What do readers think of The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai by Ruiyan Xu? Write your own review.

Reading this book is like watching a slowly sinking ship. There is an initial crisis and then the characters slowly sink into worse circumstances through their inability to deal with life changing events. I felt sorry for the characters but also frustrated with their decisions. Although the story takes place in Shanghai, there is little influence of the Chinese culture. This book could provide for interesting discussions on communication and what it means to love someone.

While the idea behind this novel is interesting, I found its presentation difficult to read.

The overabundant use of metaphors and similes interfered with, rather than enhanced, the flow of the story. It was also distracting, leaving the reader to wonder which was the more important - the story or the copious descriptive passages. I feel that those passages undermined the substance of the story.

It is not a book I would particularly recommend.

This book starts out painfully slowly, but is so worth staying with. The title hints at the basic premise of the book - a man sustains brain damage and suffers from the inability to speak in Chinese; he can only communicate in the language of his childhood, English. He can no longer speak to his wife, only his American doctor. But it really discusses communication on many different levels. It was a complex and lovely book that I fear might be an overlooked. A loss for those who miss it.

I was very much captivated by this story about communication and understanding or rather the loss of both. I really loved the characters and their struggles, their emotions and feelings were very well developed. However, the end of the book was rushed and left me somewhat dissatisfied.

As an English teacher and student of other languages, I was intrigued by first the title of the book then by the premise and the story itself. It is rich with description of Shanghai and the Asian culture, but the behavior of the doctor who was hired to help Li Jing recover his language skills was so despicable and reprehensible, not to mention unbelievable, that I found the entire book somewhat incredible. It certainly evoked strong emotion in me, so for that reason, perhaps it's a successful story. Two characters were noteworthy: Li Jing's father, a dear man of strong, loving character, and Pang Pang, the child who was battered by the behavior of the important adults in his life.

"The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai" authored by Ruiyan Xu is one of the most beautiful and absorbing novels I have read. She presents us with multidimensional characters who deal with issues of communication that are both obvious and nuanced. The main story line involves Li Jing, a successful businessman who after an explosion suffers from a form of aphasia that affects the portion of the brain that manages language. Although fluent in both English and Chinese he recalls only English as he begins to recover leaving him unable to communicate with his wife, child, friends and associates.

Dr. Rosalyn Neal, an American specialist is recruited by his wife and doctors to help him relearn Chinese. As the characters and story evolve the reader is gently led through the various forms of language both verbal and nonverbal that can strengthen or weaken relationships. Xu weaves and layers the struggles of Li Jing, his wife Meiling, their son Pang Pang, Dr. Neal and her expatriate friends, and Alan, the translator against the backdrop of language in its various forms. This book is enjoyable on many levels from the intricate relationships to the spectacular descriptions of Shanghai. It will charm readers while provoking thoughtful discussions on a myriad of topics. This novel grips the reader from page one and never lets go.

This is a novel of love and heartache. A book that I couldn't put down until I had finished it. The author shows such insight into the human emotions of the characters that it captures you from the very beginning.

"The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai" is a lyrical, haunting, and engrossing book about how language and culture, and the understandings and misunderstandings that they engender, both tie people together and break them apart.

When the central character, Li Jing, has a brain injury that suddenly makes him unable to speak a word of Chinese (although he still understands it), his world, and that of his wife, father, and son, is thrown into turmoil. The parallel experiences of his American doctor, Rosalyn Neal, of isolation and connection are compelling, and ultimately heartbreaking. The book chronicles the characters' struggles, moments of connection, and missteps so seamlessly that you feel you are experiencing what the characters are experiencing. This is a book to be savored, and there is much to spark lively discussion.