A Free Life (Vintage International)

Poorly written and not interesting. I’ve read others by him which I enjoyed very much. I would not recommend this book.

I am a fan of Ha Jin's novels, and love the clarity and meticulousness he brings to his representation of everyday life in mainland China (before or around the Tien An Men period.) I also enjoy his quiet wit. His book on the siege of Nanking, while more dramatic, is equally successful in rendering the reality experienced by ordinary people. But here, in this book which appears to celebrate the life made available to the narrator in the US, the tone is strangely different. What is lacking is his very subtle humor, and the nuances that help build a character's depth. Occasionally one gets glimpses of the sensitivity that is there, most strongly in the portraying of the main character's wife and child, but it is unfortunately offset by the coarseness of unnecessary conclusions.

I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the struggles that immigrants face when coming to this country, however I think the book was too long for what it tried to accomplish. The author could have made the same point in half the pages. I would still recommend it. It is an easy read. The charters are well defined and it was interesting to watch them evolve into The American culture.

I received this book by Ha Jin in good time and in the condition advertised. Although I am only half through the six hundred page plus length of the book, I find it well-written and structured, as well as a compelling story of immigrant life for an educated Chinese couple. Their struggles are familiar but different from those of other ethic immigrants. The stories of their neighbors and friends in different parts of the U.S. add to the human value of the narrative.

Ha Jin writes about the Chinese immigrant experience in America. This is the second book of his that I have read. Recommended.

I really enjoy Ha Jins writing having previously read Waiting. I found this a very introspective view of a man with many conflicts ie. a previous love, having to make a living yet really just wanting to be a sucessful writer. How Nan handled these conflicts and eventually being happy

I enjoyed the beautifully written and thoughtful book.I recommend it to anyone/everyone with an interest in Chinese culture

the book was so good. I like the author. I'm a big fan Ha Jin.

This novel follows the Wu family — father Nan, mother Pingping, and son Taotao — as they sever their ties with China in the aftermath of the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square and begin a new life in the United States.This is a very insightful and heartwarming novel of Chinese immigrants and their struggle in the United States - with Americans as well as the local Chinese community. As Nan takes on a number of menial jobs, eventually operating a restaurant with Pingping, he struggles to adapt to the American way of life and to hold his family together, even as he pines for a woman (of questionable character) he loved and lost in his youth in Mainland China. In many ways this is also a very political novel, pointing out the injustices of the Chinese government (such as the occupation of Tibet) as well as the inflexibility of the Chinese Communist Party to change; stubbornly refusing to adopt mainstream ethical values, such as freedom of press, expression and assembly: Hence the reason why Nan leaves China, and the title of the book, 'A Free Life.'

初めての注文方法だったので不安でしたが、アメリカから他国へ、期限内に確実に配達されました。安心しました。機会があったら、また利用させていただこうとおもっています。有り難うございました。