Rate this book

The Fat Years (2012)

by Chan Koonchung(Favorite Author)

3.2 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1409044114 (ISBN13: 9781409044116)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Random House Publishing Group

review 1: Chan Koonchung's banned book "Fat Years" is a coruscating satire of a near-future vision of China in a "Golden Age of Ascendancy" under "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” with the majority of the people opting for immediate prosperity and material gains in return to total obedience to the totalitarian rule of the Communist Party and its exercise of historical amnesia - a "Counterfeit Paradise." This is contrasted with the actions of a small minority of persecuted dissidents in a "Perfect Hell" of doubt, critical thought and intellectual engagement "I want real danger, I want freedom ... I'm claiming the right to be unhappy." (Aldous Huxley, Brave New World.) A satire that is too close to the actual reality - and a slap in the face to wake us up of our complacen... morecy as we trade in our freedoms for stability and comfort.
review 2: disappointing considering the context - too much focus on the love story unfurling alongside the quest of the missing month. A strange and original lay-out, with the majority of the plot unfurled in the epilogue. A lot of chapters for little action - and a lot of Chinese socio-political information. I liked the idea of the piece much more than the actual lecture... I felt like perhaps the piece lost quality through translation, or perhaps it is just clumsily written in parts. 2 stars for the plot and writing, with an extra for the originality of the story line and context. less

Download links for: The Fat Years

Advertising