Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel

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Editorial Reviews

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is an enchanting tale that captures the magic of reading and the wonder of romantic awakening. An immediate international bestseller, it tells the story of two hapless city boys exiled to a remote mountain village for re-education during China’s infamous Cultural Revolution. There the two friends meet the daughter of the local tailor and discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation. As they flirt with the seamstress and secretly devour these banned works, the two friends find transit from their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.

Customer Reviews

Young Adult fiction

Reviewed by Charles T. Markee, 2010-02-10

The good news about this YA novel was the immersion into Mao period culture and the revelation (if you didn't already know it) of the cultural suppression imposed at that time.
Also, the book was beautifully crafted writing and in that sense a joy to read. That said, the plot line wandered a bit and had very little tension considering the milieu in which it was set. It was not even close to a page turner, although it was interesting primarily because of the setting.
As a character driven novel, IMHO, it falls into a more literary category.

Charming, Witty,

Reviewed by N. M, 2009-10-09

Two boys, aged 17 and 18, are sent to the mountains during the chinises cultural revolution. Sons of doctors, they are seen as intellects and in need of re-education. Working in the coal mines, carrying excrement up the mountain, working in the fields with buffalos - they go on about their work in hopes of being reunited with their family one day.

Luo, one of the boys, has a gift for story telling and the village headsman is quite taken with this skill. He sends the boys to a nearby town to watch films and then come back and give oral renditions of what they see. The boys are eager to do so; it means 4 days off working in the fields.

During their time in the mountain, they meet another young man in the midst of his re-education. Four eyes lives in a village close to theirs, and they find out that he has a suitcase full of forbidden books. When Four eyes gets a job back in Beijing, the boys steal the suitcase knowing that Four Eyes woud be too afraid to denounce them.

As they read Balzac, and other authors, the boys enter a new world. Their love for books, for words is apparent. And Luo decides to 'civilize' the girl he loves, the little chinese seamstress who lives close by.

I loved the naration of this novella. The historical tidbits, the sweet love story, the humor that crops up every now and then. When I finished the book in the beginning I wanted to know more; but after a while I think its not really important what happens next. It felt right somehow.

A Small Cautionary Tale

Reviewed by DJY51, 2009-08-27

Two teenage boys are forced to be reeducated during the Chinese revolution. They were sent into the mountains to be separated from their parents, all four of whom were intellectuals, and enemies of the state.
While in exile, the boys came upon a cache of western novels that had been translated into Chinese. They relished these books. However, one of the boys, Luo, used them to help cultivate an uneducated, beautiful mountain girl and instill in her a level of sophistication she was lacking.
He got much more than he bargained for.
This is a tightly constructed, mostly well written novel.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel

Reviewed by Denise A. Broadwater, 2009-08-20

Was pleased with how quick the book came from this seller and it was in perfect condition. So, their excellent rating was even mild compared to it's actual condition.

A fun read, but lacking, review by 17-year old

Reviewed by rw, 2009-07-03

It's an interesting and unique story, a quick and easy read. The descriptions are strong, especially the graphic tooth-mending scene. If I hadn't read other tales of the Cultural Revolution, I might have given this book four stars. However, in comparison to works by Yu Hua and other authors, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is not as thorough, compelling, or consistent.