Novel #29 - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijei
""After I had read the passage from Balzac to her word for word," he explained, "she took your coat and reread the whole thing, in silence. The only sounds were the leaves rustling overhead and the faint rush of a distant waterfall. It was a beautiful day, the sky was a heavenly blue, blissful and clear. When she'd finished reading, she sat there quite still, open-mouthed. Your coat was resting on the flat of her hands, the way a sacred object lies in the palms of the pious. This fellow Balzac is a wizard.""
That's Luo, one of the two main charaters of the novel. The narrator and Luo were sons of doctors and during the revolution in China, they were sent to the far-flung village in the mountains to be re-educated, along with another boy they called Four Eyes (because he wore glasses) who was the son of a writer and poet. Luo and the narrator were in love with the daughter of the Village Tailor whom they called the Little Seamstress and tried to impressed her with the books they borrowed from Four Eyes. Luo and the narrator also entertained the village folks by acting out scenes from the western movies they've seen before their re-education, and oftentimes, the Village Elder would relieve them of their work of transporting shit and instead send them to the town to watch a movie to be re-enacted later for the village folks.
-o0o-
another light reading and very funny, too! and once again, it contains historical background - the re-education of the bourgoise during the Communist revolution under Mao Zhe Dong.
the book reviewer, Robert Adams reviewed this book a few years ago. here's a link, if you are so inclined. bookstores love him, as he ups the sale of any book he reviews.
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we had another glorious day today, apparently it will be like that the whole week. didn't have a chance to use the camera, though, but here's a picture i took on saturday; sooc except for framing and name tag from picnik.
two more days of book reviews and then maybe i start another challenge.
That is the book I have loaded up in my IPOD, but have been too distracted/too busy to listen to it. I started and heard first chapter or so..was good so far. You reminded me I need to listen to it! I like the perspective and mirror frame of your picture!
LOVE the yellow - -gorgeous flower -- and another intriguing book -- especially since it involves a fellow seamstress -- !! Glad it was a glorious day there -- better weather here, too. But, I didn't get to paint tonight so I'm bummed. But I love your picture and review!!
@cscecil - thank you so much, CS. yes, how could it have escaped me! the seamstress!! well, when you do have the time, i'm sure you will enjoy this book. i also put in there the link to a review done on the book. watch it and you will have a good insight on the book and its subject. thanks again.
beautiful color in this shot - and i have actually read this book - yay me! nice photo - very cheery, which now that i think of it is not the feeling i got when i read the book...oh well - - lol....sigh....i need to go to bed
@sticksandstones - yay! you. i understand that the funny feel wouldn't have been there when you first read it. because here in the west, we are a 'tad' pampered so we feel terrible for the characters' lot. what we don't understand is that there's another way of life outside of the americas, so things like those shock us or upset us. to see the funny things in a book doesn't mean we are demeaning or looking down on the characters' predicaments. if they can laugh at themselves, we should be able to laugh with them. thanks for the comments, kiddo.
@danig - thanks, DG. running out of steam, too. i can't find that thomas hardy book, i knew i had it in the beginning of the month and now it's lost amongst the pile.
what pretty colors! another book i have not read. such a long list i have for the cold winter months, but that is good. nothing i enjoy more than to curl up with a good book, a cup of coffee and ariel by the wood stove.
@catsmeowb - thanks so much, camille. your post must've come after i've logged off this morning to go to work. sorry it took a while to acknowledge it. in any case, i hope you will enjoy reading some of the books i've posted here this month. i realized i have so many books, my partner tells me i still have four big heavy boxes marked 'books' in the storage. thankfully most of them i've read already, but i still want to keep them. i have given a lot to the local library here and regretted some of them. until a few years ago after i've read a book i put it in a box to go to the old country as my family loves to read, too, and they just have no way of getting those books on their own. i have a big pile of 'to read' and like you, waiting for those lazy cold days to read them. thanks again, camille.
great colours...and how better to represent the rural characters finding literature by Balzac - unexpected, exotic and extraordinary - than by an exotic and extraordinary bloom
September 18th, 2011
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http://www.tvo.org/TVOsites/WebObjects/TvoMicrosite.woa?video10412
some of the books i featured here this month were also reviewed by Robert Adams. he and his wife are my friends.
it's on the list!!
I've run out of steam my friend, sorry...;-)
@altadc - thanks, alta!