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As expected, much more difficult to read than his best known work. This is goes into alternative realities, not science fiction, and explores the various facets of what we consider to be reality. As I'm not sure my basic reading abilities in Chinese are quite up to this level, I will refrain from saying more than this for fear of doing this work injustice.

The author has managed something rare. Using simple everyday words all along he succeeds very well in giving us a poignant story of simple people during difficult times. I've spoken Mandarin for a long time but was, up to 3 months ago, illiterate (Chinese has 86 000 characters, the average person knowing around 4000). My reading level is now upper mid-level and I could read the whole book and understand it all.

Roman parabolique (dans le sens de parabole), ou tragédie antique écrite dans un style journalistique acidulé qui nous donne à voir comment la vie de tout le monde, moi, vous, tous, fonctionne pour que, sans que nous en soyons nécessairement conscients, nos actions servent les buts et intérêts d'autres que nous, mieux placés que nous pour planifier et faire fructifier nos actions.

This book can intimidate many because there are extensive quotations of the Victorian poet AR Ash. Ash is not really my cup of tea either, but if you quickly pass over those you find a book that is very well written by an author who knows what she was doing. The love letters between Ash and a (finctional?) lover alone are worth the read reminding me of those between Eloise and Abelard.

Nothing earth-shattering but very well written and constructed, lively style which keeps you interested. Well done!

Not sure if it's me becoming blasé or if the author was really desperately seeking inspiration, but...

Everyday life viewed from the perspective of a retired Berlin professor and that of African refugees who are constantly pushed from country to country after having entered Europe through Lampedusa. They can work in Italy (their port of entrance) but there is no work to be had there and cannot work in any other country. Their daily life, as well as their past, is constantly intertwined with that of said professor bringing to light the unfathomable difference a few papers can make on a life.

Potentially very interesting subject: the building of a stone bridge in 14th century Balkans is almost a very simple chronicle with a few considerations about mythology and beliefs. This seems to me the opposite of the last book I read, which took a trivial anecdote and turned it into something magical, this one takes a very potentially rich subject and turns it into nothing.

Challenge for any writer: create an incredibly interesting novel from an absolutely trivial anecdote. I fell like a child reading a fairy tale, enchanted from beginning to end! Most young readers will not understand how it is possible for someone, apparently ordinary, to take almost mythological proportions in the eyes of others. Not so long ago, specially in smaller communities this happened sometimes which makes this book perfectly credible for me. And again, enchanting.

I'm no expert but I have the feeling that what he describes of the American penal system is not totally fiction. Interesting book, forces you to look differently at the beauties of business and the availability of the law (everybody should know about the law but one doesn't get that konwledge for free).