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There are currently 31 member reviews
for The Funeral Cryer
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Becky D.
Great choice for book club discussion
The title piqued my interest as I've never heard of a funeral cryer and I'm always interested in different cultures. While the conditions of the people's lives in the village (constant struggles to earn enough money for present and future needs, ever present concerns of what neighbors/family think of their actions/decisions and all of the superstitions that govern their thoughts and actions) were depressing, I kept waiting for the main character's circumstances to improve. Some of the book reviews spoke of changes she would make that improve her situation. I kept waiting for some big event that would change everything. It was much more subtle than that.
The author's use of first person gives an ongoing monologue of her (the main character's) thoughts and feelings and ambitions. She also agonizes over what others will think of her actions.
I thought her writing style was an asset to the story telling. By giving her these small incremental inner dialogues, the author lets the reader see her inner changes and how that affects how she sees her world and herself.
I could see a book club learning much from a discussion on this book.
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Janet T. (Westford, MA)
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
The Funeral Cryer was not a complex read but involved complex issues. It's setting is a village which practices traditions which have existed for many years. The evolution of the main character takes her towards a great self independence and satisfaction. Her continuing try to break out of the woman's role in China is a continuing theme throughout the book. While the cultural issues are very different then we now experience there is a similar theme to current issues with women. It was a quick read and I learned things about Chinese culture which I hadn't known.
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Catherine O. (Altavista, VA)
A Different World
The Funeral Cryer was a novel that introduced me to many cultural differences between a mature woman living in a Chinese village and the life I enjoy. I had never heard of a funeral cryer. The fact that the main character had stumbled upon this career as a way to support her household seemed to affect every part of her being. While the job seemed to pay well and allowed her husband not to work, it brought with it an isolation as the funeral cryer was often unwelcome in homes or at happy gatherings.
I was interested in the descriptions, from the minimalist housing and lack of material goods, to the complicated system that allowed the government to own all the land. The views on aging, children, and usefulness were also explored. The writing style is unique, with characters only referred to by their role or relation, husband, barber, etc. The novel would lead to great discussions.
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Stephanie K. (Glendale, AZ)
Mourning With the Mourner
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu is an intriguing and profound look into the life of a professional mourner in rural China. This unnamed person is shunned by most because of her unique profession and actual becomes an outcast of her own village. I found this novel to be very different in both its subject matter and its approach to life, death and grief. A friendship with a local barber demonstrates to her the static nature of her marriage but also the possible way she can break out of societal structure and discover personal happiness for the first time.
Although the foreign nature of its premise made it difficult at first to get into, The Funeral Cryer provided a look into an alternative culture that most Americans don't get to see. I'm glad I had the chance to.
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Debbie C. (Sun Lakes, AZ)
Understanding
When I started reading, I didn't know if I would be able to finish it. I learned some about Chinese culture and the importance of a funeral cryer is to there beliefs. I felt sorry for the main character for the circumstances she lived and how she was "awakening" her life and what she really wanted and deserved.
I thought the author did a pretty good description of how women around the world are starting to realize that they deserve to be treated better and be happy with themselves. She also had an understanding of death and dying that most people are afraid to look at.
Thank you, Wenyan Lu.
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Deborah C. (Highland Park, NJ)
A Voice from a Chinese Village
Thank you to Book Browse and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.
This is a book that I found slow to warm up to, as it is a steady recitation of one woman's thoughts and perceptions about what are often disappointing or distanced relationships.
The Funeral Cryer opens when the unnamed woman narrator, a professional mourner paid for her dramatic presentations, including tears, has been performing for 10 years.
She is associated with bad luck because of her work, and is isolated from most people in her rural village in Northeast China. Sometimes, she admits, she is even suspicious of herself.
The book takes the form of continual internal musings, about family relationships, opportunities taken or not, about the limited choices she had to make, especially her marriage to "The Husband." Now in her mid-40's, she also has an awakening of her physical self, how she feels about her body and how it appears to others, including sexually.
At times her thoughts seem more like the ruminations of a depressed person, going over and over the same experiences as if that will help change them, though it does not. However, there are small changes in her perceptions and in her actions, that rescue the book from dreariness, and made it a moving and thoughtful read.
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Debra F. (Cudjoe Key, FL)
Funeral Cryer
It was very interesting to learn about funeral crying, Chinese culture, chinese food. The narrator, while sometimes wandering, expressed thoughts & feelings about her life, her responsibilities etc. Her life isn't easy, her husband not always nice...but there is the barber for a slight distraction.
She tells us her thoughts on love, life, family. While it is not an action-packed story, rather a narrative, it was enjoyable and very readable.
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