The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Historical Novel of Shanghai by Wang Anyi | Weatherhead Books on Asia | Perfect for Book Clubs & Asian Literature Enthusiasts
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Product Description
Set in post-World War II Shanghai, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow follows the adventures of Wang Qiyao, a girl born of the longtong, the crowded, labyrinthine alleys of Shanghai's working-class neighborhoods. Infatuated with the glitz and glamour of 1940s Hollywood, Wang Qiyao seeks fame in the Miss Shanghai beauty pageant, and this fleeting moment of stardom becomes the pinnacle of her life. During the next four decades, Wang Qiyao indulges in the decadent pleasures of pre-liberation Shanghai, secretly playing mahjong during the antirightist Movement and exchanging lovers on the eve of the Cultural Revolution. Surviving the vicissitudes of modern Chinese history, Wang Qiyao emerges in the 1980s as a purveyor of "old Shanghai"―a living incarnation of a new, commodified nostalgia that prizes splendor and sophistication―only to become embroiled in a tragedy that echoes the pulpy Hollywood noirs of her youth. From the violent persecution of communism to the liberalism and openness of the age of reform, this sorrowful tale of old China versus new, of perseverance in the face of adversity, is a timeless rendering of our never-ending quest for transformation and beauty.
Customer Reviews
This book is about Shanghai and the people who reside there. Anyi Wang not only describes the physical atmosphere so well you can vividly visualize it, but she evokes the emotion of the city. You can FEEL Shanghai - the activity, the secret lives, the energy. There were times I stopped reading so as to fully formulate the images she was painting in my mind's eye, not just the physical but the emotional as well, understanding the characters more deeply.Anyi is eloquent and provocative. Her characters are fully fleshed out, both the good and the bad. When you are finished with the book, even those characters who act reprehensibly at times are still human. You feel for them, for their circumstances. All her characters make mistakes but most all are redeemed, as they pay the price for their decisions.The story is winding, multi-faceted, covers a few decades and often spell-binding. Definitely a book for a leisurely read and one for those who like personal detail, to fully understand a character.Recommended for mature teens and adults. The reason I say mature teens is because it is not a fast-paced book. The teen would have to be a perceptive person with an active mind who enjoys a slow, deep read.
