Book Reviews
Book Reviews
Welcome to the Reading Chinese Book Review Network, a collaboration between Writing Chinese and our partners at Penguin China and Balestier Press. Reviewers who join the network receive a copy of selected titles, and you can read their reviews by clicking on the images below. (Please note that we are only able to send out e-copies of books at the present time.)
If you are interested in applying to join this network as a reviewer, click here for the application form. And to get you started with writing reviews of translated fiction, you can read some tips from leading translator Nicky Harman on our blog here.
If you are a publisher interested in partnering us in this part of the project, please contact us at writingchinese@leeds.ac.uk for more details! And if you are a school interested in setting up a school bookclub, please see our Schools page for more details, and to read reviews of books for young people.
NEW: If you ever wonder how the reception of books in translation compare with those of the original, click here for reviews translated from Chinese.
Mourning a Breast, by Xi Xi
translated by Jennifer Feeley
(New York Review Classics, 2024)
(New York Review Classics, 2024)
River East, River West, by Aube Rey Lescure
(Duckworth Books, 2024)
Dinner for Six, by Lu Min
translated by Nicky Harman and Helen Wang
(Balestier Press, 2023)
(Balestier Press, 2023)
Dear Chrysanthemums, by Fiona Sze-Lorrain
(Scribner, 2023)
Book of Beijing, by various authors
Edited by Shi Bingbing
Various authors and translators
(Comma Press, 2023)
Various authors and translators
(Comma Press, 2023)
Ghost Town, by Kevin Chen
translated by Darryl Sterk
(Europa Editions, 2023)
(Europa Editions, 2023)
Cocoon, by Zhang Yueran
translated by Jeremy Tiang
(World Editions, 2023)
(World Editions, 2023)
The Borrowed, by Chan Ho-kei
translated by Jeremy Tiang
(Head of Zeus, 2018)
(Head of Zeus, 2018)
Love and Murder in the Time of Covid, by Qiu Xiaolong
(Severn Books, 2023)
Sons of Red Lake, by Zhou Daxin
translated by Haiwang Yuan and Thomas Bray
(Sinoist Books, 2022)
(Sinoist Books, 2022)
A Catalog of Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On, by Dung Kai-cheung
translated by Bonnie S. McDougall and Anders Hansson
(Columbia Press, 2022)
(Columbia Press, 2022)
Faraway, by Lo Yi-chin
translated by Jeremy Tiang
(Columbia Press, 2021)
(Columbia Press, 2021)
Hunter School, by Sakinu Ahronglong
translated by Darryl Sterk
(Honford Star, 2020)
(Honford Star, 2020)
Selected Stories, by Xue Mo (Audiobook)
translated by Nicky Harman
read by Sarah Lam
(Beijing Ruxue Media and Sodalite Productions, 2021)
read by Sarah Lam
(Beijing Ruxue Media and Sodalite Productions, 2021)
Whisper, by Chang Yu-ko
translated by Roddy Flagg
(Honford Star, 2021)
(Honford Star, 2021)
Stories of the Sahara, by Sanmao
translated by Mike Fu
(Bloomsbury, 2020)
(Bloomsbury, 2020)
The Membranes, by Chi Ta-wei
translated by Ari Larissa Heinrich
(Columbia University Press, 2021)
(Columbia University Press, 2021)
Crystal Wedding by Xu Xiaobin
translated by Nicky Harman
(Balestier Press, 2016)
(Balestier Press, 2016)
Distant Sunflower Fields, by Li Juan
translated by Christopher Payne
(Sinoist Books, 2021)
(Sinoist Books, 2021)
More than One Child, by Shen Yang
translated by Nicky Harman
(Balestier Press, 2021)
(Balestier Press, 2021)
I Live in the Slums, by Can Xue
translated by Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping
(Yale University Press, 2020)
(Yale University Press, 2020)
A Hero Born: Legends of the Condor Heroes, by Jin Yong
translated by Anna Holmwood
(MacLehose Press, 2020)
(MacLehose Press, 2020)
Second Sister, by Chan Ho-kei
translated by Jeremy Tiang
(Head of Zeus, 2020)
(Head of Zeus, 2020)
That We May Live, Natascha Bruce and Jeremy Tiang (eds)
Various authors and translators
(Two Lines Press, 2020)
(Two Lines Press, 2020)
Shadow of the Hunter, by Su Tong
translated by James Trapp
(Sinoist Books, 2020)
(Sinoist Books, 2020)
In the Name of the People, by Zhou Meisen
translated by Emily Hein
(Sinoist Books, 2020)
(Sinoist Books, 2020)
A Perfect Crime, by A Yi
translated by Anna Holmwood
(Oneworld Publications, 2015)
(Oneworld Publications, 2015)
The Debt Collector, by Wang Shou
translated by John Frederick Franz
(Penguin Classics, 2020)
(Penguin Classics, 2020)
The Book of Shanghai, by Dai Congrong and Jin Li (eds.)
Various authors and translators
(Comma Press, 2020)
(Comma Press, 2020)
Faces in the Crowd by Feng Jicai
translated by Olivia Milburn
(Sinoist Books, ACA, 2020)
(Sinoist Books, ACA, 2020)
The Postman by Bi Yu
translated by Jesse Field
(Penguin, 2019)
(Penguin, 2019)
Life by Lu Yao
translated by Chloe Estep
(Amazon Crossing, 2019)
(Amazon Crossing, 2019)
Broken Wings by Jia Pingwa
translated by Nicky Harman
(ACA Publishing Ltd, 2019)
(ACA Publishing Ltd, 2019)
Lotus by Lijia Zhang
(Henry Holt & Co, 2019)
The Road Home by Ai Wei
translated by Alice Xin Liu
(Penguin Specials, 2019)
(Penguin Specials, 2019)
The Handsome Monk by Tsering Dhondrup
translated by Christopher Peacock
(Columbia University Press, 2019)
(Columbia University Press, 2019)
My Travels in Ding Yi by Shi Tiesheng
translated by Alex Woodend
(ACA Publishing Ltd, 2018)
(ACA Publishing Ltd, 2018)
Goodnight, Rose by Chi Zijian
translated by Poppy Toland
(Penguin Specials, 2018)
(Penguin Specials, 2018)
Fleeing Xinhe Street
translated by Ana Padilla Fornieles
(Penguin, 2019)
(Penguin, 2019)
Empires of Dust by Jiang Zilong
translated by Christopher Payne and Olivia Milburn
(ACA Publishing, 2019)
(ACA Publishing, 2019)
The Chilli Bean Paste Clan by Yan Ge
translated by Nicky Harman
(Balestier Press, 2018)
(Balestier Press, 2018)
Wedding in Autumn and other stories
translated by Darryl Sterk
(Balestier Press, 2018)
(Balestier Press, 2018)
Wild Fruit by Sheng Keyi
translated by Shelly Bryant
(Penguin Viking, 2019)
(Penguin Viking, 2019)
Lonely Face by Yeng Pway Ngon
translated by Natascha Bruce
(Balestier Press, 2019)
(Balestier Press, 2019)
Petulia's Rouge Tin by Su Tong
Translated by Jane Weizhen Pan and Martin Merz
(Penguin Specials, 2018)
(Penguin Specials, 2018)
The Ventriloquist's Daughter by Lin Man-Chiu
Translated by Helen Wang
(Balestier Press 2017)
(Balestier Press 2017)
The Invisible Valley by Su Wei
Translated by Austin Woerner
(Small Beer Press 2018)
(Small Beer Press 2018)
Young Babylon by Lu Nei
translated by Poppy Toland
(Balestier Press, 2015)
(Balestier Press, 2015)
Cantonese Love Stories by Dung Kai-cheung
translated by Bonnie S. McDougall and Anders Hansson
(Penguin Specials, 2017)
(Penguin Specials, 2017)
Confessions of a Jade Lord by Alat Asem
translated by Bruce Humes and Jun Liu
(Aurora Publishing LLC, 2017)
(Aurora Publishing LLC, 2017)
Unrest by Yeng Pway Ngon
translated by Jeremy Tiang
(Balestier Press, 2017)
(Balestier Press, 2017)
The Kite Family by Hon Lai-chu
translated by Andrea Lingenfelter
(East Slope Publishing, 2015)
(East Slope Publishing, 2015)
Northern Girls by Sheng Keyi
translated by Shelly Bryant
(Penguin, 2015)
(Penguin, 2015)
The Rainbow of Time by Jimmy Liao
translated by Wang Xinlin and Andrea Lingenfelter
(Balestier Press, 2018)
(Balestier Press, 2018)
The Civil Servant's Notebook by Wang Xiaofang
translated by Eric Abrahamsen
(Viking, 2015)
(Viking, 2015)
Massage by Bi Feiyu
translated by Howard Goldblatt
(Penguin China 2016)
(Penguin China 2016)
Masked Dolls by Shih Chiung-Yu
translated by Wang Xinlin and Poppy Toland
(Balestier Press, 2016)
(Balestier Press, 2016)
Marrow by Yan Lianke
translated by Carlos Rojas
(Penguin China, 2015)
(Penguin China, 2015)
The Tree Fort on Carnation Lane by Horace Ho
translated by Darryl Sterk
(Balestier Press, 2017)
(Balestier Press, 2017)
As Flowers Bloom and Wither by Chang Ying-tai
translated by Florence Woo
(Balestier, 2017)
(Balestier, 2017)
Flock of Brown Birds by Ge Fei
translated by Poppy Toland
(Penguin China, 2016)
(Penguin China, 2016)
Again I see the Gaillardias by Li Tong
translated by Brandon Yen
(Balestier Press, 2016)
(Balestier Press, 2016)
Radish by Mo Yan
translated by Howard Goldblatt
(Penguin, 2015)
(Penguin, 2015)
Happy Dreams by Jia Pingwa
translated by Nicky Harman
(Amazon Crossing, 2017)
(Amazon Crossing, 2017)
Mastiffs of the Plateau by Yang Zhijun
translated by Jiang Lin
(ACA Publishing Ltd, 2018)
(ACA Publishing Ltd, 2018)
The Pidgin Warrior by Zhang Tianyi
translated by David Hull
(Balestier Press, 2017)
(Balestier Press, 2017)
State of Emergency by Jeremy Tiang
(Epigram Books, 2017)