Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Discussion Thread

[Caryl]

Here is our discussion thread for Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie.

You can share your thoughts about the book here on this thread at any time during your reading. It would be helpful if you could post in the subject line the chapter you are on in the book. That way, we can open this thread during our reading without being surprised by any spoilers.

Here are some questions to spark discussion, but feel free to ignore them and just post your thoughts on the book!

~ What were your first impressions of this book?

~ Talk about the characters in the novel. Which of them touched you the most? What did the characters learn about themselves, each other and life?

~ What did you think of the ending?

~ Tell about some of the themes of the novel that struck you.

~ What does this novel reveal about the nature and purpose of China's Cultural Revolution and the suffering it caused? In what ways does the novel offer a more intimate portrait of what life was like under Chairman Mao than a strictly historical account could?

~ What does the novel say about storytelling and the status of the storyteller in the modern world?

~ This is Dai Sijie's first novel, but he is already an established
filmmaker. Do you see signs of his background in film in this novel?

~ Would you recommend this book to others? To a particular person?

[Maribeth]

<b>~ What were your first impressions of this book?</b>
I was immediately intrigued. I have teenage sons who are a little younger than the characters. I could imagine what a shock it would be to them to be sent off to such a remote place to work so hard without all the comforts of home. I know nothing about Chinese history or this re-education process so I found it fascinating. I was struck by how the writing style flowed and felt "gentle" despite the often horrible things the boys endured. And it was funny in parts which was appropriate for two teenage boys. Life is often funny and intense with teenage boys.

<b>~ Talk about the characters in the novel. Which of them touched you the most? What did the characters learn about themselves, each other and life?</b>
I was very fond of the narrator because he reminded me of my Eric who is 16. Both of my boys have many friends like Luo, and although the characters are Chinese, I still pictured the narrator as my blond curly headed son - LOL. I felt like this boy's mom and I was worried and proud of him. Luo may have behaved like a typical teen but he was one of those kids that both infuriated me and made me laugh a lot (much like my Chad!). These boys were tossed into a horrible situation and yet they tried to make the best of it. I think I had a love-hate thing going with the Little Seamstress. I'm not sure why other than perhaps it was that maternal thing I had going with the boys. I also thought the headman of the village that loved their alarm clock was an interesting character.

<b>~ What did you think of the ending?</b>
I'm not sure how it could have ended any other way other than the boys going home to their families which is what I wanted! The Little Seamstress was using the boys and when she got what she wanted, it was time for her to take off for a new adventure and end the book.

<b>~ Tell about some of the themes of the novel that struck you.</b>
To me, this book was mostly about relationships. Friendship was a big theme which is appropriate since friendship is a big part of teenage life . . . The friendship between the narrator and Luo, the friendship between the narrator and the Little Seamstress, the friendship between the boys and the headman, the friendship between the boys and the tailor . . . Learning, loving, wanting a better life, surviving . . . Finding a way to do more than just survive . . . I also love how important literature became to the boys and to the Little Seamstress. There was a better life in those books and lots to learn from them. I also loved how important using one's imagination was. Imagination is underrated these days

<b>~ What does this novel reveal about the nature and purpose of China's Cultural Revolution and the suffering it caused? In what ways does the novel offer a more intimate portrait of what life was like under Chairman Mao than a strictly historical account could?</b>
As I said, I knew nothing about the revolution before I read this book, and I got a bit of glimpse with this book. I'm very curious now. It's hard to understand why a government feels the need to blot out it's entire history and yet it's been done a lot. I think about the parents whose kids got sent off to these remote places and they must have felt frantic and helpless. How horrible! Just what was the goal of doing this? (see what an uneducated and naïve American I am). I'm reading the <i>Grapes of Wrath</i> with my son for his English class and I see some startling parallels.

<b>~ What does the novel say about storytelling and the status of the storyteller in the modern world?</b>
“The only thing Luo was really good at was telling stories. A pleasing talent to be sure, but a marginal one, with little future in it. Modern man has moved beyond the age of the Thousand-and-One-Nights, and modern societies everywhere, whether socialist or capitalist, have done away with the old storytellers—more’s the pity.” I agree with this. The village loved it when the headman sent the boys to town to watch a movie and come back and reeact it. The tailor loved listening to the narrator retell the stories at night when he stayed with them and the Little Seamstress was "re-educated" in reverse by the boys' storytelling. With storytelling, we can use our imaginations and visualize. The narrator even mentions how with each time they reenacted a movie or a story, it got a little more embellished - definitely not the same dull thing over and over. Watching movies and tv takes away from our imagination. People spend their nights camped in front of the "boob tube" or surfing the net. Creativity just doesn't count as much anymore and I think people are becoming less creative as a result.

<b>~ This is Dai Sijie's first novel, but he is already an established filmmaker. Do you see signs of his background in film in this novel?</b>
He tossed in the idea of the boys going to town to see a movie. I wondered how the villagers knew about the movies but they didn't know about alarm clocks . . . What did I miss there?

<b>~ Would you recommend this book to others? To a particular person?</b>
Yes! Definitely. I liked that it was short and despite the horrible circumstances, there was joy in this book as well. I thought the author did a wonderful job of tossing those extremes together in a book that I'd almost describe as gentle.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the writing style. I hope Sijie writes more novels. I read some bad reviews of the movie so I'll skip it. I don't want it to take away from my enjoyment of the book.