What readers think of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, plus links to write your own review.

I read this book to see if it was appropriate for 14 year olds. I thought that it had too much sexual content for a young reader and that the romantic plot was given much more importance than the western books plot. In fact, they burn the books at the end of the novel. Over all a pleasant but not very deep book.

The story told was very interesting, but the way in which it was conveyed let it down. There was so much leading up to the climax, then such a hasty anti-climax.
17years

Slightly confusing. The narrator never mentions his own name, thus making school projects a nightmare. Otherwise entriguing plot. It didn't pick up until half way through the book.

This book was very interesting and enjoyable. It was easy reading... done in three days. It kept you reading and on your toes. Some issues in the book were a bit disturbing and not enjoyable to read. Overall I enjoyed the theme that literature is everywhere even if you have to use your imagination to re tell a story.

Dai Sijie's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamtress, like so many novels written from abroad by Chinese authors, reflects an ambiguity towards Western culture. While the idealist praise of the narrator extolls -sometimes overly so- the power of literature to revolutionize the mind, Dai Sijie's fairytale narration and surprising ending seems to suggest that Western culture, too, has its pitfalls and should not be seen as the panacea to social problems. Thus, the reader must decide who is the reliable speaker: the zealous narrator, or the more subtly critical author.
Balzac is rich in imagery, and it might even be said that the narration is too explanatory, leaving too little room for the reader to extrapolate and, ironically, use his imagination. Overall, however, the book is a worthwhile read, especially if one is interested in seeing Chinese cultural history evaluated retrospectively, through the eyes of an author who has lived on both sides of the fence.

Knowing that we were to be studying China right away, I was not at all surprised when this book was assigned to us. I was however surprised when I reached parts of great sexual detail. As an incoming freshman, I didn't think the book was very appropriate. I was nervous as to what parts of the book we would be discussing during class. I did however find the plot about books very interesting. It reminded me of what the ambassador or Hungary just had to say about the banning of Western music. Literature and music are just not something you can avoid. Although I found this book helpfull and somewhat interesting, it just wasn't an easy read. Not that it was hard, but it was rather boring. I could only read about two chapters a day before wanting to shoot myself.

a well written book, but i think that it could have been much better... quite boring

I didn't really enjoy this book, it was confusing and hard to understand, but that is also coming from a 15 year old.