This was a really good book but holy crap was it depressing. Great story of the life struggles of Fugui with the history of Communist China as the background. If you liked this try "Wild Swans" on of my all time favorite books. ( )

Plain and simple, but maybe a very deep story of a poor Chinese man who survives a series of tragedies mixed in with bits of good luck (and humor) here and there. ( )

Such a beautiful story, Yu Hua's "To Live" left me with a mixed feeling of sad/happy. It's the story of a family with such bad luck that this reader couldn't believe how the protagonist could keep on going. Taking place between the second Sino-Japanese war through the reform era, Fugui loses the members of his family one by one, after going through the hardship of serving in the civil war. Each heartbreak seems as though it would break him, but his ability"to live" carries his will. Amazing translation. ( )

I had read Yu Hua's "China in Ten Words," a non-fiction book that I did not find insightful, but I wanted to read more given the acclaim for Yu Hua's literary pieces.

"To Live" is a retrospective novel about a rich peasant who falls from his high perch in China. He is humbled multiple times and eventually comes to terms with the consequences of his own actions.

Fugui, the main character, lives a life of gambling and prostitution, having inherited all of his money. He lives through the civil war, the Great Leap Forward, famines, and the Cultural Revolution. He survives many deprivations and is a humble man in the end.

The book is smooth and concise, translated by Michael Berry. It was made into a wonderful movie of the same title. ( )

Fugui was the spoiled son of a wealthy landowner--until he lost most of his property through gambling debts. This novel follows his decline (or perhaps his rise) from selfish landlord to kind and satisfied peasant.

This book of "Chinese history through the life of one man" has also been called a Chinese Book of Job, as one calamity after another afflicts Fugui and is family. I picked it up years ago after seeing the very good movie of the same name based on the novel. While I'm glad I read the book, I didn't find that it added much to the movie.

3 stars ( )