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A review by elle_reads
Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang
5.0
(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW⠀
[Love in a Fallen City] Different loves find their way through eastern and western influences.⠀
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WHAT I LIKED⠀
My edx course only required me to read Eileen Chang’s story story “Sealed Off,” but “Sealed Off” opened my eyes to all Love in a Fallen City has to offer (heh pun). I had to read the entire book. Chang’s works are perfect for readers will little prior knowledge of Chinese history. She focuses on family dynamics - mainly a woman’s place in the world - amidst the cultural clashes of eastern and western thinking across China.⠀
//⠀
Chang’s dainty allusions to major thinking controversies are masterful. She doesn’t beat you over the head with her thoughts, but create a disequilibrium that makes the reader ask why? Sometimes the answer is easter tradition, sometimes the answer is western thinking, sometimes the answer is humans are just plain unpredictable.⠀
//⠀
WHAT I DID’T LIKE⠀
Chinese family relations are specific and daunting. Even the Mandarin language has specific words for nearly every relation (complete with how to address each person) while English has comparably few. A few stories quickly introduce a myriad of characters. Readers are expected to understand the implications of Chinese family relations that will overlay the rest of the story. However, this is something a reader with a Chinese background would easily understand. Furthermore, many characters are given titles “Third Sister” and later given a name. Matching the person to the title/name can be a small puzzle, but it’s worth it.⠀
//⠀
Love in a Fallen City (by Eileen Chang, translated by Karen S. Kingsbury) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5⠀
BOOK REVIEW⠀
[Love in a Fallen City] Different loves find their way through eastern and western influences.⠀
//⠀
WHAT I LIKED⠀
My edx course only required me to read Eileen Chang’s story story “Sealed Off,” but “Sealed Off” opened my eyes to all Love in a Fallen City has to offer (heh pun). I had to read the entire book. Chang’s works are perfect for readers will little prior knowledge of Chinese history. She focuses on family dynamics - mainly a woman’s place in the world - amidst the cultural clashes of eastern and western thinking across China.⠀
//⠀
Chang’s dainty allusions to major thinking controversies are masterful. She doesn’t beat you over the head with her thoughts, but create a disequilibrium that makes the reader ask why? Sometimes the answer is easter tradition, sometimes the answer is western thinking, sometimes the answer is humans are just plain unpredictable.⠀
//⠀
WHAT I DID’T LIKE⠀
Chinese family relations are specific and daunting. Even the Mandarin language has specific words for nearly every relation (complete with how to address each person) while English has comparably few. A few stories quickly introduce a myriad of characters. Readers are expected to understand the implications of Chinese family relations that will overlay the rest of the story. However, this is something a reader with a Chinese background would easily understand. Furthermore, many characters are given titles “Third Sister” and later given a name. Matching the person to the title/name can be a small puzzle, but it’s worth it.⠀
//⠀
Love in a Fallen City (by Eileen Chang, translated by Karen S. Kingsbury) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5⠀