate here. One could be lost in the vast land, never to be found. Others could stumble on animals, feeding the natural food chain. While some went to the cities, changing their lifestyles forever. Grasslanders tended to take life as a passenger. Come and go. Belonged, or once belonged. They lived by the rule of nature, of constant changes.
'No matter how beautiful the grassland is, it will never belong to just one person.'
There's a sense of owning nothing in the No Man's Land. No one ruled or survived the land without relying on each other. People, intelligent as they might be, still relied on animals for food and warmth. Killing animal species meant killing one's self as the natural food chain was broken, causing famine in the next years. Even animals relied each other on survival, a pack of wolves sacrificed their lives to steal food from human, so that a few could live on.
I was completely mesmerised by the culture, nature, and landscape in this book. It is rich in emotions, and there were scenes that made me cry. It's very intriguing how things can be meaningful and meaningless at the same time.The writing is also very lyrical and suits the setting well. It is undoubtedly beautiful, nostalgic, and, at times, cruel and wild.
In my opinion, one weak point of the book is the pacing. It's very slow in the first part, and seems to rush towards the ending. I feel like there are many things that were built up early: history, feelings, and many characters involved. However, the ending felt undeserved. Many mysteries were unnaturally revealed, and some situations feel unresolved (eg. Spoiler: when Gongzha gave up on taking Kaguo's life in the last few pages, I felt like it should have been longer, or been more detailed in terms of him moving on. I want to know more about his new life with Feng, and how he managed his conflicting emotions. He was stuck in the grief and anger towards Kaguo for half his life, and letting go of it is no easy task!)
Still, I overally found the book enjoyable. The story, characters, culture, and landscapes are imprinted in my mind. I would love to visit Tibet one day, and witness its lives, changes, and beauty.
"The wilderness became peaceful again. Several white clouds hung from the blue curtain of the heavens. On the distant sand dunes, antelopes gazed curiously at their surrounds. Herds of yak and sheep nibbled lazily at the grass."
April 21, 2019
I think this just missed the mark for me. There are so many pieces of the book I really loved: the scenery was beautifully described, the complicated history of the land and traditions was fascinating, some of the characters were well fleshed out and you really rooted for them. But there is A LOT in this book, a lot of characters, a lot of relationships (familial, friendship and romantic) that can be complicated to keep track of, and a lot of time passes. Because of this small sections of the book can became confusing (who was where, who was trying to find whom etc.).
SPOILERS BELOW
Overall I didn't dislike the characters I just didn't always understand their motives. The setting and how Duo Ji Zhuo Ga described it was epic and compelling and the story did move well with characters always driven and motivated, but I don't know it just didn't hit the mark for me.
SPOILERS BELOW
Overall I didn't dislike the characters I just didn't always understand their motives. The setting and how Duo Ji Zhuo Ga described it was epic and compelling and the story did move well with characters always driven and motivated, but I don't know it just didn't hit the mark for me.
February 9, 2019
I think I missed the mark with this one. I might re-read it again and see if it agrees with me because the first time didn’t leave a huge impact on me and that’s made me sad because I was expecting to enjoy it thoroughly. It probably has to do with the fact that romance features somewhat more heavily in it than I anticipated. It’s my lack of appreciation in this really.
Let’s start with the good things! The setting, Tibet in the 1960s with lives its people being changed in unnamable ways due to Mao’s Cultural Revolution. These people’s lives are very hard, their life depending on their herds and their animals’ health. With their Buddhist beliefs and a touch of older legends, the book frankly read like a fantasy at times but in the best way possible. Then there’s the descriptions of the land and the mountains and the author did such a brilliant job of it that it made me want to visit Tibet and the funny/sad thing is I totally could too. It’s not far, after all.
I could truly imagine how absolutely gorgeous the places must have been and that sort of made me more fond of the setting than normal. Now, to the not-so-gorgeous things. I think despite being written so brilliantly, I found the plot to be a bit not my cup of tea. It’s a love story at its core and a broken man’s journey towards love and while that seems like a good thing, in recent years, I haven’t really found them to my taste. Then there’s the problem with parts of the book, the first part of it is given such life and vibrance and just when I am getting used to it all, there’s part two. Part two gives us new characters and love triangles and not satisfying closures. So, I preferred the first part entirely. It felt more alive and real to me. Those two or rather 1.5 stars were lost to the second part, truly.
Let’s start with the good things! The setting, Tibet in the 1960s with lives its people being changed in unnamable ways due to Mao’s Cultural Revolution. These people’s lives are very hard, their life depending on their herds and their animals’ health. With their Buddhist beliefs and a touch of older legends, the book frankly read like a fantasy at times but in the best way possible. Then there’s the descriptions of the land and the mountains and the author did such a brilliant job of it that it made me want to visit Tibet and the funny/sad thing is I totally could too. It’s not far, after all.
I could truly imagine how absolutely gorgeous the places must have been and that sort of made me more fond of the setting than normal. Now, to the not-so-gorgeous things. I think despite being written so brilliantly, I found the plot to be a bit not my cup of tea. It’s a love story at its core and a broken man’s journey towards love and while that seems like a good thing, in recent years, I haven’t really found them to my taste. Then there’s the problem with parts of the book, the first part of it is given such life and vibrance and just when I am getting used to it all, there’s part two. Part two gives us new characters and love triangles and not satisfying closures. So, I preferred the first part entirely. It felt more alive and real to me. Those two or rather 1.5 stars were lost to the second part, truly.
November 3, 2022
I received this book as part of a book subscription over lockdown and just got around to reading it now. I had never heard of the author, though I very much enjoying reading about Chiina (fiction and non).
Like the other reviews, the description of the scenery and the background about Tibet was very well written and overall I did enjoy the story. However, I did find the book too long and it was slow going at the start.
Whilst the book starts in the 1960s and progresses, in part one at least, there was very little reference to the Cultural Revolution, and without the main character going into the army and reference to 'struggle meetings' it could frankly have been set further back. I thought that if they were going to make 'a thing' (on the back of the book) of being set then, I was led to expect more detail of this era.
I also can't help thinking that the book overall, sugar coats life in the Tibetan wilderness. It sounds all very romantic, but I expect life is not as easy as it is made out in the book.
I enjoyed the second part more, simply because of the pace and also there seemed to be a lot more breaks in the long chapters, which I found helpful, though yes, there are a lot of near death events!
Overall, I did very much enjoy the book, it but it could have been shorter
Like the other reviews, the description of the scenery and the background about Tibet was very well written and overall I did enjoy the story. However, I did find the book too long and it was slow going at the start.
Whilst the book starts in the 1960s and progresses, in part one at least, there was very little reference to the Cultural Revolution, and without the main character going into the army and reference to 'struggle meetings' it could frankly have been set further back. I thought that if they were going to make 'a thing' (on the back of the book) of being set then, I was led to expect more detail of this era.
I also can't help thinking that the book overall, sugar coats life in the Tibetan wilderness. It sounds all very romantic, but I expect life is not as easy as it is made out in the book.
I enjoyed the second part more, simply because of the pace and also there seemed to be a lot more breaks in the long chapters, which I found helpful, though yes, there are a lot of near death events!
Overall, I did very much enjoy the book, it but it could have been shorter
December 15, 2024
This novel gives such a wonderful sense of place and it feels like a love song to Tibet. It starts as a sort of plodding (but not in a bad way) story of a remote place and the first half does an excellent job of orienting the reader to the ways and customs of the world of yak herders nestled between epic mountains. In the second half, the plot really picks up and it is at that point where everything feels frenetic. So much relationship drama and people doing crazy (and improbable) things for love. It seems like a totally different story. Even though I read the second part more quickly (WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN???), I think I preferred the first part; it just felt more ... real?
All that being said: I now really want to visit Tibet.
All that being said: I now really want to visit Tibet.
April 20, 2024
Loved this book for learning about a completely different culture that I didn't know existed, the Tibetan nomadic yak herders. Also delving more into Chairman Maos communist regime and the cultural revolution in China.
The book really beautifully helped me envision the vast Tibetan planes and mountains and has given me a real yearning to visit one day.
So why has the book only got 3 stars. It annoyed me that the book objectifies women a lot and makes them all look like idiots. I didn't understand why every woman that met Gongzha seems to fall for him when really he didn't have much to offer.
The book really beautifully helped me envision the vast Tibetan planes and mountains and has given me a real yearning to visit one day.
So why has the book only got 3 stars. It annoyed me that the book objectifies women a lot and makes them all look like idiots. I didn't understand why every woman that met Gongzha seems to fall for him when really he didn't have much to offer.
September 6, 2023
I practically had to force myself to read up until the half way point. Had quite some expectations towards this book but am unsure whether it’s the translation issue or the plot issue, I really cannot seem to follow through and didn’t feel like there was a major conflict to anchor it to apart from the “conflict” with the bear? I just scanned the other half — really wished I could love the book.
Read
February 29, 2020Really wanted to like this, but got to dnf. The story is just ok, but it's the dialogue that broke me.
Read
April 18, 2023🇨🇳 China (Tibet)
June 24, 2024
Enjoyed this evocative moving novel, placing me in a wild land beyond my experience, recommend warmly (accidentally deleted my previous review 🙂)
March 30, 2021
Love in No Man’s Land is a sprawling epic that goes from the 1960s to the 1990s. In that time, you see how life for the families who live on the grassland of Tibet change a lot, but at the same time they still keep a lot of their traditions and history. For instance, even though roads and cars start to become more common, there’s still so many places where modern civilisation hasn’t touched it and people still live how their ancestors did before them.
The writing in Love in No Man’s Land is beautiful and evocative. It really paints a vivid picture of both the harshness of the vast grasslands but also the beauty of them too. With the mountains and lakes, the wild animals (wolves, yaks, antelope and bears all play a big part), and the changing weather, it all feels so magical and far-removed from “the real world”.
Love (as you might guess from the books title) is a big theme of this book. Gongzha has a childhood sweetheart, he loves his family and he’s respectful of the grassland and the creatures who live there. He has a big heart and seeing him deal with tragedy from a young age (death and violence are not uncommon in the communities he is a part of) and how that shapes him is interesting.
As well as Gongzha and his personal journey, a big part of Love in No Man’s Land is this mystery surrounding an ancient symbol. It’s in caves, on statues, on bears, and it seems to be a part of the very essence of the grassland. Gongzha encounters it at different points in his life, each time learning a bit more about his people’s past and how they could possibly be connected to the symbol, but it’s not something that he spends his life pondering.
While Gongzha is the main protagonist you meet a lot of different characters. These people dip in and out of Gongzha’s life, and sometimes they’re the children of someone Gongzha used to know, meaning it can be difficult at times to keep track of who is who and how they’re connected to one another. That being said, having so many characters helps this word feel lived in and real. Love in No Man’s Land is in the third person and while the majority of the book is from Gongzha’s point of view, a lot is also from the point of view of the various characters that are in Gongzhas life, even if for a short while. Some might be the focus for only a page or two, while others have more of a decent sized chunk. There are some coincidences where people encounter one another and don’t realise at first that they might have a couple of people already connecting them. But on a whole, these connections seem organic as they are a people who have lived in this part of the world for generations and rarely move far from their families.
I learnt so much about the Tibetan herder’s lifestyle and how it’s evolved over the years from reading Love in No Man’s Land. I think I preferred the atmosphere this book evokes more than anything and I didn’t always feel that connected to Gongzha which is probably down to us having so different lives. It was still a fascinating read – especially this mystery to do with the symbol – and a beautifully written one too.
The writing in Love in No Man’s Land is beautiful and evocative. It really paints a vivid picture of both the harshness of the vast grasslands but also the beauty of them too. With the mountains and lakes, the wild animals (wolves, yaks, antelope and bears all play a big part), and the changing weather, it all feels so magical and far-removed from “the real world”.
Love (as you might guess from the books title) is a big theme of this book. Gongzha has a childhood sweetheart, he loves his family and he’s respectful of the grassland and the creatures who live there. He has a big heart and seeing him deal with tragedy from a young age (death and violence are not uncommon in the communities he is a part of) and how that shapes him is interesting.
As well as Gongzha and his personal journey, a big part of Love in No Man’s Land is this mystery surrounding an ancient symbol. It’s in caves, on statues, on bears, and it seems to be a part of the very essence of the grassland. Gongzha encounters it at different points in his life, each time learning a bit more about his people’s past and how they could possibly be connected to the symbol, but it’s not something that he spends his life pondering.
While Gongzha is the main protagonist you meet a lot of different characters. These people dip in and out of Gongzha’s life, and sometimes they’re the children of someone Gongzha used to know, meaning it can be difficult at times to keep track of who is who and how they’re connected to one another. That being said, having so many characters helps this word feel lived in and real. Love in No Man’s Land is in the third person and while the majority of the book is from Gongzha’s point of view, a lot is also from the point of view of the various characters that are in Gongzhas life, even if for a short while. Some might be the focus for only a page or two, while others have more of a decent sized chunk. There are some coincidences where people encounter one another and don’t realise at first that they might have a couple of people already connecting them. But on a whole, these connections seem organic as they are a people who have lived in this part of the world for generations and rarely move far from their families.
I learnt so much about the Tibetan herder’s lifestyle and how it’s evolved over the years from reading Love in No Man’s Land. I think I preferred the atmosphere this book evokes more than anything and I didn’t always feel that connected to Gongzha which is probably down to us having so different lives. It was still a fascinating read – especially this mystery to do with the symbol – and a beautifully written one too.
February 5, 2019
An epic love story, set in the Tibetan mountains and grasslands.
Gongzha’s heart belongs to Cuomu, but her parents do not approve of their relationship. As they struggle to be together, Cuomo’s life is violently taken by Kaguo the bear – Gongzha’s life from thereon is set on following Kaguo to avenge the death of his beloved.
The story is of course not this simple. A host of other powerful characters populate the stunning scenery, among them Feng – a visitor from Shanghai who falls in love with Tibet and with Gongzha. Is it possible that Gongzha can reconcile himself to Cuomu’s memory and find love again?
So many facets to this story, I loved the beautiful descriptions of the scenery, and the philosophical and Buddhist themes. A long but very rewarding read.
Gongzha’s heart belongs to Cuomu, but her parents do not approve of their relationship. As they struggle to be together, Cuomo’s life is violently taken by Kaguo the bear – Gongzha’s life from thereon is set on following Kaguo to avenge the death of his beloved.
The story is of course not this simple. A host of other powerful characters populate the stunning scenery, among them Feng – a visitor from Shanghai who falls in love with Tibet and with Gongzha. Is it possible that Gongzha can reconcile himself to Cuomu’s memory and find love again?
So many facets to this story, I loved the beautiful descriptions of the scenery, and the philosophical and Buddhist themes. A long but very rewarding read.
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