Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

De: Dai Sijie

Narrado por: B.D. Wong

An enchanting literary debut—already an international best-seller.

At the height of Mao’s infamous Cultural Revolution, two boys are among hundreds of thousands exiled to the countryside for “re-education.” The narrator and his best friend, Luo, guilty of being the sons of doctors, find themselves in a remote village where, among the peasants of Phoenix mountain, they are made to cart buckets of excrement up and down precipitous winding paths. Their meager distractions include a violin—as well as, before long, the beautiful daughter of the local tailor.

But it is when the two discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation that their re-education takes its most surprising turn. While ingeniously concealing their forbidden treasure, the boys find transit to worlds they had thought lost forever. And after listening to their dangerously seductive retellings of Balzac, even the Little Seamstress will be forever transformed.

From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history, Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening and the magical power of storytelling.©2001 Dai Sijie; (P)2002 Random House Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“An unexpected miracle–a delicate, and often hilarious, tale.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A funny, touching, sly and altogether delightful novel . . . about the power of art to enlarge our imaginations.” —The Washington Post Book World

“Poetic and affecting. . . . The descriptions of life in this strangest of times and places are so riveting that the reader longs for more.” —The New York Times Book Review

“[A] thrilling and . . . truly great work. . . . [A] richly complex fable.” —San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

“Gives the rest of the world a glimpse into that dark place where the human spirit continues, against all odds, to shine its light.” —The Boston Globe

“A wonderful novel . . . formed by detailed layering and exquisite craftsmanship, like a beautifully tailored garment.” —The Chicago Tribune

“Poignant, humorous, and romantic.” —The New York Times

“Seduces readers into its world. . . . [A] very wise little story of love and illusion.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

A lovely tale

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the narrator was none other than one of my favourite characters from 'Law and Order - SVU'; Dr Wong. The narration of this story was clear, impelling and full of energy as BD Wong gave life to each of the characters in this story. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a lovely tale, despite being set in the harsh world of the Chinese revolution and re-education of the bourgoise. The characters are witty and endearing and have inspired me to read a number of other classic tales (including the Count of Monte Cristo!). Whilst I wish I could have learnt more about the characters at the story's end, I was not disappointed and enjoyed every minute of this audiobook.

bookworm

I was a little disappointed by this book. The characters and their antics were interesting at the beginning. However, it got to a point where it seemed the author no longer knew where his story was going so he finished the book by having one of the characters leave completely out of the blue. I was quite disappointed with the ending. However, the rest of the book is a good read.

lovely listen

This book made a perfect audiobook. We listened to it while painting one weekend. Colorful story and great narration. It's not going to end up as required college reading, but nevertheless opens people up to a world about which most of us are completely clueless.

Lovely and perfectly performed

A wonderful little book. Rich in characters and history. Very nicely performed narration. Highly recommended.

Bad...Bad...Bad recording

I had to quit listening to the book due to VERY bad recording and spend money to buy the e-book. Terrible recording, totally waste of money!