Sounds Of The River - Hardcover

Chen, Da

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0434010642 ISBN 13: 9780434010646

Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd, 2003

Synopsis

Beginning with Da Chen's first ever train journey, travelling to Beijing from his parents' farm, we rumble along with him in the overcrowded and disease-ridden railway carriage to the university. Here the author faces a range of challenges, including poor living conditions, lack of food, and suicidal roommates. Undaunted by these hurdles and armed with a dogged determination to learn English and familiarise himself with 'all things Western', he must compete with every other student to win a chance to study in the US - a chance that rests in the shrewd and corrupt hands of the all-powerful professors. In a richly textured story - by turns poetic, ribald, hilarious, and heartbreaking - Chen retains his indomitable spirit, but will he be any closer to attaining his goal?

About this title

Review:

‘Absorbing... funny, exciting, and moving.’ ine -- New York magaz

‘An extraordinary individual...[a] dazzling autobiography’ -- Los Angeles Times

‘An extraordinary writer... narcotically entrancing – almost impossible to put down...’ -- Baltimore Sun

‘Da Chen is a writer who exults in language... a breathtaking journey... A grand book in every sense.’ -- Malachy McCourt

‘Da Chen’s prose is truly lovely and hints at the true depths of his gifts as a writer’ -- San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher:

Touching, funny and immensely charming, Da Chen’s memoir tells of his arrival and his first years in Beijing, arriving an innocent from a rural farm and leaving on a rare and invaluable scholarship to study in the US.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0434010642
• ISBN 13: 9780434010646
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320