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There are currently 32 member reviews
for The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai
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Anne B. (Fredonia, WI)
First Time Novel
For her first novel, it is well written, characters are mapped out and make sense, but for the most part, I think she could have done a little more with the style. It's readable, fine, but I was expecting a little more poetry. The story itself is very interesting, new and well thought out. Do read it, it is worth the time.
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Catherine H. (Nashua, NH)
Communication and understanding
I was very much captivated by this story about communication and understanding or rather the loss of both. I really loved the characters and their struggles, their emotions and feelings were very well developed. However, the end of the book was rushed and left me somewhat dissatisfied.
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Marilyn J. (Harvey, ND)
The lost and forgotten languages of Shanghai
As an English teacher and student of other languages, I was intrigued by first the title of the book then by the premise and the story itself. It is rich with description of Shanghai and the Asian culture, but the behavior of the doctor who was hired to help Li Jing recover his language skills was so despicable and reprehensible, not to mention unbelievable, that I found the entire book somewhat incredible. It certainly evoked strong emotion in me, so for that reason, perhaps it's a successful story. Two characters were noteworthy: Li Jing's father, a dear man of strong, loving character, and Pang Pang, the child who was battered by the behavior of the important adults in his life.
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Lani S. (Narberth, PA)
A great postulate gone south
The premise of the book held much promise and I eagerly awaited reading it. That said, I was disappointed. The most engaging parts were contemplating the questions of who are without language and whether a common language is important to the emotional connection with one another. However, the plot felt like a predictable soap opera,with characters I did not find believable. Indeed, the Dr.'s unprofessional behavior was so abhorrent and unlikely that it hindered my belief in the rest of the novel.
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Karen H. (Auburn, MA)
Good writer, plot lacking
I can tell that Ruiyan Xu has a knack for words. Her prose creates a pleasurable read. While I can appreciate the message she is trying to create with the storyline (isolation created by language barriers, inter-personal relationships, communicating without the right words, etc.), the plot was predictable and often cheesey. It didn't read as believable when Li Jing loses his fluency in Chinese. It read as a bad sitcom. I look forward to more of Ruiyan Xu's books, but I hope that she doesn't try so hard the next time. I hope she lets the story develop and doesn't try so hard to shape it in a way that doesn't read smoothly.
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Dianne S. (Green Valley, AZ)
The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai
I was drawn to this book by it's subject matter and location. In those aspects I was not disappointed. I was though disappointed in how slow the book started out and how when you thought it was finally going to take off it didn't.
The characters and their relationships were beautifully developed, but I never felt they grew.
The descriptions of Shanghai were enlightening and did make me want to read more.
Overall I think The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai is a good first book and I would read more by this author.
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Barbara H. (Alexandria, VA)
Slow
The book is haunting, sad and lovely. The descriptions of Shanghai are enlightening.
I really enjoyed the book at the beginning. It was interesting to learn about the differences in languages and about aphasia. However, I soon grew to dislike the ponderous descriptions of just about everything.
Xu brings up some interesting ideas and writes well about the claustrophobia of loneliness and the fear of a new city, a new life. The extent to which language makes the self is a fascinating topic. Yet sadly this novel doesn't work; whatever usually transforms a well-planned, sincerely conceived piece of writing into something worth finishing was missing. I only read to the end because I had agreed to write a review.
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