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The Rice Sprout Song

By Eileen Chang
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Rice Sprout Song by Eileen Chang is set in post-revolutionary China and delves into the lives of villagers struggling to survive under communist rule. Against a backdrop of political shifts and food scarcity, the novel explores themes of resilience, human dignity, and the harsh realities of socio-political changes on rural communities. Eileen Chang's poignant narrative offers a window into the turbulent experiences of ordinary people caught in the tides of history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$10200

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're interested in deeply evocative stories that capture the human condition during times of social and political upheaval. Set in post-war rural China, it intricately weaves personal struggles with broader societal changes, offering a poignant exploration of resilience and survival.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

This novel portrays the horror and absurdity that the land-reform movement brings to a southern village in China during the early 1950s. Contrary to the hopes of the peasants in this story, the redistribution of land does not mean an end to hunger.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The first of Eileen Chang's novels to be written in English, The Rice-Sprout Song portrays the horror and absurdity that the land-reform movement brings to a southern village in China during the early 1950s.

Contrary to the hopes of the peasants in this story, the redistribution of land does not mean an end to hunger. Man-made and natural disasters bring about the threat of famine, while China's involvement in the Korean War further deepens the peasants' misery.

Chang's chilling depiction of the peasants' desperate attempts to survive both the impending famine and government abuse makes for spellbinding reading. Her critique of communism rewrites the land-reform discourse at the same time it lays bare the volatile relations between politics and literature.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Rice Sprout Song showcases Eileen Chang's ability to transform everyday desolation into art through her stark yet splendid prose. It is a haunting tale that focuses on how political power impacts ordinary lives, rather than solely critiquing a specific regime, making it a profound study of human resilience.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520210882

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 August 1998

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Contributors:

  • Foreword by David Der-Wei Wang

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 182

Collections

Eileen Chang Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction

About the Author

David Der-wei Wang is Professor of Chinese Literature at Columbia University. His current publications include Running Wild: Contemporary Chinese Fiction (1994).

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