I truly enjoyed reading it. I can assert that much with certainty, as I was thoroughly entertained. It doesn't pour out its emotions extravagantly. It doesn't make use of rapturous, lyrical expressions. Its simplicity is just that, simplicity, not the gritty simplicity like that of Raymond Carver, nor the ethereal simplicity of Grace Paley, nor the oblique simplicity of Paul Auster, nor the muscular simplicity of Ernest Hemingway.

People have complained that they couldn't sympathize with the characters. However, I did. The lives of quiet desperation, I can understand and relate to. It's not great literature, to be sure. It received awards perhaps because white people want to "feel" the experiences of a real, live Chinese. But for reading on a winter afternoon, it was quite okay. It provided a certain escape and a different perspective, even if it didn't reach the heights of literary excellence.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read that had its own charm and managed to hold my attention despite its flaws.

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This is an engaging character study that not only delves deep into the psyche of the characters but also provides valuable insights into a society that I was previously unfamiliar with.

The way the author presents the characters and their relationships is truly captivating, making it easy to understand why this work was honored as a National Book Award winner.

The story is filled with rich details and nuanced emotions that draw the reader in and keep them hooked from start to finish.

After reading this, I find myself eager to explore more of this author's works. I am curious to see how they continue to bring to life different worlds and characters, and what new perspectives they will offer.

I believe that this author has a unique talent for storytelling, and I look forward to experiencing more of their literary masterpieces in the future.

Waiting - as in waiting for this book to end.

This was a really tedious book despite being easy to read. The story seemed to drag on and on, with no real excitement or plot twists to keep the reader engaged.

The characters were also rather one-dimensional, lacking depth and complexity. It was difficult to form an emotional connection with them or to care about what happened to them.

The writing style, while simple and accessible, was also rather平淡无奇. There was no real flair or creativity in the way the words were put together.

In conclusion, this book was a disappointment. It may have been easy to read, but it was far from enjoyable. I would not recommend it to others.

Ha Jin's book tells the story of an army physician in China who desires to divorce his wife and marry another woman but finds himself unable to do so.

The writing, while remaining simple, effectively captures the slow and frustrating nature of the situation. It vividly depicts how these lives unfold on a daily basis and brings the characters to life in a marvellous way.

The author delicately portrays the people and their yearnings without passing judgment, instead invoking a sense of understanding. It is a poignant story that shows how life can cast a dark cloud over certain individuals for a significant portion of their lives, and there are no easy solutions.

Throughout the book, Ha Jin weaves in many interesting contrasts in characters, their behaviors, and different situations. The rich complexity within these contrasts, once understood, is masterfully executed.

Relationships, especially love, are analyzed well, mostly implicitly but more directly towards the end. The author also points out the sorry dependency of vulnerable women and their position in society, particularly when compared to the self-absorption of the protagonist.

Although the last part of the ending may seem a bit too cinematic, overall, it is a very enjoyable book that offers valuable insights into human nature and relationships.

I managed to finish this book despite the fact that I didn't have any real enjoyment from it at all.

The writing style was extremely simple, and I can recall only two sentences that truly made an impact on me.

In the beginning, I didn't have a particular liking for the characters, and unfortunately, that situation didn't change for the better by the end of the book.

Overall, it was a rather disappointing read.

I find myself wondering why this book won the 'National Book Award'.

Does anyone out there know the reason?

Please enlighten me.

This book was just okay.

I really had no expectations for it, except that it had won so many awards and nominations.

I guess I was hoping to be amazed, but I wasn't.

This novel tells the love story of Lin and Manna. Unfortunately, they can't get married because Lin is already married to a woman he doesn't love.

The novel describes their forbidden (although abstinent) relationship against the backdrop of post-revolution China in the 1970s and 1980s.

I didn't feel particularly touched or attracted to the characters or their relationship.

I'm glad I didn't give up on it completely because I think the ending gave this book a bit more purpose and meaning.

Also, I got to learn a little about late 20th-century China.

However, I don't understand why it won the Man-Booker and Pen Faulkner prizes because I didn't think it was anything special.

Maybe it's because of its historical context or the way it portrays the characters' emotions.

But for me, it was just an average read.

Setting: China. Lin Kong, a doctor in the Chinese army, finds himself in a complex web of emotions. He is deeply in love with Manna Wu, a nurse based at the same hospital. However, his situation is complicated by the fact that he has a wife and daughter in the country village where he grew up. Every summer, when he returns to his wife, Lin Kong attempts to persuade her and a local judge to grant him a divorce so he can be with Manna. But time and again, his efforts are met with refusal.

This story is a poignant exploration of love, desire, hypocrisy, indecision, and human frailty. It delves into the inner turmoil of Lin Kong as he struggles to choose between his two loves. The reader is left feeling sorry for both Manna and Lin's wife, Shuyu, who are both at the mercy of Lin Kong's indecision and prevarication.

Overall, it is an intriguing read that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. The author does a great job of刻画 the characters and their emotions, making it easy for the reader to empathize with them. I would rate this story an 8/10.

An interesting thing occurred to me. Ha Jin wrote the book in English, and then someone else translated the story into Chinese. This made me constantly wonder what the language would be like if the author had written it in his mother language.

Nevertheless, both the author and the translator are very good. The author's command of the English language allows him to tell a compelling story, and the translator's skills ensure that the essence of the story is preserved in the Chinese version.

Moreover, I don't agree that this book is targeted solely at Western readers. It is a plausible story with most of the characters being well-developed and solid. Understanding the time frame in which the story is set is important, as the female characters in this book cannot represent today's Chinese women. They are products of their era and the social and cultural context in which they lived.

In conclusion, this book is an interesting read that offers insights into a different time and place. It shows the power of language and the importance of translation in making literature accessible to a wider audience.

Waiting is one of those novels that hooks you with a captivating first sentence. However, many books with strong beginnings struggle to maintain their momentum, and Waiting is no exception. It falls victim to its own promising start.

Some books you love wholeheartedly, while others you despise. But there are certain books that evoke mixed feelings, and Waiting is one of them. For me, it represents a solid three-star read. While I wouldn't call it a bad book, I also wouldn't recommend it because it didn't live up to my expectations.

Literary awards can have a dangerous impact on readers' expectations, especially when bestowed on relatively simple books. Perhaps I would have enjoyed Waiting more if I hadn't known about all the praise and prizes it received.

As the title implies, the story is about waiting, waiting, and more waiting. Just as I waited for it to transform into something more magical. I know it's my fault for not simply enjoying it for what it is.

Set against a militarized backdrop, it follows a military doctor who waits 18 years to divorce his arranged country wife and marry his urban girlfriend. But when they finally do marry, he discovers that a second marriage isn't all it's cracked up to be and runs back to his first wife. I was tempted to call this a cliché until I learned it was based on a true story.

The language is extremely simple, which some people might describe as deceivingly simple, but I can't bring myself to do that. It guides the narrative back and forth between the doctor's native village and the military hospital. While there are occasional beautiful descriptions of scenery, I was disappointed by the naivety of the language. It might be excusable if it were a translation, but in an original English work, one expects a certain standard. Some of the paragraphs were embarrassingly juvenile.

The characters, who占据了故事的大部分篇幅（由于缺乏有趣的情节转折），也不值得读者支持。除了对无辜的妻子感到同情外，我无法对主人公或其他任何角色产生任何同情的情感。主人公只是一个优柔寡断、相当无趣的人。

Waiting is an ultra-simple, occasionally beautiful, and subtly engaging tale of waiting that is highly overrated. While I have no right to criticize the characters or the story for its lack of sophistication, I just wish it had more life.

I read most of this book in Kanyakumari, at the southernmost tip of India, in the freezing cold between midnight and dawn. I was sitting in a tourist chair facing the mysterious Indian Ocean at night and the magnificently indescribable Thiruvalluvar statue, which I couldn't take my eyes off.

So even if I eventually forget reading this book, I will never forget that out-of-this-world experience. I just wish I had had a better book to accompany me that night.

Nepaisant to, kad visas veiksmai vyksta tame erdvėlaikyje, apie kurį Lietuvoje menkai arba visiškai nieko nežinoma (1960 - 1970 komunistinė Kinija), mums, kaip patiems buvusiems sovietų sąjungos dalimi, gali nėra taip sunku ir nesuvokiama suprasti tuometines tendencijas, moralines normas ir laikmečio dvasią. Buvę dalimi sovietų sąjungos, turime tam tikrą perspektyvą. Užtenka tik pažiūrėti Šuriko nuotykius, kad suprastume, kaip gyveno žmonės tuo metu. Kita vertus, suprantu, kad vakarų Europoje ar JAV šita knyga tikrai galėjo sukelti "negaliu patikėti" ar panašiu kognityviniu disonansu paremtą jausmą. Nepaisant visos mūsų istorijos, "šlovingojo socializmo" statytojų nupušimas net ir man sukėlė gan rimtą WTF jausmą.

Pati gi knyga visai maloniai skaitosi. Parašyta tikrai dailiai, sklandžiai. Itin patiko, kad visų personažų jausmai, abejonės, nerimas išreikšti labai paprastais, kasdieniniais žodžiais. Manau, tai ir nemažas vertėjos nuopelnas. Siužetas gan paprastas, bet vėlgi, greit sukelia interesą ir įtraukia. Tai yra knyga, kurią galima skaičiuoti laikui išsivaikinti ir susikurti nuotykių, kuriuos galima įsivaizduoti.

Žodžiu, tikrai gera knyga, kurią skaityt malonu ir lengva. Ir papildomi karmos taškai eina už tobulai ironišką pabaigą. Ši knyga yra puikus pasirinkimas tiek žmonėms, kurie domisi istorija, tiek ir tiem, kurie ieško malonios, įdomios skaitybos.

The story of the book takes place at the end of the Cultural Revolution in China. And although it is not primarily political, the crazy restrictions and the atmosphere of the time could not but be reflected in it.

The young doctor Lina is forced by his parents to marry a girl before he leaves his hometown for the city, to whom he has no feelings, just so that she can take care of them when he is away.

Soon, however, in the hospital where he works, he gets to know the nurse Man-nou. Due to the fact that he is under great pressure from the environment and he himself is also trying to be as impeccable as possible, their relationship is only platonic, although Man-na also physically attracts him.

He tries to divorce his wife but it is not that simple. His wife treats him submissively and devotedly, and moreover, they have a daughter. Traditional rural culture is strongly opposed to divorces and since he can get to his hometown at most once a year, it is a long haul.

Man-na increasingly pressures him and he finds himself between two women and does not want to hurt either of them. Finally, he will use the rule that after seventeen years when the spouses do not live together, a divorce is possible but the waiting is long and it may be too late for a new life.

The author vividly描绘了传统中国农村的环境以及与军事规定和条例相关的医院生活。只是顺便提到了各种事件，如中苏边境冲突、个人崇拜的抬头，这种崇拜甚至渗透到了中国人生活中最亲密的方面，以及当时中国艰难生活的各种小细节。

这本书的氛围是忧郁和逐渐蔓延的压抑恐惧的混合。简直就是正常化的更严酷和更贫穷的版本。