Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstr..., Dai Sijie
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstr..., Dai Sijie
47 Rating(s)
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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.

About The Author

Born in China in 1954, Dai Sijie is a filmmaker who was himself “re-educated” between 1971 and 1974. He left China in 1984 for France, where he has lived and worked ever since. This, his first novel, was an overnight sensation when it appeared in France in 2000, becoming an immediate best-seller and winning five prizes. Rights to the novel have been sold in nineteen countries, and it is soon to be made into a film.

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.

Goodreads review by Jim on March 30, 2017

Two urban Chinese boys, 17 and 18 when the story starts, are sent to a farming village to do rural work as part of their “re-education” under Mao’s cultural revolution. Their terms are indefinite because their parents, doctors and dentists, were considered bourgeois enemies of the people. The author......more

Goodreads review by John on June 05, 2024

This slim novel is a semi-autobiographical tale of two teenage boys who are the children of medical professionals in the western Chinese city of Chengdu. Given their background and the fact that they have attended high school, the boys are deemed to be intellectuals and in need of "re-education" by......more

Goodreads review by Will on October 26, 2016

Set during the early 1970’s, when Mao sent the intellectuals to the provinces to be re-educated to life as peasants, two young men are assigned to a small, remote village. One plays a violin. The other has a gift for telling stories. They endure the labors assigned by the opium growers who rule the......more

Goodreads review by Vanessa on June 22, 2017

Sweet charming story with a fable quality. The story revolves around a part of history that I feel somewhat ignorant about, the story takes place during the Chinese cultural revolution a time in history where communism was a means to suppress and take away individuality. Life is controlled under the......more

Goodreads review by Raya راية on August 28, 2019

"كانت الروايات التي يقرأها "لو" عليّ تخلق فيّ الرغبة للارتماء بمياه السيل الطازجة. لماذا؟ لأنني كنت أتحرر من قيودي دفعةً واحدة! كما يحدث حين تنتاب المرء رغبةً لا يقوى على كبحها للإفصاح عمّا في قلبه." تحذير: في المراجعة حرق لأحداث الرواية.. عندما بدأت بقراءة هذه الرواية لأول مرة، لم أكن أعلم شيئاً ع......more

Quotes

“An unexpected miracle–a delicate, and often hilarious, tale.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A funny, touching, sly and altogether delightful novel . . . about the power of art to enlarge our imaginations.” —The Washington Post Book World

 “Poetic and affecting. . . . The descriptions of life in this strangest of times and places are so riveting that the reader longs for more.” —The New York Times Book Review

“[A] thrilling and . . . truly great work. . . . [A] richly complex fable.” —San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

“Gives the rest of the world a glimpse into that dark place where the human spirit continues, against all odds, to shine its light.” —The Boston Globe

“A wonderful novel . . . formed by detailed layering and exquisite craftsmanship, like a beautifully tailored garment.” —The Chicago Tribune

“Poignant, humorous, and romantic.” —The New York Times

“Seduces readers into its world. . . . [A] very wise little story of love and illusion.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

Awards

  • New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
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