Daughter of the River: An Autobiography

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful reading...
Review: Daughter of The River is a story of a young woman dealing with the many adversities that she faced in the slums of China. Hong Ying writes this book from her perspective as an 18 year old although she was in her 30's when this was written. Her family was extremely unemotional and unattached to her throughout her childhood, and as young as she was she always wondered why. It wasn't until she turned 18 that she found out the "secret" as to why everyone in her family treated her as if she was invisible. Of course everything was about "face" and protecting the family name which only compounded her troubles.

Ms. Ying has overcomed her many stuggles to become a successful writer, yet from her book you can feel how deep the scars truly are. My only complaint would be that she tends to jump around in telling her story, but overall it is a sad, yet delightful read knowing that with determination and a strong will she made it out of the slums.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Hong Ying presents a raw, unpolished notation of her life in the slums of China. It is a look at the other side of Chinese society, as compared with Falling Leaves, Adeline Yen Mah. Hong's style is strong and captivating in it's own, almost amateurish way. Daughter of the river, is highly recommended for anyone interested in Chinese society and life, without a strongly political slant, which seems to pervade so many other Chinese autobiographies, Three Swans, for instance. All in all, a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A Chinese womens memoir from a non-privileged prospective
Review: Hong Ying¡¦s writing is clear, vivid, and full of emotion. Taking the reader along with her on a journey to discover both herself and her past, Daughter of the River resembles Jung Chang¡¦s Wild Swans only Hong Ying lacks high-ranking communist officials for parents. Having read works written by Xiao Hong for my Chinese Women¡¦s literature class, Daughter of the River has many parallels to ¡§Tales of the Hulan River¡¨ (Xiao Hong circa 1950). In contrast to other recent Chinese women¡¦s memoirs, Daughter of the River is one of the few written by someone growing up in a non-privileged Chinese family. Great Book!

Rating:
Summary: A Chinese womens memoir from a non-privileged prospective
Review: Hong Ying¡¦s writing is clear, vivid, and full of emotion. Taking the reader along with her on a journey to discover both herself and her past, Daughter of the River resembles Jung Chang¡¦s Wild Swans only Hong Ying lacks high-ranking communist officials for parents. Having read works written by Xiao Hong for my Chinese Women¡¦s literature class, Daughter of the River has many parallels to ¡§Tales of the Hulan River¡¨ (Xiao Hong circa 1950). In contrast to other recent Chinese women¡¦s memoirs, Daughter of the River is one of the few written by someone growing up in a non-privileged Chinese family. Great Book!

Rating:
Summary: If you must read it, borrow it from the library.
Review: I just had a hard time reading/understanding/finishing this book. I did finally finish it because I wanted to know the mystery behind the author's father, but in the end the whole book was disappointing. I guess it's a matter of the book's structure. The author jumps from one time setting to another so often, it gets totally confusing! Also she intertwines different stories of different family members and other people in her life, that it's easy to confuse the characters. Some of the language sounds awkward, the curse words seem...forced. Also after a while, the author's unceasing bitterness towards life tended to grate on my nerves.

Rating:
Summary: One of the better autobiographies of recent Chinese life
Review: I rated this as a very challenging classroom text -- and with good reason. Hong Ying's plain, forthright language, and un-embellished, brutally honest description make this book an invaluable study in the politics of oppression. For readers who have never experienced life behind the walls of communism this book affords a unique and personal look at the everyday life of ordinary -- non-politically motivated -- people trying to survive with the daily struggles of life amid shortages, rationings, poor employment conditions, and sub-standard living conditions: people whose struggles cry out to be heard, but who are condemned to silence...

Rating:
Summary: This is the second book that I've been unable to finish
Review: Rarely have I been unable to finish a book, even when it's quite terrible. However, this book was unreadable to me.

There is no rhyme or reason to this book. There's no linear progression. It's more of a "This happened when I was 5. This happened when I was 15. This happened when I was 12. This happened when I was 5." The book goes nowhere and there is no plot to follow.

After reading the glowing reviews here on Amazon, I was very much looking forward to reading this book. However, after reading half of it, it's in a box in the closet...