Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Nan A. Talese/Doubleday
DDC/MDS
| 823.92 |
Description
Life as a film extra in Beijing might seem hard, but Fenfang - the spirited heroine of Xiaolu Guo's new novel - won't be defeated. She has travelled 1800 miles to seek her fortune in the city, and has no desire to return to the never-ending sweet potato fields back home. Determined to live a modern life, Fenfang works as a cleaner in the Young Pioneer's movie theatre, falls in love with unsuitable men and keeps her kitchen cupboard stocked with UFO instant noodles. As Fenfang might say, Heavenly Bastard in the Sky, isn't it about time I got my lucky break?
User reviews
LibraryThing member BALE
A lovely novella which illustrates a "fragment" of a 17 year old peasant girl's coming of age in modern day Beijing. The book has the feel of an Eastern film; dreamlike. Interestingly, Xiaolu Guo has won awards for a handful of films she authored. There are not any details of Fenfang Wang's
Unedited
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(protagonist) life, other then what is needed to portray an impressionistic view of her internal life at this time. That is, the confusion that is felt, cross-culturally, in a any young adults' psyche at this critical time, when we are trying to identify who we are and what we will become. The difference for us is, Fenfang grew up on a rural sweet potato farm and traveled 1800 (or so) miles (to Beijing) to find out who she is, in a country that is changing and growing rapidly. I found this to be a touching, sad, yet beautiful work, that leaves me wanting to read another book by this developing writer.Unedited
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LibraryThing member sfisk
Liked it, incentive enough to look for her other novel "A concise..."
LibraryThing member chuchu
Meh, I'm not really impressed by Xiaolu Guo, and especially not by this book.
It's not particularly awful, but it's nothing to write home about either.
I suspect that its exoctism rather than talent that makes reviewers fawn over some of these contemporary Chinese writers.
The West wants to
And all the literary references in the world are not going to make this book any more than what is---a minor effort by a forgettable autho
It's not particularly awful, but it's nothing to write home about either.
I suspect that its exoctism rather than talent that makes reviewers fawn over some of these contemporary Chinese writers.
The West wants to
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understand China; but an entire culture can not be distilled with trite novels about China's working class/youth, especially when the topic is played for shock value. And all the literary references in the world are not going to make this book any more than what is---a minor effort by a forgettable autho
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LibraryThing member edspicer
Guo’s book is published as an adult title, but it will resonate with teens because its focus on Fenfang becoming more than just a number as she attempts a career as an actor. What strikes me about this book is how clearly it describes American teenagers searching to find a place in a world that
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is too big and too biting to care much about one lonely teen. The language in this book sings. There are so many fabulous fragments such as, "Ben lived for himself. A western body. When Ben and I slept together, he could forget all about the love that was lying next to him in the dark. I felt he didn't need much warmth from anybody. His own 98.9° F were sufficient for him. His spirit slept alone." (p. 138). I love how Fenfang is starving for feelings and fighting the vast emptiness that threatens to swallow her. What is distinctly Chinese is the scale. Fenfang is, after all, Extra No. 6787. Yet she believes that having that number is crucial to her future success. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheWordJar
Fenfang is a ravenous Chinese youth in an evolving Chinese society. She is ravenous for food she sometimes can’t afford to buy. She’s ravenous for love she can’t find. Most importantly, she’s ravenous for the personal freedom not so easily afforded in a country steeped in a Communist
Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo chronicles Fenfang’s attempts to live life on her terms. As a peasant from a small Chinese village, her future prospects are bleak. Her dreams stretch beyond a life of farming sweet potatoes, and at the age of 17, those dreams lead her to Beijing.
Taking menial jobs and living in state housing, Fenfang discovers that Beijing “never showed its gentle side. You’d die if you didn’t fight with it, and there was no end to the fight. Beijing was a city for Sisyphus—you could push and push and push, but ultimately that stone was bound to roll back on you.” Fenfang’s stone comes in many forms—a sexist producer not interested in her script because she’s a woman; a possessive suitor; nosy neighbors in her housing complex—but she never stops pushing back.
Readers may sometimes find Fenfang timid in action, but her spirit is always bold. Guo adeptly balances Fenfang’s youthful apathy with adult determination, giving Fenfang’s actions a sympathetic realism. Through the journal-style narrative, the reader feels firsthand the pressure on Fenfang. She is literally one of a billion. She can quietly take her place as a sweet potato farmer, like so many others, or she can fight to make her mark on the world. One can’t help but root for Fenfang in all her battles, whether they are against undeserving men, persistent cockroaches, or society at large.
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history. Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo chronicles Fenfang’s attempts to live life on her terms. As a peasant from a small Chinese village, her future prospects are bleak. Her dreams stretch beyond a life of farming sweet potatoes, and at the age of 17, those dreams lead her to Beijing.
Taking menial jobs and living in state housing, Fenfang discovers that Beijing “never showed its gentle side. You’d die if you didn’t fight with it, and there was no end to the fight. Beijing was a city for Sisyphus—you could push and push and push, but ultimately that stone was bound to roll back on you.” Fenfang’s stone comes in many forms—a sexist producer not interested in her script because she’s a woman; a possessive suitor; nosy neighbors in her housing complex—but she never stops pushing back.
Readers may sometimes find Fenfang timid in action, but her spirit is always bold. Guo adeptly balances Fenfang’s youthful apathy with adult determination, giving Fenfang’s actions a sympathetic realism. Through the journal-style narrative, the reader feels firsthand the pressure on Fenfang. She is literally one of a billion. She can quietly take her place as a sweet potato farmer, like so many others, or she can fight to make her mark on the world. One can’t help but root for Fenfang in all her battles, whether they are against undeserving men, persistent cockroaches, or society at large.
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LibraryThing member pamelad
The first book by the author of A Chinese Dictionary for Lovers, this short book consists of snippets from the life of Fenfang, who at seventeen has escaped life as a peasant in a small anonymous town where life is always the same and people die with the anonymity of ants. A scrappy little book,
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interesting for its picture of a young woman's life in a China balanced between the intrusive Communist principles of the interfering elderly and the western materialism of the individualistic young. Show Less
LibraryThing member moonstormer
a modern, fun adventure in beijing. fenfang is a fantastic character, with a voice that is easy to relate to, wanting to know more. i highly recommend this book - it is like a breath of fresh air.
LibraryThing member berthirsch
A memoir type recounting of a young 20'ish Chinese girl from a sweet potato farming community who moves to Beijing to get away from the drudgery of her life. She moves from one meaningless job and apartment to another. The chaos and poverty and claustrophobic lifestyle of a large Chinese city
The book is a quick, snappy read and it depicts the universal experience of youth in today's world. This is definitely a book worth reading.
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continuoulsy intrudes upon the story. The steadiest work the heroine, Fenfang, finds is as a Tv/film extra. A series of nondescript roles-waitress,girl standing on line,etc- reflect the anonymity of her own life. A boyfrined, Xiaolin, gets her this job and she briefly moves into his family's flat-another overcrowded space she can not deal with for long. She also is befrineded by Ben, an Ivyleague ex-pat from Boston who eventually returns home as Fenfang stays behind deciding to try her hand at writing screenplay treatments.The book is a quick, snappy read and it depicts the universal experience of youth in today's world. This is definitely a book worth reading.
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LibraryThing member deadgirl
This book reminds me a little of Wei Hui's Shanghai Baby, but less sexual. It's quite depressing, but entertaining. The description of the culture and daily life is familiar as Xiaolu Guo used a lot of direct translation from Mandarin in the story. I'm still surprised at how sexually casual the
The story is basically about a young girl's struggle to find her place in the modern society in Beijing so she can shed off her old "village-girl" self. She is very strong and determined and fearless, yet she has an innocent and naive side of her. There is a lot of loneliness in the story.
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modern chinese girls are (Fenfang moved in with the boyfriend who is still living with his family in the beginning of the story, they even slept in the same bed the family's knowledge). I guess I'm still stuck with ancient China in my mind.The story is basically about a young girl's struggle to find her place in the modern society in Beijing so she can shed off her old "village-girl" self. She is very strong and determined and fearless, yet she has an innocent and naive side of her. There is a lot of loneliness in the story.
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LibraryThing member midnighttwilight101
This book tells about the struggles of a Chinese woman named Fenfang. She decides to move out of her small town, and her families sweet potato farm. She wants to move to Beijing to become an actress, but just as it is in Hollywood it's not easy at all. This book was originally written in Chinese
This book was written for adults, and it shows in the writing. It's not graphic or anything, but the book starts when she's 21 and continues from there. Also there is some vulgar language used.
I usually read American Young Adult books, so this was really a change of pace. It's an adult book that takes place in Beijing.
I liked how there were pictures thrown in throughout the book accompanying the story. The book almost seems like every chapter--or fragment--is a short story from her life, and they all come together to tell the one story.
I liked the story line, the different writing style (probably because it was translated from Chinese), and the characters. The only thing i didn't like was i think the author could have put in a little more details, the book is very small with only 167 pages. And the list price is a little steep at $21.95 for such a small book.
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then later translated into English.This book was written for adults, and it shows in the writing. It's not graphic or anything, but the book starts when she's 21 and continues from there. Also there is some vulgar language used.
I usually read American Young Adult books, so this was really a change of pace. It's an adult book that takes place in Beijing.
I liked how there were pictures thrown in throughout the book accompanying the story. The book almost seems like every chapter--or fragment--is a short story from her life, and they all come together to tell the one story.
I liked the story line, the different writing style (probably because it was translated from Chinese), and the characters. The only thing i didn't like was i think the author could have put in a little more details, the book is very small with only 167 pages. And the list price is a little steep at $21.95 for such a small book.
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LibraryThing member Emily.D
20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth is an interesting and touching book that tells the story of a young Chinese girl from a poor village who moves to Beijing. As the title tells us, the story is told in twenty 'fragments', stories from her youth either in her peasant village with her family or in
The translation is excellent, and the voice of the main character Fenfang is refreshing and honest, whilst still sounding vaguely childlike. She is a real person from the first page.
This story works in many different ways, both as a frank and illuminating study of modern day Beijing and an intimate and hopeful coming-of-age story. As a teenager, I find many of Fenfang's emotions and thoughts painfully familiar, but her journey towards adulthood never loses the ability to surprise me.
Very, very good.
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Beijing where she is trying to become an actress. They are not in chronological order, so the book reads like a conversation where someone is telling you things as they occur to her. The translation is excellent, and the voice of the main character Fenfang is refreshing and honest, whilst still sounding vaguely childlike. She is a real person from the first page.
This story works in many different ways, both as a frank and illuminating study of modern day Beijing and an intimate and hopeful coming-of-age story. As a teenager, I find many of Fenfang's emotions and thoughts painfully familiar, but her journey towards adulthood never loses the ability to surprise me.
Very, very good.
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LibraryThing member joyfiction
A fun, easy read. Picked it up on a whim and wasn't disappointed. Found this to be very enjoyable.
LibraryThing member Aleesa
A fascinating tale of youth in today's Beijing, told through the eyes of an irrepressible, gutsy protagonist.
LibraryThing member bookworm_naida
Twenty-one year old Fenfang Wang moves to urban Beijing to work and live on her own. She gets a job as a film extra, rents a room for herself and goes to school. She swears she'll never go back home.
Fenfang is tired of playing film extras, and wants to write a script and make some money. She also
My favorite thing about receiving books for review online is that I get to read books I probably otherwise wouldn't read. When my ARC copy of Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth arrived in the mail, the cover quickly grabbed my interest. Isn't it pretty? I know, I know...never judge a book by it's cover...but inside this book, there's also small snapshots that relate to the chapters. I liked this idea. It gives the book a little 'something extra'. I liked Fenfang's character. The writing was easy and smooth. It felt like Fenfang was just telling you her story plain and simple. I read this book quickly and enjoyed it very much.
Fenfang is tired of playing film extras, and wants to write a script and make some money. She also
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has two main relationships. One with a man named Xiaolin and one with Ben. My favorite thing about receiving books for review online is that I get to read books I probably otherwise wouldn't read. When my ARC copy of Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth arrived in the mail, the cover quickly grabbed my interest. Isn't it pretty? I know, I know...never judge a book by it's cover...but inside this book, there's also small snapshots that relate to the chapters. I liked this idea. It gives the book a little 'something extra'. I liked Fenfang's character. The writing was easy and smooth. It felt like Fenfang was just telling you her story plain and simple. I read this book quickly and enjoyed it very much.
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LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha
The reason I bought the book is for the cover and because it was so short too, I wanted to read something a bit different then what I usually chose, and it was very interesting, while I was reading I was so shocked by a lot of things in the book, the traditions, Chinese way of thinking, some stuff
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that made all the difference, but there is one thing I didn't like at all, how she ((the writer)) wrote about God, with no respect what so ever, it was very bad indeed, she kept calling him : "Heavenly B*****d in the sky"! I really hated that so much! come on! talk about anyone but not God! Show Less
LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha
The reason I bought the book is for the cover and because it was so short too, I wanted to read something a bit different then what I usually chose, and it was very interesting, while I was reading I was so shocked by a lot of things in the book, the traditions, Chinese way of thinking, some stuff
Show More
that made all the difference, but there is one thing I didn't like at all, how she ((the writer)) wrote about God, with no respect what so ever, it was very bad indeed, she kept calling him : "Heavenly B*****d in the sky"! I really hated that so much! come on! talk about anyone but not God! Show Less
LibraryThing member boredgames
i loved it.
Original publication date
2008
ISBN
9780385525923