Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstr..., Dai Sijie
47 Rating(s)
List: $13.95 | Sale: $10.04
Club: $6.97

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Author: Dai Sijie

Narrator: B.D. Wong

Unabridged: 4 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/29/2002


Synopsis

An enchanting literary debut—already an international best-seller.

At the height of Mao’s infamous Cultural Revolution, two boys are among hundreds of thousands exiled to the countryside for “re-education.” The narrator and his best friend, Luo, guilty of being the sons of doctors, find themselves in a remote village where, among the peasants of Phoenix mountain, they are made to cart buckets of excrement up and down precipitous winding paths. Their meager distractions include a violin—as well as, before long, the beautiful daughter of the local tailor.

But it is when the two discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation that their re-education takes its most surprising turn. While ingeniously concealing their forbidden treasure, the boys find transit to worlds they had thought lost forever. And after listening to their dangerously seductive retellings of Balzac, even the Little Seamstress will be forever transformed.

From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history, Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening and the magical power of storytelling.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Susan on 2007-06-12 16:30:13

This book is a gem - it provides a glimpse into a place and time that few Americans have ever experienced, through the eyes of three Chinese youths who experienced in a fascinating, at times humorous at times touching way. The fact that it is narrated by B.D. Wong, who captures the characters voices and the occasional Chinese pronunciations perfectly, is a huge bonus. It was a tad slow for me in spots, but the characters stayed with me long after I finished listening to the book.