reading update - 100%
So I am done. My God I need something light and fluffy - cried through last two chapters .
Would I recommend it? Wholeheartedly so, but again please be warned - very slow pacing. You may want to persevere through the beginning, but it sucked me in pretty fast.
I thought the main theme in the book was that "our lives are not just our own" - every individual means very little by himself, only as a tiny part in the huge tapestry of what China was and is. I know it reflects the philosophy of some Asian cultures, but for some reason in my head it was more contemporary philosophy and related to China's societal structure.
Because I totally understand the "collective" is everything and "individual" is nothing argument - my teenage years were spent in the Soviet Union, so to a degree I can relate really well. Amusing how the philosophy of the governments looks so similar.
Did I like this philosophy in general and as applied to the book? Well, I think he reflected the historical reality, it rang true, etc, but my Goodness I hated that individuals mean nothing except to increase the glory of Kitai.
The best, the brightest, the most loyal - yes they can be the small part of the whole, as long as the rulers are happy - and boy their unhappiness with you can come fast.
But these characters , they live for their country, they die for their country - I am just an outsider watching and crying for them.