I am truly at a loss as to why this book managed to win anything. It's hard to fathom that it could have triumphed in a relay race or a pie-eating contest, let alone secure a National Book Award. To be fair, it does possess a decent theme - namely, how the totalitarian methods of the communist Chinese government led to great unhappiness. However, the writing itself was so dreadfully dull that I simply couldn't bear it. I found myself constantly waiting for it to come to an end. The narrative unfolded in a rather lackluster manner, something along the lines of:

"I had only 12 more years before I could divorce my wife and marry Manna."

A bird flew by the window. A leaf fell from a tree. The clouds were grey.

Snore.

It was an extremely pleasant reading experience! However, I find myself at a loss for words. The ending truly had a profound impact on me..... I had a great appreciation for the storyline and the vivid reflection of China during that era. What I really liked was the way each character's story was presented and explained individually. But above all, I was captivated by the writing style. It was simple yet heart-touching.

This book has compelled me to pause and take a moment to pose a question to myself. Am I truly waiting for what I think I am waiting for? It makes me reflect on my own expectations and desires.

*Thanks to \\"The Book Fairies\\" and \\"World of Books\\" for a copy*

#ibelieveinbookfairies

#FairyBookClub

Devastating and beautiful, this story is truly universal.

The Chinese Cultural Revolution serves as the backdrop, and as it encircles the characters, it showcases the beauty and ugliness that is like a double-edged sword. It traps them in seemingly inescapable situations.

Here, there is the spirit of romance, similar to what books like "Like Water for Chocolate" effectively display, as well as the overall apocalyptic sense of doom from "Never Let Me Go."

Thoroughly splendid, it is indeed one solid and brilliant jewel on the literary crown. It captivates the reader with its powerful narrative, exploring the complex emotions and experiences of the characters within the context of a tumultuous historical period. The combination of beauty and devastation creates a unique and unforgettable reading experience.

One cannot help but be drawn into the story, empathizing with the characters and their struggles. It is a testament to the author's skill in crafting a tale that is both engaging and thought-provoking.

This work stands out as a remarkable piece of literature, deserving of high praise and recognition.

From inside the bedroom, Lake suddenly broke out crying, and then screamed at the top of his lungs. Just a few seconds later, River also started bawling. Manna hurried back in to calm them. Without bothering to tend to the stove or clean up, Lin turned and stormed out.

“I hate her! I hate her!” he said to himself.

As Lin gradually calmed down, a voice rose in his head and asked, “Do you really hate her?” He remained silent, making no reply. The voice persisted, “You brought this mess upon yourself. Why did you marry her?” “I love her,” he answered. “You married her for love? Did you truly love her?” He thought for a while and then managed to say, “I think so. We waited eighteen years for each other, didn't we? Doesn't such a long time prove our love?” “No,” the voice said, “time may prove nothing. Actually, you never loved her. You mistook your crush for love. You didn't know what love was like. You waited eighteen years just for the sake of waiting. You could have waited that long for another woman too, couldn't you?”

Let's assume you and she loved each other. Were you sure that you both would enjoy living together as husband and wife? Lin's temples were throbbing, and he took off his hat so that the cold air could cool his head. “Really?” the voice continued. “What do you know about love? Did you know her well enough before you married her? Were you sure she was the woman you'd spend the rest of your life with? Be honest now, among all the women you've known, who are you most fond of? Isn't there someone else who is more suitable for you than Manna?”

I can't tell. Besides her, there's only Shuyu in my life. How could I compare Manna with someone else? I don't know much about women, although I wish I did. Suddenly, he felt his head expanding with a shooting pain, and had the intuition that this marriage might not be what he had wanted. He sat down on a rock to catch his breath and think more.

The voice went on, “Yes, you waited so many years, but for what?” He found his mind blank and couldn't answer. The question frightened him, as it implied that all those years he had waited for something wrong. “Let me tell you what really happened,” the voice said. “All those years you waited like a sleepwalker, being pulled and pushed about by others' opinions, by external pressure, by your illusions, by the official rules you internalized. You were misled by your own frustration and passivity, believing that what you were not allowed to have was what your heart was destined to embrace.”

Lin was stunned. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. Then he began cursing himself. “Eighteen years you waited without knowing for what! The prime of your life, gone, wasted, and it led you to this damn marriage. You're a fool!”

*************

Ha Jin is a highly accomplished naturalized Chinese-American author. His writing in English has earned him widespread acclaim and numerous prestigious awards. This novel, in particular, has received the National Book and PEN/Faulkner awards and was shortlisted for a Pulitzer Prize. The story follows Dr. Lin Kong, who graduated from a military medical school in 1963 and moved to a small city in northeastern China. There, Wu Manna was enrolled in a nursing program at the hospital. Many men from a nearby army base came to find a wife or girlfriend, and among them was the young officer Mai Dong, who met Manna while prowling in the laundry room.

Both Mai Dong and Manna were virgins in their twenties, which was customary for some social groups at that time. They started dating, but Manna thought he was too forward when he tried to kiss her and revealed her concern to Dr. Lin. He advised her to stay away from Mai until after graduation in a few months, as she could otherwise be transferred or expelled. Mai left her for Shanghai to marry his cousin, and Manna became closer to her professor Lin, who was only five years older than her. At twenty-seven, women of that era were considered to be approaching old maid status. Lin kept a large collection of Western books and classic novels at his own personal risk.

Ha Jin's narrative continues through the Cultural Revolution, which began in 1966. Hospital staff went on long marches in the countryside. Manna became lame on a month-long 400-mile trek, and Lin took care of her. Although he was married to a woman from outside the city and was a new father, Manna was grateful and developed an interest in him. She also noticed that other women at the base and in the hospital were attracted to him. Perplexed, she even considered joining a nunnery, but the Red Guards had smashed temples throughout the country. Lin was in an arranged marriage and wasn't sure if he loved either his country wife or Manna.

Despite his reticence, things inevitably led to an affair. Ha Jin, who joined the People's Liberation Army at thirteen in 1969 and left in 1975, shortly before the death of Mao and the end of the Cultural Revolution, had personal experience of the place and time. Lin and Manna attracted the attention of their colleagues and Party supervisors, although their relationship was not “abnormal” (i.e., sexual), highlighting the high level of scrutiny in everyday life. Both promised the hospital head to remain platonic. Manna wanted Lin to divorce his wife Shuyu, but he was reluctant and couldn't bring himself to end his co-dependency with Manna.

Lin approached Shuyu with his intentions, and the village was outraged by the betrayal. Manna agreed that delay was the best option. The author frustratingly conveys Lin's indecision and vacillation to the reader. As the years passed, Lin half-heartedly tried to hook up Manna with friends and family to resolve his dilemma. She was aware of the passing time and attempted to consider options for a suitable spouse. Manna met Commissar Wei, an army commander twenty years older, educated and urbane, but he decided against pursuing a relationship with her. Ha Jin is a perceptive observer of the emotional distress.

Manna was brutally raped by army officer Geng Yang, who had previously given Lin and her advice on the divorce and marriage. This incident shows that women were still treated as second-class citizens after the reforms of the revolution. Shuyu moved to the city and lived in separate army quarters after the divorce. Lin's daughter Hua, now eighteen years old, joined her and worked at an army job that Lin had arranged for her. After eighteen years of waiting, Manna was finally married to Lin, but a whole new set of troubles emerged. Ha Jin is particularly skilled at描绘 the times and the timeless aspects of the human condition, making one wonder if it was all worth it.

Manna, a passionate lover, was disappointed in Lin's sex drive but became pregnant, which was a goal she had from the beginning. Lin remained distant, insensitive to everything but his own introversion and concern for others' opinions. Ha Jin writes in a way that exposes his characters' emotions and the misconceptions of those around them. This would be ineffective in the hands of a lesser writer, but he injects dramatic tension into the novel and shows how often, even in marriage, people are apart in their thoughts and hopes. The home becomes a prison of psychological constriction.

Manna is jealous of Lin's perceived freedom, while he feels suffocated by her. When twins are born, both she and the babies are endangered by illness. Lin finds himself in a new trap of his own making. He realizes that he was happier before he met Manna, when he had his former wife in the country and his separate life in the city. Deng Xiao Ping's 1992 adage “to get rich is glorious” is embraced by the masses, but holds no appeal for Lin. Manna's rapist Geng has become a wealthy developer in Anhui, confirming that crime can indeed pay. A bad heart condition threatens Manna's life, making her bitter. Lin longs for the life he could have had with Shuyu.

While this novel is firmly rooted in a specific historical time and place, it also offers insights into the complex relationship between romantic longings and committed relationships. The story unfolds over thirty long years of emotional entanglements, and at times, the reader wishes to shake Lin by the shoulders and urge him to take decisive action and do what is right for his wife or start a new life with his girlfriend. The constraints of his career and his endless procrastinations leave all the parties in the love triangle unhappy and conflicted until the stalemate is finally broken, releasing them from their self-inflicted torment in old age.

I really enjoyed many aspects of this book. Firstly, the language is clear and simple, which makes it easy to understand. Secondly, its simplicity is deceptive. It has the rhythm of a folk tale or fable, but is actually layered with deep meaning and feeling. Thirdly, the pace is quiet and deliberate, allowing the story to unfold slowly and steadily. Fourthly, the rich detail, especially in the descriptions of natural settings, shines with poetry, creating a vivid and immersive world for the reader.

However, I also have some complaints. The dialogue is often stilted and strange, with odd phrases like "bye-bye now" or "by hook or by crook" that can be distracting. Additionally, although the book is written in the third person, the author seems to focus more on Lin than on Manna. We get more insight into Lin's character, emotions, and motives, while Manna's inner life is often glossed over, even in crucial moments. This makes her character seem flat and underdeveloped.

Despite these flaws, I would still not hesitate to recommend "Waiting". It is a sad and graceful allegory that explores how outside forces can influence us and reduce our chances of happiness. It also shows how we are each isolated in our own suffering, even when we have close companions. Lin and Manna's story is complex and ironic, just like life itself. And although the language may not always be particularly eloquent, the meaning behind it is profound.

I should also note that Ha Jin received the 1999 National Book Award for "Waiting", which definitely influenced my opinion. I'm such a sucker for awards!

I found myself in a real dilemma when it came to rating this book. I couldn't quite make up my mind whether to give it one or two stars.

After much deliberation, I ultimately settled on two stars. The reason for this was that it managed to hold my attention throughout, and it was a relatively fast read.

However, that's where the positives end. I despised almost every aspect of this book, especially the main characters. There were moments when I felt that the intensity of my loathing for the main character was so great that it could have set the book on fire.

If you have a penchant for books featuring weak, self-centered, indecisive, and passionless characters who evoke no sympathy whatsoever, then perhaps this book is for you.

But for me, I can't bring myself to write any more. Just the mere thought of how much I couldn't stand every single person in this book is making my anger flare up again.

It's safe to say that this is not a book that I would recommend to others.

This was a truly comical story that delved into life in China during the cultural revolution. It centered around a minor official who made the decision to leave his wife and child in the countryside and venture to the city to work. There, he became involved with a nurse. However, his situation soon became complicated as he was unable to persuade his wife that he desired a divorce. Moreover, his life was constantly under the watchful eyes of his colleagues and the political police, which made his affair even more intricate.

Despite the complex and often tense circumstances, there was a great deal of humanity and numerous comical moments throughout the story. It provided a fascinating view into life in China during the 1960s and 1970s. The author, Ha Jin, demonstrated excellent writing skills, painting a vivid picture of the era and the characters' experiences.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story as it offered both entertainment and a deeper understanding of a particular period in Chinese history. The combination of humor and humanity made it a truly engaging read.

This book truly makes me feel disgusted. It's as if I need to thoroughly scrub myself with Lysol multiple times.

Is there a Chinese term equivalent to an "Uncle Tom"? Because this book is exactly that kind. It is filled to the brim with Western stereotypes of Chinese people. There's the happily subservient, foot-bound woman; the sexually insatiable Asian beauty; and the emasculated, impotent male.

Ha Jin is deliberately crafting a book aimed at a Western audience, designed to offer non-threatening images of China to Western readers who can find comfort in the "authenticity" stamped by Ha Jin's Chinese background.

The first few chapters give it away. Shuyu, the protagonist's wife and a farmer's daughter born in 1934, has bound feet. This would have been extremely rare by that time, especially for a peasant woman. In contrast, in "Tales of Hulan River" - a Chinese novel/memoir written by a Chinese woman in Chinese for a Chinese audience and focused on the plight of Chinese women in a patriarchal, misogynistic society - the writer, a daughter of a rich family and a child around 1900, did not have her feet bound, and such practices were more common in her social class and at that earlier time. In fact, foot binding doesn't even appear in her book at all.

Is there any narrative use of Shuyu's bound feet that could justify this narrative choice? No, not at all. While it is used as an "explanation" for why Lin Kong is embarrassed by her, there are so many other reasons given for his unhappiness with her that this additional one makes no difference to the novel's dramatic arc. Its presence, however, gives the novel that exotic thrill: "Oh, those barbarous Chinese, torturing their women that way." And this is just one example.

Even if I weren't completely repelled by this Uncle Tong-ism, the dull writing and one-dimensional characters would sink this book.

Even worse, while purporting to offer a pro-feminist perspective - Shuyu's long-suffering fidelity is eventually rewarded, while Lin Kong's infidelity is punished - this is no more than a flimsy, false pandering to his target demographic of Western housewives. After all, what makes Lin Kong "realize" the folly of infidelity? The fact that Shuyu is more than willing to humble herself before him and slave for him to give him peace and quiet, in contrast to his final fate of being a father faced with the demands of a new wife and two baby sons. Oh boo hoo, he has to wash diapers. Waaaah!

This book is a complete and utter waste of time.

This was the first Ha Jin I read.

It is truly astonishing to think that the masterful use of language in this work is by someone for whom English is a second language.

The writing is remarkable for its extremely sparing use of adjectives. It reads with a clean and tight quality - every word propels the story and the characters forward without any unnecessary filler.

Thanks to the excellent writing, the characters and situations are vividly portrayed, and it is the reader's imagination and interpretation that fill in the descriptions and adjectives.

The absence of adjectives serves another purpose as well - it outwardly depersonalizes the characters, much like the Communist regime reduced everyone to identically dressed workers.

The only character who is decidedly different and more likable than the others is the protagonist's peasant wife.

Life in the countryside was more relaxed overall, and the extreme rigidity of the Party did not even extend to consistently enforcing the one-child policy.

Just as in the countryside, plants bloom, and Shuyu, despite having the now archaic bound feet, also flourished.

Perhaps this means that she didn't let things hold her back? But in the hospital, sterility is strictly enforced.

And that is the environment in which the love affair of Lin Kong and Manna Wu takes place.

Anything that is not encouraged or at least condoned by the Party is regarded as a disease and must be eradicated at the source.

I adored this book. While others may have found the characters stiff and the situations unbelievable, I don't think they are viewing it from the perspective of someone who has lived in a society completely different from our own.

I would rather believe that the author knew precisely what he was writing about.

However, the world I inhabit is the world of the book, and it doesn't matter whether it conforms to reality or not in terms of making it more or less enjoyable.

5 stars.

As someone who grew up in China, I have a deep and personal connection to the story. I found the characters in the book to be extremely real,仿佛 they were living and breathing right before my eyes.

I have read numerous reviews about this book, many of which claim that none of the characters are likable, except for Lin's simple peasant ex-wife, Shuyu. However, I believe that this is precisely what the author intended to convey. The system under which they lived had eroded every individual's humanity and individuality to such an extent that no one could be considered a complete person anymore.

The only reason Shuyu seems more likable is because she retained more of her humanity than anyone else. Growing up in the remote countryside, her life was less influenced by the government's control, allowing her humanity to remain relatively intact and less distorted.

In my opinion, this is a truly great love story. It vividly illustrates the fragility of human love and decency, and how easily the forces of society can shatter what is beautiful and precious. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of holding onto our humanity in the face of adversity.

3.5 stars

Damn you, Lin. You truly are a heartless being. How could you do that to Shuyu? It makes me so angry and sad that I can't help but shed tears. And yet, against all reason, I still find myself worrying over you. It's absurd, really, considering you're just a fictional character in a book. But there you are, tugging at my emotions.

Do you even have the slightest inkling of what happiness is, Lin? Do you understand the true cost of it and what it should never cost? These are questions that haunt me as I think about your actions.

I wasn't at all prepared for the ending to have such a profound impact on me. Just when I thought I had a clear idea of where the story was going, it took a sharp turn and stabbed my heart. It serves as a reminder that sometimes, the most unexpected things can have the greatest effect.

This book has left me with a mix of emotions, and I'm not quite sure how to feel. But one thing is for sure: it has made me think deeply about love, sacrifice, and the true meaning of happiness.

I really enjoyed my second reading of this book by Ha Jin. It was a completely different experience from the first time. Maybe it was because of the timing or perhaps my literary consciousness had matured. But for me, this book has truly ripened in the 7 or 8 years since I first perused it.

Although I can't say that I admire the characters of Lin or Manna any more than I originally did, Shuyu really stood out to me. She is a shining example of "blooming where you're planted". Despite the difficulties of being married to an absent and ungrateful husband, she managed to be happy, productive, and capable of growth and forgiveness. She ran the home, raised the child, cared for the aging and dying parents, and maintained the farm.

Ultimately, after many years of trying to divorce Shuyu, Lin succeeds. Then he sells the farm to pay for his second marriage. But we see that Shuyu is transplanted to the big city and thrives there as well. Meanwhile, Lin and Manna's lives seem to stall. They are stuck forever in waiting mode and seem to have lost the ability to love, grow, or give.

Overall, it was a good read that made me think about the different paths that people can take in life and how they can adapt and thrive in different circumstances.