This is a tragic, graphic and explicit and funny novel that brings the Chinese country experience to life. Set in the second half of the 20th century, it follows the lives of two brothers during Maoism and the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. The brothers cut a wide swath, even as children one of the twain, Baldy Li, becomes famous and never stops doing unique and famous things. The subdued alter ego, Song Gang, is really a half-brother, and the two are inseparable until later events draw them apart.

In the beginning of the story, one can't escape the deep pathos and heartbreak of the boys' childhood. The violence and torture against 'class enemies' -- anyone who's made money as an entrepreneur or capitalists -- is crippling and sad. The story meanders through later events, the death of their parents, and the boys' launch into their careers.

The middle part of this long novel covers both boys' experiences with the town beauty Lin Hong, and the last portion includes the very sad major events on which the book concludes. Lin Hong exposes the all too common sadness a young woman experiences as she reaps the ill consequences of the events she created and forced into being. Baldy Li matures with all his personalities seen as a child expressed into adulthood and emergence as a major figure. And Song Gang is perhaps the most tragic of the bunch, who's childhood values lead him to being buffeted by the personalities around him.

The book overall is well-written, enjoyable, flows well, and is funny. The violence is stark, and the sexuality in the last portion of the book is very explicit. ( )

Although much of the syntax was at the least strange and sometimes clunky or repetitive, I really enjoyed reading this translation. It gave me a very different perspective of Chinese culture - the book covers the time span of right around the cultural revolution until about 2004, and often times I felt like it was even older than that. So many of the elements of everyday life in the village seemed so ancient to me - having a "dentist" waiting to pull teeth outside in his folding chair, shared community lavatories that were basically trenches, and bringing the dead back to the house all seem to come from another time, but were happening in recent memory in China. This story of two brothers really was stirring and emotional and well-crafted, and I'm hoping that there are other translations of Yu Hua's works. Although a long book, the chapters are a nice length to zip through and I found that I always wanted to read just one more.

I will say that I think it's annoying that both the Amazon review down there and inside the jacket reveal that Lin Hong becomes a madam, something the reader doesn't come to until the epilogue. Was it necessary to include that there to get me to read the book? I wouldn't have put it there. ( )

Though a long book, I zipped through it, laughing at the scene of Baldy Li in the bathhouse as much as I've laughed at any scene ever--that is, until I got to the scene of his father's death which was even funnier and even more gross! But although there were fabulous comic moments, the serious ones were just as powerful, especially the scenes of what happened to Baldy Li's mother and stepfather during the cultural revolution. The satire of modern China's capitalistic fervor was good but ultimately went on too long. In fact, 2/3's of the book was excellent but the last 1/3 felt as if the author wasn't sure how to bring it all to an end. When he did, it happened too fast although all the scenes not set in the village leading up to the end went on too long. ( )

The beginning turned me off completely with its sexist vulgarity. Maybe it is a cultural thing, but I found it too offensive to continue. ( )

Very satisfying read. I thought it might be a bit of a slog, but I whipped right through it. There's an intro from the translators that attempts to situate the book within the socio-historical context of China, and that was interesting, but I'm sure a better grounding of Chinese history would have made it funnier, or more ironic and cutting. And, hey, reading about the excesses of the Cultural Revolution is always a kick... ( )