Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2008
464 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
Paperback Original.
Originally published in 1987, two years before the Tiananmen Square protests, Zhang Wei's novel is the story of three generations of the Sui, Zhao, and Li families living in the fictional northern town of Wali during China's troubled post-liberation years.
Spanning four decades following the creation of the People's Republic in 1949, The Ancient Ship is a bold examination of a society in turmoil, the struggle of oppressed people to control their own fate, and the clash between tradition and modernization. In the course of the narrative, the townspeople of Wali face the moments that have defined China's history during the latter part of the twentieth century: the land reform programs, the famine of 1959-1961, the Great Leap Forward, the Anti-Rightist Campaign, and the Cultural Revolution. Translated into English for the very first time, The Ancient Ship is a revolutionary work of Chinese fiction that speaks to people across the globe.
"[T]his multilayered historical tale of remembrance, accountability and the role stories play in people's lives is a powerful one. " - Publishers Weekly.
"Wei Zhang's numerous characters appearing throughout are difficult to track without taking notes...it is both puzzling and disappointing to find the story line so disjointed. [T]his is not a work that typical readers of fiction or historical fiction will simply pick up and immediately appreciate." - Library Journal.
This information about The Ancient Ship was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Zhang Wei is a member of the Chinese Writers Association, an organization for which he has served as the vice-chairman of the Shandong branch. He is one of the most widely respected fiction writers of the post-Mao era, and he lives in Beijing.
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
Children are not the people of tomorrow, but people today.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
