Marrying Buddha

Each language has its own narrative style which might make the Chinese style sound artificial to a "Western" reader. I find the beautiful description of details and feelings presented in this book a very important aspect. I've also red Shanghai Baby and enjoyed it. I have to mention I've been to Shanghai and find the way Wei Hui describes its smells and contrasts extemely poignant. After a year since my visit there, I could relive the feelings and smells. A very good read. Hui is a great observer of the details we all share but which only she notices and describes.

I am surprise to read so many review that this book is a crab. But I do find the book interesting, even for bedtime reading before retiring.

A fun story. Sometimes I was laughing; other times I was blindsided by a truth that I could feel, but I had never seen expressed in words before.

I thought this book was absolutely terrific! It's a perfect summer book in that it is easy to read but scatters some very thought-provoking messages within what seems to be a simple plot. Wei Hui effectively creates a world of excitement, romance, and lust bouncing between two continents and cultures. This book is a huge step up in the literary world from her first book, Shanghai Baby in that she shows far more character development and maturity as a writer. The best part of her writing is the insight you get into the exciting mind of the young Chinese spirit, a far cry from the dull stereotypes constantly played in mainstream media. She also makes an interesting presentation of the interaction between spirituality and sexuality, an idea that is far more Eastern in thinking than Western. This book definitely stands on its own in that you don't need to have read Shanghai Baby (though I suggest you do). I hope she continues to grow as a writer and, of course, doesn't have to wait another 6 years to write the next version.