“The Vagrants” by Yiyun Li (China) Review Readers really enjoyed this book finding it very well written and revealing of an exceptional maturity of style. They were moved by the story, describing it as touching, distressing, sad and intense. They liked the setting, both time and place, and could strongly feel the political aspects pervading the everyday lives of the people. They found the different … Continue reading The Vagrants
Members of the Summer Reading Group 2009 reacted both positively and negatively to the selection of books this year, loving some of them and disliking others. They did notice some commonalities between the stories: writers or would-be writers, books and literature, and funnily enough… alcohol! They voted “Broken Glass” by Alain Mabanckou the Best Summer Read 2009. This is the second novel to appear in … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2009 – Broken Glass
“A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers” by Xiaolu Guo (China) Review Readers enjoyed the book, with some preferring the first half to the second. They liked the humour and the clever use of language as it evolves from poor to better English during the course of the story. They found the point of view from a Chinese perspective of English and Western society interesting. They … Continue reading A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
“Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress” by Dai Sijie (China) Favourite Quote We were beside ourselves. My head reeled, as if I’d had too much to drink. I took the novels out of the suitcase one by one, opened them, studied the portraits of the authors, and passed them on to Luo. Brushing them with the tips of my fingers made me feel as if … Continue reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
“Empress Orchid” by Anchee Min (China) Book Club Favourite of Season 1 Synopsis To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her slope-shouldered cousin, seventeen-year-old Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor’s wives. When she is chosen as a lower-ranking concubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City. But beneath its immaculate facade lie whispers of murders and ghosts, and the … Continue reading Empress Orchid
Nicola's Book Club 