Rating: 
Summary: A delight
Review: From the violin and the idea that "Mozart loves Mao", this book tells a story similar to what some Chinese friends who were young during the Cultural revolution have told me. But it is the ending that is exquisite to me. Won't tell but it goes to show that men don't understand women in any culture! It is about control and freedom and the choices one makes when there is suddenly an awareness that a choice can be made.
Rating: 
Summary: An entertaining quick read that could have been more
Review: This book is sweet and honest; it's easy to read and moves fast enough, but it's over too quick and I don't feel like there's a proper ending. It just ends, leaving me with the nagging feeling that not everything has been said. There are issues that weren't conclusively addressed, but that I hesitate to mention because I don't want to spoil it for those of you that haven't read it. An unrelated point: The main characters seem to act and think younger than their age (late teens), but maybe that's just the changing of the times. I give it 3 1/2 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I loved the idea of this book-- a parable set in communist China (modern yet feudal) about the wonder of literary characters and the magic of books... An intelligent, good old fashioned story with a hint of magic realism? Oooh, sign me up. I loved "Waiting" by Hai Jin, and was hoping for more in that vein. But this author's reach exceeded his grasp. It moved fast enough, and was an OK read, but the character development is a bit lacking... i really didnt care much about these guys, and the seamstress was barely sketched out at all. this book was a sensation in France, probably because the books that these guys gush over are Balzac and other French idols. There is also the token imagery/allusions/metaphors about communism; a buffalo is worked to death; they want to eat the buffalo but they cant by law kill one that is used for work; someone decides to push it down a ravine to kill it so they can say it was an accident; it doesnt die but lays there in pain and has to have its throat cut.... the subtext of which was rife for deconstruction in those lit classes.It could've been so much richer of a story; whoever wrote the summary on the book's jacket is the real genius. It played up everything I was hoping for in the book that actually never came through. On the plus side, I read it in about four hours... you might like it for a plane ride or something.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Story Worth Every Penny!
Review: This stunning book captivates the reader from the word "go" as s/he travels to the other side of the glode into communist China where budding intellectuals are forced to live the simple life. Mao Zedong's Communist regime has decided that for its longevity it must bite problems of intellectuals stirring up trouble by forcing educated teenagers to join peasants in the field and mountain villages of China's landscape. Through the eyes of the protagonist, this story follows the lifestyle changes that he and Luo (his best friend) must adapt to as they have never in their lives had to perform manual labor, being the children of the intelligent. Romance, humor, and the illicit words of Balzak's most magical and appealing works, lead this to be a very memorable and endearing story which is worthy of many rereads.
Rating:
Summary: charming
Review: Delightful novel of a young man and his friend who are sent to a high mountain village to be re-educated. Although nothing non-realisitc happens, the narrative has a magical-realism texture and beauty, contrasting nicely with what is usually a grim view of the period. Sijie has a light touch which brings out the human and the absurd. He also treats well the value of books and reading. An easy read with a little, delicate sexual content. The translation is elegant in itself. Would be an interesting follow-on to Red Scarf Girl if read in 7th or 8th grade.
Rating:
Summary: A 5-star at least
Review: Once in a while, you will read a book that can truly relate to you. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is such a book for me, it relates to me directly, indirectly and from everywhere and in every level. Why I find this little novelette so enchanting? Because it tells a story so convincingly and I would not expect many of the readers especially for those who have not personally experienced the way of life in China during the time of the Culture revolution as I was could fully appreciate what was told in this story. As I read it in one sitting, all of those memories suddenly came alive as vivid as yesterday. In the Culture Revolution, people were being brain washed, and they would not understand what really went on outside of China. Books that even remotely resemble the western culture were being listed 'Yellow' (meaning reactionary or undesirable in its content) and banned. During which time, finding a book to read other than those preaching the communist doctrines was unthinkable, Balzac's books in translation had always been on my constant ALL TIME seeking list without ever being succeeded until I finally had a chance leaving China in the early eighties. This is a book tells a story encapsulating that period in China and more importantly it tells what really went on inside people's minds which could only be drawn from a true life experience as I believe Dai Sijie must have lived such a life himself. The story itself is fascinating even for those who have no such real life experience in China but undoubtedly for those who have, it guarantees to touch you emotionally as it have done to me. I have read the first two of The Rabbit books by John Updike, which I understand it conveyed true sentiments to many Americans who lived through the depression and Vietnam War, although I wouldn't say it related to me in the same sense, but nevertheless it commended nothing but the most rewarding reading pleasure. And in the same spirit, this book can be an excellent reading for any one who wishes to understand a bit more of the culture and its diversity in just one sitting. I wish not to leak and spoil the story of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Read it yourself, you will find it an emotional roller coaster that would not stop until you finished reading it. And even after that, the story will remain with you for a long, long time. For those who would not ride high with me due to lack of certain understanding as I explained having lived in China, then it is still a good story to read. You have absolute nothing to loss except a few hours of your reading time in exchange for an experience that you wouldn't want to personally live through it. Highly recommended, a 5-star at least.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: I thought this would be just another book written from a Westernized point of view about repressive China, describing joy and enlightenment as Chinese characters are exposed to free-thinking Western literature, such as Balzac. It is all these things, but it is much more, and it is very good. The setting may be China during the cultural revolution, but the setting is a convenient metaphor for repression and fear of all kinds, and the longing and joy of passion, as well as the meanness and greed of survival, is universal. The story has frequent touches of humor and romance, keeping it light, and it has a very surprising, and brilliant, ending.
Rating:
Summary: A sweet, satisfying unusual novella about life, love and
Review: literature. It is about two young men being re-educated during the Mao Zedong Cultural Revolution. Of course, the re-education had nothing to do with actual learning and the boys plod along trying to make the best of a very bad situation. Life becomes easier once they con a fellow detainee to give up one of his 'forbidden' books, and then some others that he has hidden away. The books are classics by Balzac. They read and re-read them and then when the books are taken back they perform the stories word for word. Word gets around and soon they are sent into the village to give their performaces.And again to watch movies and re-enact them for the head of the village. They both become enamoured of the tailor's daughter, 'the little seamtress' and they eventually teach her many of their stories which she loves. What they wish to do is citify the little, pretty country girl. They know that they will never escape this village but they try to make their own enjoyment and partially succeed in that dank and dreary environmnet. The book is short but tells a story that is larger and more encompassing than what is written down. The ending is a surprise and to me it brings back the old axiom, "Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get your wish." A gem of a well-written book. You will give yourself a gift by reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Sparkles like a rich jewel pinned to a Chairman Mao Jacket
Review: This is a story of two Chinese boys, sons of the educated bourgeoise, who are sent out into the wilderness for re-education, Chairman Mao style. The story is not complicated and yet, it reflects the complexity, the light, and the flawless beauty of a precious gem. The power, the beauty, and the freedom of imagination, nestled in the written word, is the gift in this treasure... what a treat... Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: The Power of Prose
Review: If this can be classified as a coming-of-age novel about teenage boys, it's like none you've ever read. First, it's set in China during the Cultural Revolution of Mao, second, the heroes suffer and enjoy totally unique experiences and third, it's sometimes hilarious.
The narrator and his friend, Luo, both guilty of being sons of doctors, are sent to the boonies, Chinese style, for what appears to be a lifetime of "re-education", or slave labor. But they are resilient, and find solace in a secret stash of Western literature, story telling, and the beautiful daughter of a tailor.
It's a miracle of talent that Sijie can portray these experiences in a novel that is often uplifting and itself a monument to beautifully written prose.
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