Dumb Luck: A Novel by Vu Trong Phung

In addition to offering great historical and cultural perspective for anyone interested in the "American War" - the Vietnam War - and previous history...this book is just funny. It is an intelligent, witty, insightful book, and yet is somehow familiar...almost 'quaint' - with characters who are endearing, comfortable and delightful even to an American reader many decades later.

i haven't read a lot of vietnamese literature but among those i've read, i would rank dumb luck and tale of kieu at the very top. dumb luck is hilarious and absurdly modern for its time and place. i could definitely see this book translated into a quirky comedic film (i think the preface says the author may have been influenced by such french films and i can see that, if that's true). the main character, red-haired xuan, is delightful but not annoying. not a word is wasted here -- every character and line of dialogue is essential to the story. the book is a quick, refreshing read. pick up this book if you want to read an excellent piece of vietnamese literature or want to spend a few hours rollicking with laughter (or more likely smirking and uttering a couple of "hah!"s every few minutes). this is a rare, obscure find. read it if you have the opportunity to do so.

I was assigned this novel for a Vietnamese history class; I would not have even heard of it otherwise. This novel is excellent. The writing style, translated from 1930's Vietnamese, is humourous, witty, and fast-paced. The luck, charisma, and quick thinking of Red-Haired Xuan is hilarious, and the plot is worthy of the best modern comedy movies (particularly British ones). I have no clue how you would find out about this novel, but if you do, you should read it. It had me laughing out loud, and I am not a fan of historical or foreign novels. Considering that this novel is 70 years old and from a totally different language, it must be a masterpiece if to still be so good.