Rating: 
Summary: On the fence on this one...
Review: It's interesting, but not surprising, that most reviewers either thought this book was a masterpiece or a waste of time. I find myself empathizing with both camps- on the one hand I feel that the glimpse that the book provided me into a fascinating period of time in China was worthwhile, but on the other hand I felt that the reading was definitely laborious at times (particularly in the middle of the book). The surprise ending was definitely a redeeming feature, but I almost thought I might not get there. I was also torn with both liking and becoming bored with the very simplistic prose. Overall, I don't regret having read the book, but I can't strongly recommend it, and I certainly can't understand why it received the National Book Award.
Rating: 
Summary: Waiting: A journey into dreams and reality
Review: Ha Jin has written an eloquent story of longing and the effects it has on ones own reality. This story flows with grace, providing the reader with much to think about. This would be an excellent choice for a book group as well as for the individual reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Waiting...for What?
Review: The novel was a huge disappointment. Dramatically overrated by the critics and tough to slog through, despite the relatively easy writing style. I didn't warm to any of the characters and ultimately found myself just reading for plot, to see when their waiting, and mind, would be over.
Rating: 
Summary: Love amid the revolution
Review: "Waiting" was a book club choice, not my choice. This is why I am in a book club; because sometimes a selection is made that I would never have considered for myself, and discover that it is completely compelling. Like the love affair of Lin Kong and Manna, I couldn't wait to find the time to pick it up and continue reading. I usually did not have to wait long. Lin and Manna did, and that may be the ultimate theme of the book. It is said that delayed gratification makes the getting all the sweeter, but after 18 years, Lin who had settled into a kind of routine in a world where life IS routine, finds it difficult and unsettling to adjust. In some ways, I felt that the story of Lin and Manna's unrequited love was backdrop to the setting of China as it moves from the days of the Cultural Revolution, with all of its rules and strict codes, to the days when influences from the western world begin to creep in and change the fabric of life. That a couple would so willingly abide by such restrictive laws about marriage is incomprehensible in this world of disposable marriages. That they were able to control their passions for over 18 years is incredible to those of us who live in the land of instant gratification. It is this restraint and control, more than anything, that truly explained the absolute power in China at that time in its history. Beyond the historical and cultural themes, though, the sad discovery of Lin Kong that maybe his life was not so bad after all is universal in any time and place, making his story all the more poignant to the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Boredom at the service of literature
Review: "Waiting" starts by making the reader wait for something to happen. Well, things do happen but they are not very exciting. It is a mark of rare skill for a writer to hold the attention of the reader with sparse prose, short sentences, plain life tales, for long enough until the reader gets engrossed enough in the tale to stay. As the book unfolds, one gets the point of the style: a boring style to illustrate the boring life, of boring people, in a boring Chinese outpost, in the boring years of communist China. Even the great political turmoils are only a distant echo for these people set in a life of routine protected in the safe setting of a hospital. This is the really the secret of the book, to tell us that the oppressive system of Maoist China was a fitting continuation of the oppressive social values that allowed for such a revolution. Women perhaps had their feet bound before, but they still cannot date freely since the eyes of people watch any deviance, political or personal. Men now could aspire to a divorce from a loveless arranged marriage, but they still recur too often to loveless arranged marriage. In the 50ies and 60ies Chinese did not fare much better on a personal level than before. China is China, always full of people and watching eyes. The only refuge is blandness. At the end of the book we do not care much for the fates of the book's heroes. They followed the rules and pretty much got what they deserved. What we feel is a great sadness for the millions of lives that flickered through half a century of Communist, lives unable to risk anything, to tempt happiness, without any real hope but those that society would allow, never those that they could forge for themselves, even within the frame-works of these rules. A great loss. It is a great book forces you out of the book, into thoughts on how society oppresses you and makes you do what is not good for you, while making you think it is good..
Rating:
Summary: A little slow...
Review: Waiting was just "okay." I agree with the reviewer who said it was hard to care about any of the characters. Lin became irritating by the end with all of his continuous questioning and indecisiveness. Get this one out of the library.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating but missing better hero
Review: This book was an easy read. It was a breeze to go through the pages because it was written well. I was fascinated and a little engrossed about the two women in this story, each representing two very different China. I was a little impatient with the male character, and ended up wishing that he had more backbone. I did not relate to him at all and felt trapped in the story because he was the hero. The plot itself is a little weak for my taste and the ending a little predictable. But overall, I appreciated the cultural detail and the beautiful way that it was written.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated but interesting
Review: I liked the book for the first 200 pages, then began wondering what the fuss was all about. It was an interesting study on Chinese culture and mores. I liked the characters, but felt the last 1/3 of the book was disappointing, especially the ending. The characters themselves were intriguing, but the plot could use some development.
Rating:
Summary: Waiting....
Review: A rather complex read, in that the language is often beautful, but the characters are difficult to care about. By the end of the novel, one hardly cares what the resolution is. One just hopes the waiting is over. On the other hand, our book club had to 'dig deep' in discussing this book, which many members disliked initially, and found interesting cross cultural and historical aspects of the novel to sustain our conversation. \
Rating:
Summary: good but not great
Review: A love story set in China, involving two people who have waited 18 years to be together, is bound to be intriguing. And the first half of the book was. Ha Jin did a good job of setting a backdrop but the psychological aspects of the main characters, Lin Kong and Manna Wu, left something to be desired. I wanted to feel more sympathy towards these two, and the fact that I didn't means that Jin wasn't completely successful. I also thought the book was somewhat choppy, which made me frustrated. And the ending was anti-climactic and I kept wondering if I was missing something. I don't understand why this won the National Book Award. There were lots of problems with the narrative and the flow and I'm sure there were other books out there more deserving.
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