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Miss Chopsticks
Xinran takes her readers to the heart of modern Chinese society in this delightful and absorbing tale of three peasant girls getting to grips with life in the big city.
The Li sisters don’t have much education, but one thing has been drummed into them: their mother is a failure because she hasn’t managed to produce a son, and they themselves only merit a number as a name. Women, their father tells them, are like chopsticks: utilitarian and easily broken. Men, on the other hand, are the strong rafters that hold up the roof of a house.
Yet when circumstances lead the sisters to seek work in distant Nanjing, the shocking new urban environment opens their eyes. While Three contributes to the success of a small restaurant, Five and Six learn new talents at a health spa and a bookshop/tearoom. And when the money they earn starts arriving back at the village, their father is forced to recognize that daughters are not so dispensable after all.
As the Li sisters discover Nanjing, so do we: its past, its customs and culture, and its future as a place where people can change their lives.
The Li sisters don’t have much education, but one thing has been drummed into them: their mother is a failure because she hasn’t managed to produce a son, and they themselves only merit a number as a name. Women, their father tells them, are like chopsticks: utilitarian and easily broken. Men, on the other hand, are the strong rafters that hold up the roof of a house.
Yet when circumstances lead the sisters to seek work in distant Nanjing, the shocking new urban environment opens their eyes. While Three contributes to the success of a small restaurant, Five and Six learn new talents at a health spa and a bookshop/tearoom. And when the money they earn starts arriving back at the village, their father is forced to recognize that daughters are not so dispensable after all.
As the Li sisters discover Nanjing, so do we: its past, its customs and culture, and its future as a place where people can change their lives.
257 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2007
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3924 people want to read
About the author
Xinran
14 books591 followersXue Xinran, who usually writes as simply "Xinran", was a radio broadcaster in China before moving to Great Britain and beginning to publish books. She currently writes as a columnist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
March 17, 2018
The title of this novel piqued my interest, hence I made sure to add this to my to-read list. I could have finished this within two days if only I was not that busy during the time I decided to read it. What I love about this book is on how it showcases women spreading their wings on today's era and competing and making their own mark just like the opposite sex. I reckon any women out there could relate to one or two characters in this book just like I did. In my case, I see bits of myself on Three, Five and Six. How about you?
September 17, 2009
This book is about three sisters, known as Three, Five and Six. Their mother was only able to give birth to girls (although we all know that’s the man’s fault, isn’t it!). In his disappointment, the father didn’t want to bother thinking of names for the girls, so he named them according to the order that they were born in. It’s called Miss Chopsticks because that’s what girls are known as, “Chopsticks” because chopsticks are only to be used and discarded, and easily broken. Men, however, are the strong rafters who hold up the roof of the household.
The three sisters leave their small village, and set out to find work in the city of Nanjing. Their eyes are opened by how different the city is compared to their village. They sit in cars for the first time, experience new culinary delights, and learn so many new things from their respective employers. Three has a talent for arranging flowers and vegetables, so she quickly finds a job at a restaurant, where her work pulls many people into the restaurant. Five, who is not as smart as the other two, is drafted to work at a health spa. And Six, who has the most education of them all, works in a tea-shop cum library.
Being a Chinese myself, it’s so easy for me to picture myself in their shoes. Who knows, if my great-grandparents hadn’t come over from China, I might even be one of these girls! I read several reviews of this book, and one reader commented that he found it hard to believe that the girls were really that naive. Personally, I don’t find it that unbelievable at all! I’ve visited China before, and gone to some of the remote villages which are quite cut off from the cities. And I’ve heard stories of Indonesian maids that come over to Malaysia and are really clueless. For example, there was one maid that thought the toilet was a washing machine, and threw a towel inside and pulled the flush! This could equate to Three (I think it was her), who visited her employer’s loo, and she had no idea how to use it. In desperation, she hiked up her clothes, jumped onto the toilet bowl and did a No 2. When the employers went into the toilet, there was a nasty smell, and a “surprise” still inside the toilet bowl!
All in all, a very charming book with humorous stories thrown in here and there. By reading it, you’ll have an idea of rural China, and the difficulties people face when migrating to the city, as well as Chinese culture.
The three sisters leave their small village, and set out to find work in the city of Nanjing. Their eyes are opened by how different the city is compared to their village. They sit in cars for the first time, experience new culinary delights, and learn so many new things from their respective employers. Three has a talent for arranging flowers and vegetables, so she quickly finds a job at a restaurant, where her work pulls many people into the restaurant. Five, who is not as smart as the other two, is drafted to work at a health spa. And Six, who has the most education of them all, works in a tea-shop cum library.
Being a Chinese myself, it’s so easy for me to picture myself in their shoes. Who knows, if my great-grandparents hadn’t come over from China, I might even be one of these girls! I read several reviews of this book, and one reader commented that he found it hard to believe that the girls were really that naive. Personally, I don’t find it that unbelievable at all! I’ve visited China before, and gone to some of the remote villages which are quite cut off from the cities. And I’ve heard stories of Indonesian maids that come over to Malaysia and are really clueless. For example, there was one maid that thought the toilet was a washing machine, and threw a towel inside and pulled the flush! This could equate to Three (I think it was her), who visited her employer’s loo, and she had no idea how to use it. In desperation, she hiked up her clothes, jumped onto the toilet bowl and did a No 2. When the employers went into the toilet, there was a nasty smell, and a “surprise” still inside the toilet bowl!
All in all, a very charming book with humorous stories thrown in here and there. By reading it, you’ll have an idea of rural China, and the difficulties people face when migrating to the city, as well as Chinese culture.
June 27, 2016
A beautiful engaging book both humorous and with a penetrating understanding.
Explores the lives of three Chinese girls from a rural village , from a family that has only produced girls, in a culture where this is seen as a great misfortune.
To have girls according to this mentality is a misfortune as girls are regarded as 'chopsticks' disposable, and a son as a 'roofbeam', - holding up the family and household.
These three girls (given only numbers) and not names make their way to the city of Nanjing to make anew life for themselves and find employment and new lives in different businesses
References to the horrors of the past such as the cultural revolution as well as the greater freedoms which seem to be slowly growing in China.
You will be overwhelmed with admiration for these young ladies (who represent the many female 'migrant' workers from the Chinese countryside to the cities.
And pearls of wisdom such as this : "Money can buy a bed , but it can't buy good sleep.
Money can buy a house but it can't buy a home.
Money can buy food but it can't buy flavour.
Money can buy a gym but it can't buy health
Money can be used for trade but it can't buy friends
Money can buy qualifications but it can't buy ambition"
and quirky Chinese means of description, used by one of the sisters, like : " People mountain, people sea - Great crowds of people
Morning three night four - blow hot and cold
Wang eight eggs - bastard
Wield a big knife in front of General Guangong - show off
Good good study, day day up - Study hard so as to make progress every day.
Written with great wit and a love for China and it's people. Captures sights, sounds , tastes and especially the spirit of today's China. And also a taste of the beautiful ancient culture and tradition of China which the cultural revolution never quite succeeded in destroying.
Great characterization and cultural insight.
Explores the lives of three Chinese girls from a rural village , from a family that has only produced girls, in a culture where this is seen as a great misfortune.
To have girls according to this mentality is a misfortune as girls are regarded as 'chopsticks' disposable, and a son as a 'roofbeam', - holding up the family and household.
These three girls (given only numbers) and not names make their way to the city of Nanjing to make anew life for themselves and find employment and new lives in different businesses
References to the horrors of the past such as the cultural revolution as well as the greater freedoms which seem to be slowly growing in China.
You will be overwhelmed with admiration for these young ladies (who represent the many female 'migrant' workers from the Chinese countryside to the cities.
And pearls of wisdom such as this : "Money can buy a bed , but it can't buy good sleep.
Money can buy a house but it can't buy a home.
Money can buy food but it can't buy flavour.
Money can buy a gym but it can't buy health
Money can be used for trade but it can't buy friends
Money can buy qualifications but it can't buy ambition"
and quirky Chinese means of description, used by one of the sisters, like : " People mountain, people sea - Great crowds of people
Morning three night four - blow hot and cold
Wang eight eggs - bastard
Wield a big knife in front of General Guangong - show off
Good good study, day day up - Study hard so as to make progress every day.
Written with great wit and a love for China and it's people. Captures sights, sounds , tastes and especially the spirit of today's China. And also a taste of the beautiful ancient culture and tradition of China which the cultural revolution never quite succeeded in destroying.
Great characterization and cultural insight.
March 3, 2018
Découvrir l'histoire des femmes chinoises est toujours aussi passionnant via les livres de Xinran. Sa plume est délicate et elle vous présente sans jugement le parcours de trous jeunes femmes aussi courageuses que déterminées.
July 8, 2025
4.5 stars. This is less a work of fiction than a means by which Xinran can tell us about the plight of women living in rural poverty in China. It is set around the turn of the 20th century, a constant source of wonder for Western readers, like myself, who were previously unaware of the almost medieval lifestyle of villagers.
In the introduction, Xinran explains the title of the book. Her fictional family has six girls and no boys, a source of shame - she only managed to give birth to a handful of chopsticks and no roof-beam. Men are believed to be the strong providers who hold up the roof of the household, hence roof-beams, women are merely fragile, workaday tools to be used and then discarded, hence chopsticks. On a visit to a small village in the north, Xinran overheard a young girl saying, I’ll show the people in this village who’s a chopstick and who’s a roof-beam. Daughters are swapped between families for marriage to sons, their role in life to bear sons and do the housework. For some young women, this was a fate they were determined to avoid. The seeds of this novel had been sown in Xinran’s mind.
We follow three chopsticks, Three, Five and Six, to Nanjing where they all find jobs with well-meaning, kind employers. Six is ambitious for herself. She is the only one to have completed middle school and wants to learn English so that she can better her prospects. She finds work in a teahouse-cum-library and makes friends with students who are native English speakers learning Chinese. A symbiotic relationship develops with each learning from the other. Three works in a small restaurant and Five, who has learning difficulties and can neither read nor write (not unusual as so few children in the countryside have the opportunity to go to school), becomes an assistant in the Dragon Water-Culture Centre, baths with medicinal properties. All are provided with accommodation, food and wages.
Despite this being the turn of the 20th century, the girls had no experience beyond the town near their village and had never seen a car far less been driven in one. Many things were beyond their understanding at first, e.g. mobile phones, television, computers, credit cards. Their behaviour is steeped in village culture, looked down upon by most Nanjingers although they have plenty of behavioural codes themselves. The girls’ sense of wonder at all of these ‘modern’ innovations and the overwhelming noise and hubbub of the city is moving and occasionally very funny. They are ignorant of so many things the rest of us take for granted.
I learned a great deal about Chinese culture and how society has changed over the last thirty years or so. If you visit China’s great cities, they are modern in every way and often far ahead of the West technologically. In my naivety, I thought these innovations had spread across China but although things have surely moved on since this novel was written, I suspect much hasn’t. This book is well worth reading for an insight into the Chinese experience of the modernisation in the 20th century and the story of the transformation of the three girls’ lives is very enjoyable.
In the introduction, Xinran explains the title of the book. Her fictional family has six girls and no boys, a source of shame - she only managed to give birth to a handful of chopsticks and no roof-beam. Men are believed to be the strong providers who hold up the roof of the household, hence roof-beams, women are merely fragile, workaday tools to be used and then discarded, hence chopsticks. On a visit to a small village in the north, Xinran overheard a young girl saying, I’ll show the people in this village who’s a chopstick and who’s a roof-beam. Daughters are swapped between families for marriage to sons, their role in life to bear sons and do the housework. For some young women, this was a fate they were determined to avoid. The seeds of this novel had been sown in Xinran’s mind.
We follow three chopsticks, Three, Five and Six, to Nanjing where they all find jobs with well-meaning, kind employers. Six is ambitious for herself. She is the only one to have completed middle school and wants to learn English so that she can better her prospects. She finds work in a teahouse-cum-library and makes friends with students who are native English speakers learning Chinese. A symbiotic relationship develops with each learning from the other. Three works in a small restaurant and Five, who has learning difficulties and can neither read nor write (not unusual as so few children in the countryside have the opportunity to go to school), becomes an assistant in the Dragon Water-Culture Centre, baths with medicinal properties. All are provided with accommodation, food and wages.
Despite this being the turn of the 20th century, the girls had no experience beyond the town near their village and had never seen a car far less been driven in one. Many things were beyond their understanding at first, e.g. mobile phones, television, computers, credit cards. Their behaviour is steeped in village culture, looked down upon by most Nanjingers although they have plenty of behavioural codes themselves. The girls’ sense of wonder at all of these ‘modern’ innovations and the overwhelming noise and hubbub of the city is moving and occasionally very funny. They are ignorant of so many things the rest of us take for granted.
I learned a great deal about Chinese culture and how society has changed over the last thirty years or so. If you visit China’s great cities, they are modern in every way and often far ahead of the West technologically. In my naivety, I thought these innovations had spread across China but although things have surely moved on since this novel was written, I suspect much hasn’t. This book is well worth reading for an insight into the Chinese experience of the modernisation in the 20th century and the story of the transformation of the three girls’ lives is very enjoyable.
January 23, 2024
نویسنده صرفا خواسته بود درباره تعصبات سخت مناطق دور افتاده چین بگه به همراه یه سری جملات اموزنده
ولی روند کتاب و داستان خیلی سطحی بود
وقتی صفحه اخرو خوندم واقعا باورم نمیشد صفحه اخر باشه همش با خودم میگفتم خب که چی؟😂🤦🏻♀️
ولی روند کتاب و داستان خیلی سطحی بود
وقتی صفحه اخرو خوندم واقعا باورم نمیشد صفحه اخر باشه همش با خودم میگفتم خب که چی؟😂🤦🏻♀️
December 12, 2012
Yes, I have tagged this with "non fiction" even though it is not. That is because although the characters and events are not real, the people and places they were based on are. Xinran was a journalist who now writes beautiful stories about women in China. Their stories are sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes funny and always touching. This novel is about as close to real as you can get.
This is the story of three sisters, named Three, Five and Six, who have lived all their life in the countryside, the life of poor peasants. Their father, disappointed to have no sons, refers to them as "chopsticks" - implying that they are easily broken. Sons are considered "roofbeams" - strong and sturdy. Of course, chopsticks are essential to the Chinese way of life, and these three girls make new lives for themselves in the city of Nanking. It is not at easy life, and their country ways brand them as outsiders, ignorant of the way the new, urban way of life exists, but gradually they learn - each in their own ways. Three is creative and caring; youngest sister Six, intelligent and wishing to become more learned, and Five has long been considered the ugly and stupid sister, but as the story proceeds, you begin to realise that she is neither, she is just different, and somewhat naive.
The translation was pretty good, although some of the conversations seemed a little forced, and unrealistic (although perhaps that is the way the Chinese speak, when it is translated into English). And the three sisters and their individual stories - their hopes and dreams, deeply involving. All up, a joly good read and also a moving insight into the Chinese way of life.
This is the story of three sisters, named Three, Five and Six, who have lived all their life in the countryside, the life of poor peasants. Their father, disappointed to have no sons, refers to them as "chopsticks" - implying that they are easily broken. Sons are considered "roofbeams" - strong and sturdy. Of course, chopsticks are essential to the Chinese way of life, and these three girls make new lives for themselves in the city of Nanking. It is not at easy life, and their country ways brand them as outsiders, ignorant of the way the new, urban way of life exists, but gradually they learn - each in their own ways. Three is creative and caring; youngest sister Six, intelligent and wishing to become more learned, and Five has long been considered the ugly and stupid sister, but as the story proceeds, you begin to realise that she is neither, she is just different, and somewhat naive.
The translation was pretty good, although some of the conversations seemed a little forced, and unrealistic (although perhaps that is the way the Chinese speak, when it is translated into English). And the three sisters and their individual stories - their hopes and dreams, deeply involving. All up, a joly good read and also a moving insight into the Chinese way of life.
December 30, 2015
Miss Chopsticks amalgamates the stories that the author, Xinran has come across in her travels to rural china in the 90’s. The title of the book comes from the perception that Chinese women are viewed as ‘chopsticks’ – they are plentiful but not particularly useful unless used in collaboration with others. The men and boys are considered ‘roof beams’ – the strong pillars of society that shelter and protect China.
Post-cultural revolution China is a land of opportunity – and Three, Five and Six (their father so dismayed and shamed by his daughters’ birth that he dare not grace them with any meaningful name) are prepared to be courageous in order to find a life outside of their small rural town. Arranged marriages are not uncommon, and indeed Three plots with her Uncle in order to escape marrying a crippled, corrupt Party associate.
Poorly educated and poverty stricken, the opportunities that abound in the town of Nanjing seem like something they could have only dreamt of. Their tales of success and prosperity indeed feel to be something out of a storybook, because with every page you read, there’s an opportunity for calamity to occur. We are all too familiar with the sad stories of poor conditions and the risks associated with young women working in such a city.
However this is not a story tracking woe, but a story of how strong these ‘chopsticks’ are, even when the odds are against them.
The translation feels true to the original text – having read and watched many Chinese-English adaptations previously, I understand and appreciate the idioms of Chinese language and culture, so whilst some turns of phrase may seem overly formal or strange in translation, if you’ve come across Chinese culture previously, these terms will feel realistic and provide a very clear picture of the characters in the novel.
A short novel with a great amount of character and heart. Well worth a look.
Post-cultural revolution China is a land of opportunity – and Three, Five and Six (their father so dismayed and shamed by his daughters’ birth that he dare not grace them with any meaningful name) are prepared to be courageous in order to find a life outside of their small rural town. Arranged marriages are not uncommon, and indeed Three plots with her Uncle in order to escape marrying a crippled, corrupt Party associate.
Poorly educated and poverty stricken, the opportunities that abound in the town of Nanjing seem like something they could have only dreamt of. Their tales of success and prosperity indeed feel to be something out of a storybook, because with every page you read, there’s an opportunity for calamity to occur. We are all too familiar with the sad stories of poor conditions and the risks associated with young women working in such a city.
However this is not a story tracking woe, but a story of how strong these ‘chopsticks’ are, even when the odds are against them.
The translation feels true to the original text – having read and watched many Chinese-English adaptations previously, I understand and appreciate the idioms of Chinese language and culture, so whilst some turns of phrase may seem overly formal or strange in translation, if you’ve come across Chinese culture previously, these terms will feel realistic and provide a very clear picture of the characters in the novel.
A short novel with a great amount of character and heart. Well worth a look.
July 31, 2017
This was definitely not for me. Too bad that the theme was not presented in a better, more engaging style. I felt this is a book for children, as it is so overly and annoyingly simplistic, both in content and in language. The characters are just not believable and I cannot connect with the patronising style of writing. I could hardly stand finishing it. As someone else wrote, everyone in Nanjing seems to be over-the-top friendly and helpful, to the point that you feel the city portrayed as a parallel oversimplified universe. The attempt at adding some drama with the jail story failed miserably; I thought it was rather ridiculous. The writer and/or translator tried to squeeze in background information in a disruptive way. However, the book seems to resonate with quite a few readers - good for you! For anyone interested in women in Chinese history (although without the focus on migrant workers) I recommend Jung Chang: Wild swans - three daughters of China.
February 5, 2014
Excellent book, I felt so humble, it is full of beautiful lessons of life. For many people China looks like another planet and Chinese people like aliens. I can say that we are not so different. I am not giving here a review of this book because in this webpage there exist really good ones. Only as a curiosity, the book in its front cover has three Chinese characters, 菜(cai4)vegetables or food, 水(shui3)water, 茶(cha2)tea. The book tells the story of three sisters, Tree, Five and Six. Three works in a restaurant where she creates beautiful baskets of vegetables, Five works in a Spa or water culture centre and Six works in a teahouse where customers can read books while drinking tea.
February 6, 2017
If you’ve never read anything by Xinran before then allow me to get bossy: Read something by Xinran.
Actually, I’ve only read her non-fiction, which is invariably so affecting, so powerful that the stories she tells will never leave you. I was keen to see how she tackled fiction and her novel, Miss Chopsticks, was recommended to me by Lisa (an excellent suggestion to meet a tricky reading challenge category).
Miss Chopsticks is the story of peasant sisters – their mother is considered a failure because she never produced a son, and the daughters only merit a number as a name.
“In my village, girls are called ‘chopsticks’ and boys ‘roof-beams’. They all say girls are no good because a chopstick can’t support a roof.”
Sisters Three, Five and Six move to the large city of Nanjing to seek work – their lack of education and naivety makes life difficult in the big city but each girl manages to find her place.
Miss Chopsticks is based on three unrelated women Xinran met in China in the early 2000s. Although this book is not biographical, their stories are representative of the experiences of many woman who moved from rural villages to big cities. Xinran captures the detail of city life, it’s surprises and shocks, as well as weaving references to Nanjing’s festivals, traditions and landmarks into the story. The section about Face Powder Lane/ Red Guard Road was particularly interesting and described one aspect of the Cultural Revolution –
“…turned the wolf-hair calligraphy brushes that had been treasured for generations into bottle washers. High-quality rice paper that had once borne beautiful poetry was used to ‘resolve the outgoing problems of the masses’ – that is, as toilet paper… Incense burners from the Ming dynasty became crocks for storing rice and beans; writing tables with secret, mirror-lined drawers were transformed into hen-coops or shelving.”
Knowing this book was fictitious, I wasn’t as emotionally invested as I have been when reading Xinran’s other books. That said, her Afterword, and the story of how Miss Chopsticks came about (prompted by a visit to Tasmania!) is charming and reminded me of the very personal element in all of Xinran’s writing.
3/5 Interesting.
Actually, I’ve only read her non-fiction, which is invariably so affecting, so powerful that the stories she tells will never leave you. I was keen to see how she tackled fiction and her novel, Miss Chopsticks, was recommended to me by Lisa (an excellent suggestion to meet a tricky reading challenge category).
Miss Chopsticks is the story of peasant sisters – their mother is considered a failure because she never produced a son, and the daughters only merit a number as a name.
“In my village, girls are called ‘chopsticks’ and boys ‘roof-beams’. They all say girls are no good because a chopstick can’t support a roof.”
Sisters Three, Five and Six move to the large city of Nanjing to seek work – their lack of education and naivety makes life difficult in the big city but each girl manages to find her place.
Miss Chopsticks is based on three unrelated women Xinran met in China in the early 2000s. Although this book is not biographical, their stories are representative of the experiences of many woman who moved from rural villages to big cities. Xinran captures the detail of city life, it’s surprises and shocks, as well as weaving references to Nanjing’s festivals, traditions and landmarks into the story. The section about Face Powder Lane/ Red Guard Road was particularly interesting and described one aspect of the Cultural Revolution –
“…turned the wolf-hair calligraphy brushes that had been treasured for generations into bottle washers. High-quality rice paper that had once borne beautiful poetry was used to ‘resolve the outgoing problems of the masses’ – that is, as toilet paper… Incense burners from the Ming dynasty became crocks for storing rice and beans; writing tables with secret, mirror-lined drawers were transformed into hen-coops or shelving.”
Knowing this book was fictitious, I wasn’t as emotionally invested as I have been when reading Xinran’s other books. That said, her Afterword, and the story of how Miss Chopsticks came about (prompted by a visit to Tasmania!) is charming and reminded me of the very personal element in all of Xinran’s writing.
3/5 Interesting.
October 4, 2012
This wonderful novel details three sisters’ journey of exploration as they leave their little village and all-female siblings behind to work in the city and try to make more of themselves than being the ‘chopsticks’ that they’ve been branded. The three sisters’ stories unfold as their individual characters come to light – Five is seen as stupid and worthless, but a kindly character called Engineer Wu takes her under his wing and explains how the ignorance of male-run villages breed the idea that girls are worthless and disposable. Six is the most educated of the sisters and ends up in a tea-shop which doubles up as a library and she’s able to indulge her literary whims. Finally the first of the sisters to leave, Three, has found herself a restaurant to work in which recognises her artistic qualities and she successfully makes a name for herself.
This book is so full of witty little anecdotes spawned by the Chinese language – right at the beginning of the novel there’s the tale of how the Guan brothers get their name – Buyu was originally called Yu but the meaning of Yu is ‘speak’ so when his words got him into trouble, his mother changed his name to Buyu (don’t speak!) and went as far as to call her unborn child Buyan, ‘be silent’ to try and pre-emptively keep him out of trouble.
I began the book thinking it could be an extremely depressing read, but with the successes and good-news stories of each sister, what could be a saccharine-sweet novel is tempered by the afterword in which Xinran explains the three sisters are based in fact. I was amazed to see the differences between the cities and villages in China, even in the 2000’s, it’s even remarked in the book by Six’s teashop owner that the villages are centuries behind, if not more so, in every way. The idea of women being treated like chopsticks, disposable and unable to offer any lasting support in a family is utterly archaic and it’s terrifying that the notion can persist in this day and age. I really didn’t realise how little I knew about Chinese history or culture, ancient or modern, but this engrossing novel has tweaked my interest and opened my eyes to learn more about it.
This book is so full of witty little anecdotes spawned by the Chinese language – right at the beginning of the novel there’s the tale of how the Guan brothers get their name – Buyu was originally called Yu but the meaning of Yu is ‘speak’ so when his words got him into trouble, his mother changed his name to Buyu (don’t speak!) and went as far as to call her unborn child Buyan, ‘be silent’ to try and pre-emptively keep him out of trouble.
I began the book thinking it could be an extremely depressing read, but with the successes and good-news stories of each sister, what could be a saccharine-sweet novel is tempered by the afterword in which Xinran explains the three sisters are based in fact. I was amazed to see the differences between the cities and villages in China, even in the 2000’s, it’s even remarked in the book by Six’s teashop owner that the villages are centuries behind, if not more so, in every way. The idea of women being treated like chopsticks, disposable and unable to offer any lasting support in a family is utterly archaic and it’s terrifying that the notion can persist in this day and age. I really didn’t realise how little I knew about Chinese history or culture, ancient or modern, but this engrossing novel has tweaked my interest and opened my eyes to learn more about it.
July 14, 2009
A book about Chinese women that does not make you want to run out and adopt a Chinese orphan girl! Does that sound shallow? After reading this I felt that every other book I have read set in this culture or in American immigrant families has painted a bleak world in which the main character struggles against all, often with the support of one or two faithful friends, who are fated to die or be separated from her. Perhaps I am over reacting?
In any case, Xinran paints a picture of modern China which does not make me want to move there, but in which people help each other, even strangers, and where the odds that a girl succeeding are worthy of a bet, especially if she puts her strengths to work for her. It was a refreshing read for me. And I will keep it on hand as the antidote to my next book choices set in China.
A last note: the characters are fictional but based upon women the author has met in China. At the end of the book, she tells you what she knows of the fate of the women who inspired her.
In any case, Xinran paints a picture of modern China which does not make me want to move there, but in which people help each other, even strangers, and where the odds that a girl succeeding are worthy of a bet, especially if she puts her strengths to work for her. It was a refreshing read for me. And I will keep it on hand as the antidote to my next book choices set in China.
A last note: the characters are fictional but based upon women the author has met in China. At the end of the book, she tells you what she knows of the fate of the women who inspired her.
August 14, 2017
Ha sido como un cuento, o más bien como una fábula sobre tres chicas "palillo" en un mundo totalmente distinto al suyo. Parecía que estaba leyendo algo de hace décadas, pero no, la historia está ambientada a comienzos del siglo XXI y llama muchísimo la atención las diferencias tan abismales entre el campo y los núcleos urbanos de una sociedad como la china. Me ha gustado todo lo que me han contado, sentirme algo más cerca de una cultura tan desconocida para mí, y el tono positivo aunque real de la novela. Al principio cuesta un poco hacerse al ritmo narrativo que nos marca la autora pero luego entiendes que forma parte de esa misma cultura. Lo que cuenta es tan cierto que te hace pensar en las millones de mujeres que no han tenido la suerte de nacer libres o con la capacidad de elegir como nosotras.
Opinión completa en el blog
https://millibrosenmibiblioteca.blogs...
Opinión completa en el blog
https://millibrosenmibiblioteca.blogs...
December 21, 2009
Fiction A-Z Book 'X': Miss Chopsticks by Xinran
I really loved this book. It's the story of three sisters from the Chinese countryside who go to work in Nanjing. It's a whole different world for them, and the book is a great exploration of this relatively new phenomenon in China. The sisters (Three, Five, and Six) are varied in skill and personality, and Xinran does a great job of deepening their characters, and making the journey they are on interesting and touching. There are no great obstacles for the girls (I kept waiting for something bad to happen, and was pleased when nothing did), but seeing them adjust to the city was enough of a story for me.
It makes a great companion piece to the non-fiction book "Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China"
I really loved this book. It's the story of three sisters from the Chinese countryside who go to work in Nanjing. It's a whole different world for them, and the book is a great exploration of this relatively new phenomenon in China. The sisters (Three, Five, and Six) are varied in skill and personality, and Xinran does a great job of deepening their characters, and making the journey they are on interesting and touching. There are no great obstacles for the girls (I kept waiting for something bad to happen, and was pleased when nothing did), but seeing them adjust to the city was enough of a story for me.
It makes a great companion piece to the non-fiction book "Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2012
Miss Chopsticks is a fictionalised account of three Chinese girls who Xinran had met. Their stories are both sad and full of hope: they are poor and disadvantaged, but by good luck, cleverness and hard work, they show their family how much they are worth.
If you're interested in China, and particularly the lives of women in China, I definitely recommend Xinran's work. It's well translated, I think: very clear and easy to read. The translation does create a distance, and it's not like a English novel, but if you're interested in China then that's not what you'd be going for anyway.
If you're interested in China, and particularly the lives of women in China, I definitely recommend Xinran's work. It's well translated, I think: very clear and easy to read. The translation does create a distance, and it's not like a English novel, but if you're interested in China then that's not what you'd be going for anyway.
June 26, 2012
I would really give this 2.5 stars. Interesting subject matter about rural-urban migration and cultural issues within China, but it was not that gripping a read. I felt like I was waitng for something to happen...but it never did. Having said that, I would explore this writer's previous works.
December 29, 2023
موضوع خوب، پرداخت متوسط، فرم و تکنیکِ سطحی
April 18, 2012
The first chapter of Miss Chopsticks is so funny and heartwarming that I fully expected to fall in love with this book. While that didn’t quite happen, it was certainly an engaging and enlightening read.
The blurb is written as if this were a book about three sisters struggling against patriarchy, perhaps because that’s what western readers expect from books about Chinese women, but while the book touches on gender issues, that’s not its focus. Rather, this is a book about three sisters from the countryside who move to Nanjing, are fortunate enough to get good jobs, and discover talents they didn’t know they had, while working to adapt to life in the big city. (This is a tall order; one character opines that the countryside is 500 years behind the cities.) Thematically, then, it's mostly about the rapid pace of change in 21st century China and about the lives of migrant workers there.
It’s quite a positive, hopeful book, with a plot that follows the sisters through their daily lives; even without a lot of external conflict, though, it’s still quite engaging. And it’s nice to read something about China that isn’t tragic! The characters are fairly well-drawn and I learned a good deal about modern China. The translation is also excellent; it manages to retain some humor and to insert explanations where necessary without being pedantic. In fact, it feels natural enough that one might almost think the book had been written in English (although some of its conventions, like the omniscient point-of-view, are rarely seen in English-language novels these days).
After such a positive book, though, the Afterword (where the author relates what she knows about the subsequent lives of the three real-life girls) was a downer. If that information was going to be included in the book, I think I’d have preferred it to be dealt with in the actual narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but it has enough substance to it to be more than just a light read. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging portrait of modern China.
The blurb is written as if this were a book about three sisters struggling against patriarchy, perhaps because that’s what western readers expect from books about Chinese women, but while the book touches on gender issues, that’s not its focus. Rather, this is a book about three sisters from the countryside who move to Nanjing, are fortunate enough to get good jobs, and discover talents they didn’t know they had, while working to adapt to life in the big city. (This is a tall order; one character opines that the countryside is 500 years behind the cities.) Thematically, then, it's mostly about the rapid pace of change in 21st century China and about the lives of migrant workers there.
It’s quite a positive, hopeful book, with a plot that follows the sisters through their daily lives; even without a lot of external conflict, though, it’s still quite engaging. And it’s nice to read something about China that isn’t tragic! The characters are fairly well-drawn and I learned a good deal about modern China. The translation is also excellent; it manages to retain some humor and to insert explanations where necessary without being pedantic. In fact, it feels natural enough that one might almost think the book had been written in English (although some of its conventions, like the omniscient point-of-view, are rarely seen in English-language novels these days).
After such a positive book, though, the Afterword (where the author relates what she knows about the subsequent lives of the three real-life girls) was a downer. If that information was going to be included in the book, I think I’d have preferred it to be dealt with in the actual narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but it has enough substance to it to be more than just a light read. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging portrait of modern China.
August 12, 2017
Ha sido como un cuento, o más bien como una fábula sobre tres chicas "palillo" en un mundo totalmente distinto al suyo. Parecía que estaba leyendo algo de hace décadas, pero no, la historia está ambientada a comienzos del siglo XXI y llama muchísimo la atención las diferencias tan abismales entre el campo y los núcleos urbanos de una sociedad como la china. Me ha gustado todo lo que me han contado, sentirme algo más cerca de una cultura tan desconocida para mí, y el tono positivo aunque real de la novela. Al principio cuesta un poco hacerse al ritmo narrativo que nos marca la autora pero luego entiendes que forma parte de esa misma cultura. Lo que cuenta es tan cierto que te hace pensar en las millones de mujeres que no han tenido la suerte de nacer libres o con la capacidad de elegir como nosotras.
Pronto opinión completa en el blog
Pronto opinión completa en el blog
November 29, 2007
This is a definite five star read for me. At less than 300 pages, it is not a long novel. It provides a view of life in China which is as much caught in the past as it is moving towards a different future.
I've reviewd the novel at Amazon.com for thise interested: http://tinyurl.com/3cbqwh
I also recommend Xinran's 'Sky Burial'
Both are beautifully written books, in my view.
I've reviewd the novel at Amazon.com for thise interested: http://tinyurl.com/3cbqwh
I also recommend Xinran's 'Sky Burial'
Both are beautifully written books, in my view.
April 23, 2012
The author bends the truth a little and combines three stories as one. An interesting look into China (however a genre that is really well documented by some amazing work). An easy read but hardly life-changing.
May 21, 2021
This was an enjoyable short read about three sisters that escape the countryside poverty to make it in the city, showing their father and family that girls can be "roofbeams" too and not just easily breakable "chopsticks".
February 14, 2016
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. It is not a book I would of chosen for myself. Loved the history from a girls point of view.
February 25, 2023
China, Primera década del siglo XXI Tres, Cinco y Seis son tres hermanas que viven en una pequeña aldea junto con su familia. Al nacer no se les otorgó un nombre porque al ser mujeres, no se las considera lo suficiente valiosas para tener uno, no son vigas (hijos varones) solo son palillos (hijas hembras).
Un día Tres escapa de su aldea para huir de un matrimonio concertado. A ella se unirán con el tiempo Cinco, el patito feo y tonto de la familia y Seis la única en terminar la enseñanza primaria y secundaria (un motivo de queja para su padre que lo consideraba un gasto innecesario).
Las tres llegan a la gran ciudad dispuestas a labrarse un futuro y demostrar que son tan valiosas y dignas de respeto como cualquier hijo varón.
Mientras libran sus pequeñas batallas para adaptaste a un mundo que les resulta extraño. Las hermanas encontrarán trabajos en los que descubren y desarrollan sus habilidades al tiempo que interactúan con personas que las pondrán en contacto con otras realidades y formas de pensar. Dichas experiencias les servirán para cuestionar la opinión que tienen de ellas mismas y el entorno en el que han sido educadas.
Una historia entretenida, bonita y entrañable. Que destaca el espíritu de superación de las jóvenes Chinas que habitan en las zonas rurales y su deseo de aspirar a una vida mejor y demostrar su valia ante una sociedad que las desdeña por su condición de mujer.
La historia está narrada con una prosa simple. Y los capítulos son muy cortos, lo cual hace que la lectura se desarrolle de forma cómoda y no resulte aburrida.
Los personajes están bien perfilados y despiertan la empatía del lector:
*Tres: Es la inconformista, pero su mentalidad campesina tan arraigada le hace imposible adaptarse del todo a la ciudad.
*Cinco: Autodidacta y práctica, es poseedora de una sabiduría popular a la que le sacará todo el provecho.
*Seis: Rodeada de conocimiento y cultura, su meta es progresar en la vida. Pero vive en conflicto, pues su ambición la terminará alejando de su familia.
El mejor logrado es Seis y quién mejor evoluciona es Cinco, cuya autoestima y confianza en si misma aumenta al descubrir su potencial.
Me ha gustado mucho como en la trama se abordan las diferencias existentes entre el campo y las zonas urbanas y como estas últimas y sus habitantes empiezan a adaptarse a los cambios provocados por el advenimiento de la apertura económica del país, ya que se hace desde la cotidianidad de los personajes (por ejemplo cuando las dos funcionarias discuten sobre el gusto de los chinos por seguir la moda occidental).
Pero la novela tiene sus puntos débiles: Al limitarse la autora a retratar el lado amable de la emigración rural, obviando su lado más oscuro y las dificultades por las que atraviesan los trabajadores, la historia pierde realismo y cae en lo superficial:
-Todos son buenos y amables con las chicas.
-Todos están dispuestos a ayudarlas y protejerlas.
No hay personajes ni situaciones antagónicas, solo en el capítulo titulado "Tío Dos visita las puertas del infierno" se intenta mostrar la otra cara de la moneda, pero con un matiz trágicomico que no resulta convincente, por el contrario resulta chocante y aburrido.
Pero salvo estos detalles la novela entretiene y es una lectura amena y agradable (además está matizada con pequeñas cápsulas de sabiduría oriental) que permite al lector tomar conciencia de una realidad que aunque lejana merece ser conocida.
Un día Tres escapa de su aldea para huir de un matrimonio concertado. A ella se unirán con el tiempo Cinco, el patito feo y tonto de la familia y Seis la única en terminar la enseñanza primaria y secundaria (un motivo de queja para su padre que lo consideraba un gasto innecesario).
Las tres llegan a la gran ciudad dispuestas a labrarse un futuro y demostrar que son tan valiosas y dignas de respeto como cualquier hijo varón.
Mientras libran sus pequeñas batallas para adaptaste a un mundo que les resulta extraño. Las hermanas encontrarán trabajos en los que descubren y desarrollan sus habilidades al tiempo que interactúan con personas que las pondrán en contacto con otras realidades y formas de pensar. Dichas experiencias les servirán para cuestionar la opinión que tienen de ellas mismas y el entorno en el que han sido educadas.
Una historia entretenida, bonita y entrañable. Que destaca el espíritu de superación de las jóvenes Chinas que habitan en las zonas rurales y su deseo de aspirar a una vida mejor y demostrar su valia ante una sociedad que las desdeña por su condición de mujer.
La historia está narrada con una prosa simple. Y los capítulos son muy cortos, lo cual hace que la lectura se desarrolle de forma cómoda y no resulte aburrida.
Los personajes están bien perfilados y despiertan la empatía del lector:
*Tres: Es la inconformista, pero su mentalidad campesina tan arraigada le hace imposible adaptarse del todo a la ciudad.
*Cinco: Autodidacta y práctica, es poseedora de una sabiduría popular a la que le sacará todo el provecho.
*Seis: Rodeada de conocimiento y cultura, su meta es progresar en la vida. Pero vive en conflicto, pues su ambición la terminará alejando de su familia.
El mejor logrado es Seis y quién mejor evoluciona es Cinco, cuya autoestima y confianza en si misma aumenta al descubrir su potencial.
Me ha gustado mucho como en la trama se abordan las diferencias existentes entre el campo y las zonas urbanas y como estas últimas y sus habitantes empiezan a adaptarse a los cambios provocados por el advenimiento de la apertura económica del país, ya que se hace desde la cotidianidad de los personajes (por ejemplo cuando las dos funcionarias discuten sobre el gusto de los chinos por seguir la moda occidental).
Pero la novela tiene sus puntos débiles: Al limitarse la autora a retratar el lado amable de la emigración rural, obviando su lado más oscuro y las dificultades por las que atraviesan los trabajadores, la historia pierde realismo y cae en lo superficial:
-Todos son buenos y amables con las chicas.
-Todos están dispuestos a ayudarlas y protejerlas.
No hay personajes ni situaciones antagónicas, solo en el capítulo titulado "Tío Dos visita las puertas del infierno" se intenta mostrar la otra cara de la moneda, pero con un matiz trágicomico que no resulta convincente, por el contrario resulta chocante y aburrido.
Pero salvo estos detalles la novela entretiene y es una lectura amena y agradable (además está matizada con pequeñas cápsulas de sabiduría oriental) que permite al lector tomar conciencia de una realidad que aunque lejana merece ser conocida.
November 29, 2017
Another excellent read by Xinran, who writes what she knows without romanticising. The author's journalist experience and training help to create a story I couldn't put down but devoured in a very short time.
At first I was annoyed at the girls' names of "Six, Five and Three", since we are told that the number-characters used for their names can have other meanings, such as Five's "Charming". It would have been easier to tell them apart in the first part of the book if they had had character names instead of just numbers, but then that's the point. In their village society, girls are interchangeable, just "chopsticks" that do the work and are easily replaced--or broken and thrown away. Only when they escape the closed dynamic of ignorance and tradition by going to a larger city do they become people in their own right. This is something I know about, though in a less extreme form; my parents had very little time for their female children. Boys were given enormous independence and referred to by our mother as "my boys", while we were expected to stick close to home, do all the house and garden work, and responded to whatever the nickname du jour was, or to "TonyKennyDaveJoe--you, come here." We were referred to as "the girls" and often spoken to as a unit, "Girls, I want you to..."
I was a bit surprised that the city folk would adopt the "chopstick girls" so quickly and treat them so well, but apparently they were fortunate enough to fall in with former village people from the beginning. If they had fallen among dishonest city slickers, there would have been a different tale to tell. China changes at the speed of light (or at least bulldozers) these days, in the cities; in the countryside, not much has changed for the last couple of centuries. Different faces on the posters, different laws, but the old adage holds good: Heaven is high, and the Emperor far away--whether that emperor is Ai or Mao or Hu.
On no account skip the Afterword of this book, as it rounds out the narrative, which otherwise ends rather abruptly. The Afterword tells us why. I wanted more, much more--but there wasn't any "more", not even for the author. I guess that's the sign of a good read.
At first I was annoyed at the girls' names of "Six, Five and Three", since we are told that the number-characters used for their names can have other meanings, such as Five's "Charming". It would have been easier to tell them apart in the first part of the book if they had had character names instead of just numbers, but then that's the point. In their village society, girls are interchangeable, just "chopsticks" that do the work and are easily replaced--or broken and thrown away. Only when they escape the closed dynamic of ignorance and tradition by going to a larger city do they become people in their own right. This is something I know about, though in a less extreme form; my parents had very little time for their female children. Boys were given enormous independence and referred to by our mother as "my boys", while we were expected to stick close to home, do all the house and garden work, and responded to whatever the nickname du jour was, or to "TonyKennyDaveJoe--you, come here." We were referred to as "the girls" and often spoken to as a unit, "Girls, I want you to..."
I was a bit surprised that the city folk would adopt the "chopstick girls" so quickly and treat them so well, but apparently they were fortunate enough to fall in with former village people from the beginning. If they had fallen among dishonest city slickers, there would have been a different tale to tell. China changes at the speed of light (or at least bulldozers) these days, in the cities; in the countryside, not much has changed for the last couple of centuries. Different faces on the posters, different laws, but the old adage holds good: Heaven is high, and the Emperor far away--whether that emperor is Ai or Mao or Hu.
On no account skip the Afterword of this book, as it rounds out the narrative, which otherwise ends rather abruptly. The Afterword tells us why. I wanted more, much more--but there wasn't any "more", not even for the author. I guess that's the sign of a good read.
January 23, 2009
Will this be as good as Sky Burial? I hope so!
No, in my opinion it wasn't.Reading this was kind of a culture shock. I have a hard time believing the complete naivety of the three main characters. Maybe what disturbed me most was what the author has them say. I can question my inability to "accept" that these women did have such naive thoughts. On the other hand such naivety was not evident in the characters of Skye Burial. Understanding of what is right and wrong or what moves people is not learned. It is just in the person. In fact the author makes the portrayal of the adolescents' mother very wise, kind and understanding. She spent her whole life living in the country. The mother is not at all as naive as her daughters. I do understand that the change in life styles between country versus city living was huge. I think what I see as a fault is the language used by the three girls. I have some Chinese friends and one in particular does talk in a similar manner. She speaks in a very straight-forward manner, what I would call an unnuanced manner. We in the West tend to be a bit kinder, more polite in how we express ourselves. We would never just say that one of our daughters was "stupid". What I mean by this is that maybe the language used IS correct. That I simply don't like it, and thus this is not a fair criticism of the book. For me the language felt extremely childish. If you care about someone, wouldn't you make an effort to temper how you express yourself? Are the Chinese any different from us? No, we all know when we are hurting somebody. It was what came out of the characters" mouths that annoyed me.
No, in my opinion it wasn't.Reading this was kind of a culture shock. I have a hard time believing the complete naivety of the three main characters. Maybe what disturbed me most was what the author has them say. I can question my inability to "accept" that these women did have such naive thoughts. On the other hand such naivety was not evident in the characters of Skye Burial. Understanding of what is right and wrong or what moves people is not learned. It is just in the person. In fact the author makes the portrayal of the adolescents' mother very wise, kind and understanding. She spent her whole life living in the country. The mother is not at all as naive as her daughters. I do understand that the change in life styles between country versus city living was huge. I think what I see as a fault is the language used by the three girls. I have some Chinese friends and one in particular does talk in a similar manner. She speaks in a very straight-forward manner, what I would call an unnuanced manner. We in the West tend to be a bit kinder, more polite in how we express ourselves. We would never just say that one of our daughters was "stupid". What I mean by this is that maybe the language used IS correct. That I simply don't like it, and thus this is not a fair criticism of the book. For me the language felt extremely childish. If you care about someone, wouldn't you make an effort to temper how you express yourself? Are the Chinese any different from us? No, we all know when we are hurting somebody. It was what came out of the characters" mouths that annoyed me.
May 24, 2013
The novel is about the lives of three girls born in a rural part of China into a family of six girls, the girls are not given names just numbers!. Girls were not valued at all and were referred to as ‘chopsticks’ while boys are known as ‘roof-beams’ – chopsticks are tools to be used up and discarded. The father of the family has no status in the village since he had produced only girls. This changed when his third daughter (named 3) is moved to the city to work, returning during her holiday with more money than any of the villagers had seen. 5 and 6 followed 3 to the city, returning like 3, with large amounts of money and gifts for the family and thereby lifting the status and prestige of the family.
The main characters were 3, 5 and 6, and their employers. The three changed through their experiences in the city. 6, the intellectual, met many foreign students and learned of other cultures, 5 the one who was said to be not very bright, discovered many talents working at he Dragon Water Culture Centre and 3 discovered artistic talents. I liked all the characters but the sisters in particular because they were so innocent.
It was a fast page turner because of the need to know what was happening to the three sisters as they adjusted to city life. The characters were very real and believable. They were based on people the author had met on her travels in China. I disliked to total lack of value placed on women and girls amongst the peasantry in modern day China.I liked the ending. The fathers final comment is ‘ is it possible that our chopstick girls will be able to hold up a roof?’
The main characters were 3, 5 and 6, and their employers. The three changed through their experiences in the city. 6, the intellectual, met many foreign students and learned of other cultures, 5 the one who was said to be not very bright, discovered many talents working at he Dragon Water Culture Centre and 3 discovered artistic talents. I liked all the characters but the sisters in particular because they were so innocent.
It was a fast page turner because of the need to know what was happening to the three sisters as they adjusted to city life. The characters were very real and believable. They were based on people the author had met on her travels in China. I disliked to total lack of value placed on women and girls amongst the peasantry in modern day China.I liked the ending. The fathers final comment is ‘ is it possible that our chopstick girls will be able to hold up a roof?’
February 11, 2011
The title of the book says it all "Miss Chopsticks". This is the derogatory term used in this tiny country-side village to describe women- their frailty, their usefulness for a single meal, after which they are tossed away. Men, on the other hard, are referred to as "roofbeams", that is it is their strength that holds up the entire household.
Great book that highlights the struggles of three Chinese sisters who leave their tiny village to move to the city of Nanjing to make a living. Their experiences, their amazement, and their difficulties in adjusting and coping with city life. The vast differences between city dwellers and people from the countryside seem insurmountable and it shocked me to realize that this book was written recently, not that long ago, yet the lifestyles lived by those countryside seem more suited to a time 40 or 50 years ago.
This is the second book that I have read on China, the first was based in the 80s and this one in the late 90s- early 2000s, yet the difference between the decades in terms of country policies and societal attitudes are incomprehensible to someone unfamiliar with Chinese politics.
Despite the simplistic style in which this novel was written, which I attribute mainly to the essence being "lost in translation" I appreciated the insight into the world of China and Chinese women, and would recommend it wholeheartedly.
Great book that highlights the struggles of three Chinese sisters who leave their tiny village to move to the city of Nanjing to make a living. Their experiences, their amazement, and their difficulties in adjusting and coping with city life. The vast differences between city dwellers and people from the countryside seem insurmountable and it shocked me to realize that this book was written recently, not that long ago, yet the lifestyles lived by those countryside seem more suited to a time 40 or 50 years ago.
This is the second book that I have read on China, the first was based in the 80s and this one in the late 90s- early 2000s, yet the difference between the decades in terms of country policies and societal attitudes are incomprehensible to someone unfamiliar with Chinese politics.
Despite the simplistic style in which this novel was written, which I attribute mainly to the essence being "lost in translation" I appreciated the insight into the world of China and Chinese women, and would recommend it wholeheartedly.
November 18, 2016
First, Sky Burial and the Good Women of China are stunning works of the highest literary order.
Unfortunately, I found Miss Chopsticks disappointing by Xinran's standards. It's rather simplistically written (or, perhaps translated) with little drama. She seemingly tried to write it in a heartwarming, awestruck fashion, whereas in the afterward when she too briefly outlines the real stories of the girls it's obvious that there was much more to their lives.
I wish she had written it like the Good Women of China. Perhaps she didn't have enough material to write it as non-fiction, and she did lose contact with the girls.
Having said this, she definitely did capture the social stigma and plight of girls (and especially village girls) living through the cultural repression of China. It's not a happy upbringing and hopefully as attitudes mature these girls will find the inner stength and self-worth that the author brings out in the book.
Unfortunately, I found Miss Chopsticks disappointing by Xinran's standards. It's rather simplistically written (or, perhaps translated) with little drama. She seemingly tried to write it in a heartwarming, awestruck fashion, whereas in the afterward when she too briefly outlines the real stories of the girls it's obvious that there was much more to their lives.
I wish she had written it like the Good Women of China. Perhaps she didn't have enough material to write it as non-fiction, and she did lose contact with the girls.
Having said this, she definitely did capture the social stigma and plight of girls (and especially village girls) living through the cultural repression of China. It's not a happy upbringing and hopefully as attitudes mature these girls will find the inner stength and self-worth that the author brings out in the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews