Hardship and Bitterness is a million-word epic with a strong biographical flavor, made up of three novellas, two long novellas, and one full-length novel. Each story can stand alone, yet they are also inextricably linked. On the surface, they recount the lives of two generations in one family, but what they reveal are the conflicts of their era and its tangled web of human relationships. The author deftly and authentically distills an entire society into one family.
Because of the times in which they live, the works are steeped in blood and tears from beginning to end… The prose is lively and vivid, the writing concise, and the narrative techniques fresh and distinctive. The plots are full of twists and turns, with one suspenseful revelation after another. The many characters are especially skillfully portrayed, so lifelike they seem ready to leap off the page. Though the book runs to nearly a million words, once you start reading, you won’t want to put it down. You’ll feel compelled to explore its hidden depths to the very end. Give it a try.
The book is divided into six volumes:
1. The Young Mistress of a Former Qing Dynasty Graduate’s Family (novella)
2. The Hard-Luck Journey of a Cloth Shopkeeper’s Wife (novella)
3. An International Marriage That Was Not to Be (long novella)
4. Grandfather’s Miraculous Hands (long novella)
5. A Hard and Bitter Journey Through Life (full-length novel)
6. The Live-in Son-in-Law of the Hibiscus Fragrant Chicken Restaurant (novella)
A brief introduction to Volume One, The Young Mistress of a Former Qing Dynasty Graduate’s Family: Is a man like this really worth a woman’s entire life?
I have finished reading the first volume of the young lady who lived in Qingju family. The aunt in the book is beautiful, hard-working and resourceful, and her parents love her. Although her family background is average, she should be very happy if she marries a well-matched man who is responsible for his duties and lives an ordinary life where men farm and women weave. It's a pity that I married a so-called rich man and stayed a widow for half my life. The man was such a bad person. This was a marriage calculated by others.
This book is specifically written to torture readers. The greatest tragedy and cruelty in the world is to destroy the beauty and expose it to others. It's sad and hard to calm down. This book made me come to the conclusion that women's kindness is original sin and the source of all suffering.
Alas, I would rather be a dog in prosperous times than a person in troubled times!
This is a shocking book. Once you pick it up, you can't put it down. After reading the beginning, you want to read it all in one go. Then you will ponder in your mind for a long time: How could this be like this in the human world?
I don't want to talk about this family, it's too hard, right?
Very good: so beautiful
Sorry, for such a beautiful book, why is it only rated 67 points? Who are the judges? Can you please show your nakedness? When Wu Dalang opened a store, he didn't want others to compare with him...
A rare good work with rich foundation!
As the title of the book suggests, life is hard and bitter!
Well written, very well written, wonderfully written