The book has done a great job at giving non historian readers the feel of the Song dynasty, the cultural landscape, and Su’s personality. However it is not a neutral biography and not meant to be. Lin is very biased towards Su Dongpo and from his writing I sensed a degree of sexism. By far the work makes me feel that Su is superstitious (as many people of his era were), judgmental, and emotionally dense.
— Nov 24, 2025 08:01AM
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