Book Clun September Review: When We Were Orphans

[bettys]

I'll be really interested to know what others made of this book. I found it quite hard to get into; none of the main characters were very likeable and I kept feeling I was missing something, perhaps because I don't know enough of the historical background of Shanghai. Christopher was an irritating person as he always seemed to have different interpretations of situations and himself to others, although this may have been a deliberate device to accentuate his isolated state.
Have to go put roast in oven. Back later.

Ooops - Book CLUB!

I quite enjoyed it. I forgave Christopher a lot and assumed that there was just a lot of stereo-typed orphaned characterisation going on. I thought the whole idea of being a world famous detective a little strange - it seemed to be right up there with being a train driver, or an astronaut. I like the way his background was slowly, but perhaps predictably revealed. WHat did anyone else think?

I read it while on holiday and want to thank Mumsnetters for getting back to reading; I used to be a bookworm before dd arrived - especially when I was grounded with high blood pressure before the birth !

It wasn't a book I would have chosen to read normally and I'm not a 'literary- type'. I found him pretty odd, for the same reason as bettys but carried on; am I just being very thick in thinking the last few chapters were too far fetched ? I presume I should have read more into the bizzare circumstances his mother endured and the searching he did for his parents ??

I only ask because Tess of the D'Urbervilles was a set text for me at O level (yes, I'm old !) and I enjoyed the story without realising all the symbolism that I was supposed to follow (strawberries to me meant nice fruit rather than an allegedly obvious allusion to sex !)

I'm glad I read it and did enjoy parts of it but my overall feeling was of being virtuous for reaching the end (that's more of a dig at myself than anyone else )

I agree with you Twink that I felt worthy for having finished it. I found it quite preposterous that everyone assumed that the parents would still be alive - is that just by modern standards, anyone who had been kidnapped isn't expected to survive?

I thought it strange that as a world-famous detective Christopher seemed remarkably thick and slow on the uptake. It was unbelievable that he didn't find out the truth about his father at least, as it would have caused a scandal. Right at the end of the book it says their fate is 'to face the world as orphans, chasing through long years the shadows of vanished parents'... but I didn't get a sense of this at all as both he and Sarah seemed so self-obsessed. Jennifer is far less well-drawn, almost an afterthought.

I read this because I enjoyed Remains of the Day so much, but wasn't sure what to make of this one. I enjoyed the descriptions of his life as a child in Shanghai, but found the last section when he was searching for his parents rather strange - I agree that it was rather far-fetched, which didn't match the style of the beginning of the book. He was an unsympathetic character in that section, when he's haranguing the local police etc.
KS - did you not finish it because you really disliked it?

Pretty much in agreement with everything said so far. Marvellous descriptive manner, IMO the style of writing perfectly fitted the era - but unlikeable characters and extremely odd and unbelievable plot. I took ages to read it but stuggled on - essentially because I hate giving up on books. Wouldn't recommend it as a "good read" but possibly an interesting one.

what are the books for October? Can someone remind me?

Books to read this month are:

Regeneration - Pat Barker
Last Orders - Graham Swift
The End of the Affair - Graham Greene