Brothers Audiobook

" Very similar, stylistically, to Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "

" Finito il Feb 16, 2009 "

" The characters of this book were either so contemptible, or such POllyanna's that I finally just gave up. Which is not to say I didn't read like 300 pages of this unecessarily long tome. "

" I finally finished this monster (and monstrosity) of a book after three months and several library checkouts. I don't know why I bothered to finish it. Brothers is a 600+ page tale of two step-brothers who vow to stick together no matter what happens throughout their lives. The beginning of the book felt repetitive, but the book ends up feeling choppy. I didn't feel sympathetic towards any of the characters (Song Gang is the closest I got, but ultimately he was just too boring), or connected to the story in any way. I really disliked this book, and most likely won't ever pick up anything by Yu Hua again (fortunately I read To Live before Brothers). I'm better off re-reading anything by Ha Jin. "

" Epic. Hua takes the reader on a tour of late-twentieth century Chinese history through a small town and the two brothers whose lives intertwine with its fortunes. At equal turns profanely funny and heartbreakingly human, Hua's prose is fierce in its teeth and its heart. "

" Apparently this is a major best seller in China. Personally I had a very difficult time getting through it. I thought it would give a good history of China, but not much context to the story was provided. "

" Funny and dirty and it tells so much about modern China. It's long but engrossing, like the best of Dickens. The short chapters make it fly by. "

" Bawdy, funny, heartbreaking, violent, odd, illuminating. "

" Loved it, but wished for a better translation. I think it was translated very accurately, however a bit too literally. The english language doesn't fall from this version too easily, but the story is a big wow epic. Lots of fun with Baldy Li, Big Balls Li, and many others. "

" This is barely 3 stars. It was an easy read, but not always pleasant. The first part takes place during the Cultural Revolution, full of brutalities and deaths. The second half is bawdy and way too long (could have used a good editor) & is mainly about the rampant capitalism in current China . "

" I think the style is unique among the books i have read. So many sad moments and death without reason. "

" wonderful...i wish i could give this book 20 stars! funny...sad...sweet...thought provoking...clever...i will definitely read more from this author. "

" Loved this crazy odyssey. Comic and harrowing story about life in modem China. "

" Completely and utterly crass and hilarious -- loved it. The NYT review says something was lost in the translation, some delicacy -- but of the Chinese I know, and of the Chinese authors I read, the vulgarity is *entirely* fitting "

" Wow was that a long book! "

" have you ever read a book which is delightful at the beginning but awful in the end? this is one of it. 5 stars for the 1st book, -2 stars for the 2nd. "

" About the cultural revolution in China. Life in the capitalist world. Touching story of brothers. Very funny incidents. Lively characters. "

" Amazing illustration of China's transition from socialism to communism to capitalism. Hard to put down once you've started. "

" Book 1 is fun, interesting, and informative. But Book 2 is way, way, too long, and not fun etc. "

" Loved it, but wished for a better translation. I think it was translated very accurately, however a bit too literally. The english language doesn't fall from this version too easily, but the story is a big wow epic. Lots of fun with Baldy Li, Big Balls Li, and many others. "

" This book of fiction gives a good depiction of 20th century China. Worth the read. "

" Very similar, stylistically, to Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "

" A hilarious baggy monster about the romance between a village family and totalitarian capitalism with Chinese characteristics. "

" Holy crap. Amazing. By turns laugh-out-loud funny and heart-rending. "

" Satirical novel that spans forty years examining the rise of capitalist China, though some parts appear to be really lost in translation. "

" First 300 pages are really hard to get through, the rest is good to read. "

" About the cultural revolution in China. Life in the capitalist world. Touching story of brothers. Very funny incidents. Lively characters. "

" Absolutely loved it. this guy is a great writer. his style is deceptively simple and his themes are always sweeping and epic. also, this book got me through two vacations (vegas and CO skiing) in three weeks so it reminds me of a good time in my life. "