death of a red heroine reviews

Death of a Red Heroine is a very intricate book, exploring many aspects of the society in which the action takes place. this book also captures something that I think a lot of western-, 90s era china?? It was interesting to read about the lives of normal people in Shanghai during the 80s and 90s. Like this one, a brutal rape-murder of a 'model worker' who turns out to have a secret life involving the son of a so-called 'high cadre,' still a privileged sect even as reforms are kicking in. With "Death of a Red Heroine" by Qiu Xiaolong I have encountered a mystery story that I think surpasses those of Martin Beck. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. An enjoyable mystery, though the info dump throughout the book slowed the book's pace. She turns out to be a "model worker", a proletarian heroine with no life outside the Party, its goals, and principles. inspector chen knows corruption and believes he can improve things for the love of his country. Start by marking “Death of a Red Heroine (Inspector Chen Cao #1)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Qiu Xiaolong's Death of a Red Heroine is a political police procedural that takes place in 1990s Shanghai. I arrived 2 years after the time of this book's action. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The atmosphere created by this double bind, the investigators being constantly investigated, is tense, sometimes funny, and always revealing of character. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Death of a Red Heroine (An Inspector Chen Investigation) at Amazon.com. by Soho Crime. This book is amazingly gripping although I am usually not interested in fictional murder investigations. The first suspect the police found turned out to be the culprit, although they became more certain as they gathered more information. The language is rather uninspired, so, no, you wouldn't want to read this for its intrinsic literary quality either. Qiu writes very well, but other reviewers are right that this is not a typical whodunit - culture and politics are woven throughout the story. Chen is the head of the Special Crimes Unit, as well as being a poet and literary intellec. Das gefällt mir. If you are looking for a suspenseful thriller, stop right here. You can still see all customer reviews for the product. . The pace of the book was very relaxed, not a usual fast paced mystery. The characters are interesting, the settings enjoyable to imagine, and I enjoyed the descriptive writing. I. I have had a busy week and so haven't had as much reading time as I wanted, and I was always anxious to get back to this novel. Even though the Red Heroine never was "alive" in the book, the way Qiu delicately exposed her life as he delicately peeled back her story, made her as interesting as the the book's living characters. The subsidiary roles are many and varied and the chief villain is seriously villainous. This book, which is, as I understand it, the first in a fairly long series, was as I say in the heading interesting. Be that the psyche of the people, the machinations of the society, how a community is structured and operates, the laws and mores, even the way in which authorities deal with the disorder, how they implement authority. This first entry in the series was perfect as I navigated my way through the complex social, economic, and political environment of contemporary China. If the writer's name foxed you, make sure you've mastered the pronunciation of certain Chinese characters in Pinyin such as C, Q, X and ZH otherwise you're in for a rough ride with the names of people and places in the book, set in Shanghai in 1991. Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2011. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Chen & his poetry reminds me a bit of P.D. Death of a Red Heroine is a very intricate book, exploring many aspects of the society in which the action takes place. It is clear without reading the author's biography that he is quite knowledgeable of Chinese poetry as the main character, Chief Inspector Chen, is a modernist poet in addition to being a police officer and poetry is quoted rather frequently throughout the novel. The setting of this book won me over. first name then last name? This is generally all I ask of a book, but if I think back, I also remember that it took a good 200 pages for this book to get rolling and for me to really become interested and vested in it. Qiu left China in 1989. On the banks of the Bund I can connect nothing with nothing, Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2016, "A man, once bitten by a snake, will be nervous all his life at the shadow of a straw rope. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published As an immigrant to the United States where he chose to stay on after the Tiananmen incident, he is, however, writing a police procedural novel for a Western audience. Bitte versuchen Sie es erneut. A really fine debut effort by Qiu Xiaolong who I first heard of on an NPR broadcast. Wählen Sie die Kategorie aus, in der Sie suchen möchten. Then, as now, I especially appreciated all the details about day-to-day life in China. 2020 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book that takes place in a country that begins with the letter C (China). “If you work hard enough at something, it begins to make itself part of you, even though you do not really like it and know that part isn't real.”, “Al fin y al cabo, un hombre es sólo lo que ha decidido hacer o no hacer.”, Barry Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2001), Anthony Award for Best First Novel (2001), Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2001). Zum glück gibt es noch eineige Fortsetzugnen ... Rezension aus Deutschland vom 21. are a rare privilege, and private enterprises are just beginning to sprout like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Yet to me, its brilliance lays in its portrayal and reflection of what it means to live and thrive in modern China. Entertaining and deep, a good introduction to Shanghai and China, Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014. Even with all the elements of a mystery - a dead body, entwining clues, dark and powerful conspiracies - the book ends in an anti-climax - a sort of twisted poetic justice. I stumbled into this series with Don't Cry, Tai Lake (2012), just in time for a ten-day trip to China. I thought the author got the balance just right. A police officer and his friend are ostensibly patrolling the Suzhou River. In fighting the big political machine in a world where everything is politicized, Detective Chen ironically finds himself the one facing prosecution (and is not entirely guilt free). Zugelassene Drittanbieter verwenden diese Tools auch in Verbindung mit der Anzeige von Werbung durch uns. It is an interesting addition to the usual police procedural type of mystery. Good riddance. Rezension aus Deutschland vom 30. I have had a busy week and so haven't had as much reading time as I wanted, and I was always anxious to get back to this novel. The victim is a dead "national moder worker", a person who is displayed by the Communist Party as a role model. The series was recommended to me by a colleague who has lived in Shanghai. The hero of a series of six mysteries, Inspector Chen recognizes that his own privileges, including a private apartment, may be taken away instantly if he offends those of high rank. In disgust, Chen contemplates quitting the police force, but ultimately changes his mind. My favorite aspect was the preparation and eating of the food mentioned throughout the book! The book is both a mystery as well as a look at the cultural conflicts that are going on between the old China and new China, as well as an in the background love story. But in the classic sense of a detective story its conclusion seems contrived like a longer story brought to an abrupt end. If you want to learn a bit about how people live under a socialist dictatorship, Death of a Red Heroine is the novel for you. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Brilliant exploration of contemporary China, Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2017. Normally I'm not big on poetry, but there were a lot of nice quotes in this book, and Chen had a way of making them fit his life. I must say I realised how horribly ignorant of recent (and not so recent) Chinese history I was. I really love police procedurals as a subtype in the mystery genre. Author Qiu Xiaolong has the unusual ability of using English to depict the thoughts and emotions of ordinary people who live, think, and speak in Chinese. Approaching the market from my school's back door, I walked down a gray walled alley. He now lives in the U.S. and writes in English, which is a plus. Start by marking “Death of a Red Heroine (Inspector Chen Cao #1)” as Want to Read: Error rating book. The mystery is good but the main appeal of this police procedural is seeing something of life in Shanghai China in 1990 for mid-level people. Rezension aus dem Vereinigten Königreich vom 16. Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2014. Subtly criticising the one-party rule and everything that it stands for. Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen Cao series definitely falls into this category. Yet to me, its brilliance lays in its portrayal and reflection of what it means to live and thrive in modern China. Qiu has blended poetry with a political urban story, as the main character is a poet as well as a policeman. some share my mother's love of. Bringing the murderer to justice has also meant victory for certain political interests, and defeat for others.

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