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Loading... A Good Fall (Vintage International) (edition 2010)by Ha Jin
Work InformationA Good Fall: Stories by Ha Jin
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  SeriousGrace | Feb 15, 2024 |   This was an exception. I read straight through this and really really enjoyed every story. Jin's characters are so well formed. The stories were all distinct and all of them were arced in a way that felt really satisfying. I love stories that give me insight into other people lives - these all succeeded in really giving some light to lives very different from mine and I really appreciated all the stories and felt like I knew the characters well. I haven't read Jin before this - and will definitely seek out his other works. (  ) alanna1122 | Oct 30, 2023 | My rating: 4 of 5 stars There's a lot here: some whimsy, a lot of dark humor, some heartache...in other words, life. But here Ha Jin captures live with a hyper-consciousness of the experience of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. We are invited into struggles of love and life, often against the backdrop of Flushing in Queens, NYC, and sometimes the understanding is remote, and other times it is more visceral. "A Composer and his Parakeet" hearkens back to an older time of fables, while keeping a modern narrative. Other stories, such as "Choice" and "The House Behind the Weeping Cherry" demonstrate that necessity and circumstance can both blur lines and forge relationships. It is an excellent book for the nightstand, reading one story at a time. To read it cover to cover would likely be rather unwieldy, although it would likely highlight Ha Jin's overall message regarding immigrant experience. That the characters are dynamic and diverse is important unto itself, and this is a great offer to think about the many layers and facets of life that fly under the radar. (  ) rebcamuse | Oct 11, 2021 |  ) GaylaBassham | May 27, 2018 | ) gayla.bassham | Nov 7, 2016 |
 Everyone has something he wants to escape: a job, relationship, family feud or -- like the characters in Ha Jin's new short fiction collection -- a country. Rather than tell stories of emigration, though, Ha Jin, who left China in 1985, depicts moments when one's old life crashes into new routines, resurrecting all that has been lost and gained via escape. Each story in A Good Fall siphons readers into straightforward plots about Chinese immigrants from diverse backgrounds now living in Flushing, home to New York City's second largest Chinatown. The characters' 180-degree turns are most often made in response to stress and heartache inextricably connected to immigrant life. All grapple with an intense set of expatriate problems. Wanping's love blossoms for a prostitute whose debts keep her tied to the water trade. A disenfranchised, 28-year-old monk thinks life is over because he can't pay his debts back in China. Yet delicate generational and cultural differences subtly define their unique situations, and Ha Jin unpacks the small details of their largely indistinct lives in ways that reveal their larger-than-life personal implications. Awards
In his first book of stories since The Bridegroom, National Book Award-winning author Ha Jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of Chinese immigrants in America. A lonely composer takes comfort in the antics of his girlfriend's parakeet; young children decide to change their names so they might sound more "American," unaware of how deeply this will hurt their grandparents; a Chinese professor of English attempts to defect with the help of a reluctant former student. All of Ha Jin's characters struggle to remain loyal to their homeland and its traditions while also exploring the freedom that life in a new country offers. Stark, deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous, A Good Fall reminds us once again of the storytelling prowess of this superb writer. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.76)
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Wikipedia in English
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I do not think it is a spoiler to say that A Good Fall surprisingly ends on a hopeful note. (