Shanghai Baby

Zhou Wei Hui

ISBN 10: 1841196843 / ISBN 13: 9781841196848

Published by Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2002

About this Item

Book is in acceptable condition and shows signs of wear. Book may also include underlining highlighting. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Seller Inventory # ZBV.1841196843.A

Bibliographic Details

Title: Shanghai Baby

Publisher: Constable & Robinson Ltd

Publication Date: 2002

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: acceptable

About this title

Synopsis:

Coco is a Shanghai cafe waitress, full of enthusiasm for life. She falls in love with a young man, Tian Tian, for whom she feels tenderness and love but who is reclusive and impotent. Despite her parents' objections, she moves in with him. But then she meets Mark, a dashing businessman.

Review:

Most of the Chinese novels with which Westerners are familiar describe people living under an oppressive regime that has a stranglehold on every aspect of daily life. But in Wei Hui's engaging semi-autobiographical novel of a young middle-class woman's struggle with love, lust and her understanding of the world, the state is very much in the background - ironically, considering that the novel was banned in China for its frankness about modern life. The main plot is fairly simple. Coco, the heroine, is a college drop-out who dreams of becoming a writer. She lives with Tian Tian, an unemployed, impotent drug addict. Needing more than the gentle love Tian Tian can give her, Coco embarks on a torrid affair with a married German. Wei Hui writes openly about the heroine's sexual desires and love life, experimentation with drugs and fascination with Western culture - especially youth culture - and perfectly captures the high of being young, beautiful and hip. Wei Hui is clearly a talented writer, and some of the novel's poetic passages and the evocation of Shanghai as a vibrant city are beautifully done, although occasionally the quality of the writing flags, possibly the fault of the translation. This is a fresh, modern, female perspective from mainland China, and a fascinating expose of a culture in transition. --Kirkus UK