Rice

Wuthering Bites Book Club Review at a Glance

What We Said

Without a doubt one of the most disliked books read-to-date in our book club. The main character was evil with no redeeming qualities. Plus, he was mean to women (and we’re an all-woman book club). In fairness, the author did a superb job of defining the characters (the proof being the very strong reaction we had to the protagonist and his antics!). I think we needed to appreciate the story for what it was – a disturbing tale about the brutality of life in 1930s China. The positive thing about Rice is that is good for discussion. Why was our feeling so strong? Was the book bad, or did we just misunderstand it? Did it have a cultural significance? Did we miss the point, or was there no point? And if there’s no point is that acceptable?
-Sue

wouter, 8/4/2005    a plus
one of the best books i read in ages. narrative exquise darn good book
Inspired food accompaniment:   rice??
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Su Tong is the author of the novel Rice. His novella Raise the Red Lantern was made into an internationally acclaimed film that was nominated for an Academy Award. Mr. Su graduated from Beijing Normal University with a degree in Chinese literature. He now lives in Nanjing.

• Raise the Red Lantern
• Rice

From the Publisher

Five Dragons escapes his rural homeland and marries into the Feng family, proprietors of a thriving rice emporium in a city near Shanghai. He becomes wealthy, powerful, and has many children, each of whom equal him in greed, violence, envy and irreverence. This is the first translation of a full-length novel by Su Tong, author of the novella Raise the Red Lantern.