Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Siji, our narrator, who remains nameless, and his best friend Luo are send to the mountains to work and be re-educated during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Both come from educated, well off families who are now considered enemies of the state. The two boys now live in a small village and must work hard to impress the villagers and convince them of their re-education. They are not without their antics though and the fact that they own the only clock in the village doesn’t go past their notice, as they frequently reset it to gain an extra hours sleep.
The two friends discover that their friend in a neighboring village smuggled in a suitcase full of western books translated into Chinese, which are strictly forbidden under Chairman Mao’s rule. They take delight in secretly reading these works and recounting the stories to other villagers (of course, they are unaware of the source). I especially liked the scene where they narrated the Count of Monte Cristo, that being one of the best classics I’ve read. The banned books opened up the boys imagination to a world that unfortunately will never exist for them.
The Little Seamstress refers to a girl in the neighboring village whom Luo is dating. Being just a village girl, Luo sets out to teach her the ways of the city so she’ll become refined and sophisticated. Much to his determinate, his plan backfires in a way that I can only describe as cruel.
Overall, I liked this fast, quick read but I know it won’t stay with me for very long (in fact, I just had to look up the ending because I had already forgotten). I love the cover. That’s why I picked it up in the first place and I’m glad that I wasn’t disappointed. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more from this author. A movie came out a couple of years ago and I’ve just put it on hold at the library. We’ll see if it’s any good.
This book did make me appreciate the fact that I have the right to read any book that I want. Banned Books Week, sponsored by the American Library Association is coming up at the end of next week, September 27th – October 4th. I’ll be posting more about that come September 27th.
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Category: Adult, Book Reviews, Fiction
Tags: A-D Title, banned, banned books week, book to movie, China, Q-T Author
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I like the cover as well, but never picked it up. I was unaware that there was a movie. Hmmm Let us know how it compares . . . please.
on September 14th, 2008 at 6:40 amI have this book too – I just read Waiting by Ha Jin, which also has a main character with some banned books and ideas outside of Chairman Mao’s restrictions. I should read it soon for comparison.
on September 14th, 2008 at 7:00 amI read this one several years ago–a good read as I recall. And I love the cover, too.
on September 14th, 2008 at 10:09 amThis is one of those books that I’ve seen around for years and never read. Maybe if I come across it at the library I will pick it up.
on September 14th, 2008 at 10:37 amI’ve had the movie in my Netflix queue for years, but by your description, I think I’ve already seen it! The film I’m reminded of has stayed in my head. It was beautiful. The book’s in my wishlist.
on September 14th, 2008 at 11:57 amI’ve heard good things about this book, but I haven’t read it yet. I love the cover.
on September 14th, 2008 at 1:02 pmooh! interesting. what do you do during banned books week?
on September 14th, 2008 at 1:22 pmI hadn’t heard of this, but I think the cover is lovely. I may have to seek it out at the library.
on September 14th, 2008 at 1:22 pmSounds like a good story. I LOVED The Count of Monte Cristo! It’s been awhile since I read it so I might do a re-read someday soon.
on September 14th, 2008 at 3:02 pmEeks–already forgot the ending? Doesn’t sound too promising for me, then, as I have a hard time remembering as it is. I’ve had this one on my radar for a while, but I might have to pick it up and browse through it before hastily purchasing it.
on September 14th, 2008 at 4:22 pmSounds interesting…
on September 14th, 2008 at 6:58 pmI love the cover too! I quite enjoyed it when I read it a few years ago. The film is pretty good and quite close to the book if I remember correctly, it’s been a while.
on September 15th, 2008 at 8:54 ami have never heard of this one before..and so thanks for the review..i just got myself a copy of this book after reading your review.. so, i will be posting my review soon!:)
on September 19th, 2008 at 1:44 pmhey.. just finished reading this book.. once again, thanks for the review.. i totally enjoyed reading this book!
on September 24th, 2008 at 5:04 pmWhew! A second book for the Lit Flicks Challenge! I hadn’t heard of this book before, but it sounds interesting. I’ll be interested to read your thoughts on the movie.
on October 1st, 2008 at 11:19 amI love the cover of this book, the story itself, and the movie is also fabulous. It’s directed by the author Saijie Dai. How often has that happened in movies? You know the director isn’t taking liberties with the story–talk about total vision.
on October 15th, 2008 at 10:43 pmJoy – I’ve got the movie checked out right now. It’s subtitled so I actually have to find time to center all of my attention on it.
Meghan – I have Waiting on my TBR list. Don’t think I’ll get to it until next year.
Bea – Glad to know that you enjoyed it.
Jeanette – I never even heard of it until this year. It’s a very fast read.
Anna – The cover is what drew me in to this one.
Ginger – You can do anything you want during Banned Books Week. I chose to read a banned book a day. I had a lot of fun!
Word Lily – Your netflix queue must be really long!
on October 16th, 2008 at 11:49 pm