Bridge of Birds => International Book Ray
12 journalers for this copy...
I'd give it 9-and-a-half if I could! From the back cover: "A haunting tale of ancient China, of beautiful handmaidens, venerable sages, mystery, magic, hilarity, heartbreak and the timeless power of love."
This is such a wonderful book - wildly inventive, and funny and heart-breaking and sometimes very violent (though I generally hate violent books). This copy is an old and battered British edition, but I'd never have been able to bear to part with it except that I got a copy of the reissued paperback in the States last summer. I'd love to be able to pass this on to someone else.
This is such a wonderful book - wildly inventive, and funny and heart-breaking and sometimes very violent (though I generally hate violent books). This copy is an old and battered British edition, but I'd never have been able to bear to part with it except that I got a copy of the reissued paperback in the States last summer. I'd love to be able to pass this on to someone else.
Posted to Shelbycat this morning. Here's the list as it stands now
(updated 21/3/03):
Shelbycat
rmg
Herrundmeyer (to whom thanks again for all the help on figuring out the easiest way to do this!)
myntti
mjm
cafemundo
LeighBCD
pikapolonica
(updated 21/3/03):
Shelbycat
rmg
Herrundmeyer (to whom thanks again for all the help on figuring out the easiest way to do this!)
myntti
mjm
cafemundo
LeighBCD
pikapolonica
I'm very much looking forward to reading this one, but it'll have to wait a little while until i've finished the other two in this bookray.
This book is fantastic. I really had trouble when i finished it because i wanted it to carry on forever. You really get to know the characters through the situations they get themselves in. Also, everything is tied up at the end of the book (something i very much like in a book). All very fairy-tale-with-a-twist!
rmg look out these are all getting sent on tomorrow (if i manage to remember).
rmg look out these are all getting sent on tomorrow (if i manage to remember).
This book has been a really pleasant surprise. I'd like to describe it as "charming", except that "charming" always sounds a bit patronising. Let's just say that I wish I owned it, so I could take it round my friends' houses and force them to read it too.
I enjoyed the humour and the setting. As a fantasy veteran, I begin to feel that I must have traipsed round a million near-identical Fantasylands in search of the mystical what-not that will save life as we know it, so ancient China made a nice change.
I enjoyed the humour and the setting. As a fantasy veteran, I begin to feel that I must have traipsed round a million near-identical Fantasylands in search of the mystical what-not that will save life as we know it, so ancient China made a nice change.
Posted to Herrundmeyer.
Journal Entry 7 by Herrundmeyer from Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, April 22, 2003
This book has arrived in Germany. I will start reading it this very evening and am putting aside an Oscar Wilde book for it. TBR.
Journal Entry 8 by Herrundmeyer from Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Thursday, April 24, 2003
Well, I'm not as enthusiastic about this book as the prior readers. A Chinese fairy tale, I daresay full of stereotypes and common phrases. It is entertaining, funny at times, but not much more.
And it most certainly does not live up to the claim on the front cover that the world depicted can be compared to Tolkien's Middle Earth.
And it most certainly does not live up to the claim on the front cover that the world depicted can be compared to Tolkien's Middle Earth.
Journal Entry 9 by Herrundmeyer at mailed to a fellow bookcrosser (Gelsenkirchen) in -- Per Post geschickt / Persönlich weitergegeben --, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Thursday, April 24, 2003
Released on Thursday, April 24, 2003 at mailed to a fellow bookcrosser in Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany.I sent this book on to myntti in Finland.
Anteeksi, mutta en puhu hyvin Suomea.
Danke schön, kiitos and thank you, Herrundmeyer :-) I just received Bridge of Birds in the mail today.
I agree with Herrundmeyer here. Bridge of Birds was an entertaining read, but that's about it. It was easy to read a couple of chapters every now and then, because the chapters are short, but it wasn't a page-turner. Or maybe I wasn't in the right mood for reading this book...
Mailed to mjm today.
Received in the mail today as part of a bookring from myntti. I'm excited to read it after just finishing the other DWJ book. I don't usually dabble into this genre, but it's been fun! Thanks!
Finished the book last week and sent it on it's way today to next person. I found this one interesting as far as fantasy is concerned. It was fun to read a book centered in Asia.
Just received today, thanks for mailing it to me mjm.
I look forward to reading this "in shade" this weekend.
Will return to journal again.
I look forward to reading this "in shade" this weekend.
Will return to journal again.
This book is clever and witty in it's delivery of a Chinese fable-fairy tale. It started out peaking my interest, especially when the heroes find pieces of "the great root". But by the end I was tired of wandering "through the landscape of a homicidal fairy-tale."-p.253 I did enjoy many of the characterizations - Master Li and Ox, Bright Star and The Sword Dance, and of course, The Princess of Birds. The following description of Master Li swearing was quite comical, "...he scorched the air with the Sixty Sequential Sacrileges with which he had won the all-China Free-Style Blasphemy Competition in Hangchow three years in a row."-p.236 It was not as good as I had hoped but still enjoyable. Thanks so much Hero for sharing this book with us!
Mailed today to pikapolonica.
Arrived to Stockholm on Saturday and I already finished it yesterday. ;)It's a lovely book, really entertaining. Although I doubt that the ancient China traditions are genuine (probably most of them are invented by the writer), they make for a nice fairy tale. I enjoyed the ghost stories, especially the one about the Bright Star and the sword dance with Ox. And Li Kao is a charismatic character, a Sherlock Holmes of this fantasy ancient Chinese world.
I am waiting for the address of LeighBCD to pass the book on to her. If I don't receive it until Friday, 22nd Aug, I will send the book on after I am back from my holidays (8th Sept).
9th Sept: Back from holidays and got the address of LeighBCD - the book will be on its way to her soon. However, she requested me to write here that she will be away from UK until November, meaning that the book will stay at her place during this time, taking a holiday from its travels. ;)
The book was sent to LeighBCD last Saturday, 13th Sept.
Well... at long last the Bridge of Birds has reached me. I am looking forward to reading this, especially in the light of the wondrous reviews the novel has received!
I will keep the book moving once I have finished with it. I may set up another bookray or I will put it into a book relay or book box. I will journal again once I have finished with the book and keep you all posted. Thanks so much!
I will keep the book moving once I have finished with it. I may set up another bookray or I will put it into a book relay or book box. I will journal again once I have finished with the book and keep you all posted. Thanks so much!
This is reserved for Virgulina who has plans potentially to use this book to make another bookring when she has finished it - wow, how amazing to think that this book might still keep travelling!
Unfortunately I could not get into this book... I think I am not in the right frame of mind for it so it is time to send it on to someone else who will appreciate it more. I am very glad I joined the book ray, though, as I really wanted to try this novel.
For those of you who really liked this book, let me recommend Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori - Book 1) by Lian Hearn... I think you would really enjoy this series.
For those of you who really liked this book, let me recommend Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori - Book 1) by Lian Hearn... I think you would really enjoy this series.
Released on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 at to Virgulina in Prior Velho, Portugal Controlled Releases.
On its way to Portugal... I hope all the people who receive this book in the future enjoy it. All the best!
On its way to Portugal... I hope all the people who receive this book in the future enjoy it. All the best!
Thanks so much for sharing this book with me LeighBCD. I hope I'll enjoy it a little more than you did! :)
I'm lending it to Justicar. Hope he enjoys it! :)
Para ler, entregue na jantarada do Caldas onde me enterraram em livros.
This is a delightful book, I really didn't know what to expect from this story, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a magical fairy tale about ancient China. The characters are unforgettable, especially Master Li who was laugh out loud funny, and I loved the way everything seemed to fit together in the end. Maybe it can't be compared to Tolkien's books but it's certainly an entertaining and worthwhile read! :o)
Journal Entry 29 by Escalla from Lisboa - Parque das Nações, Lisboa (cidade) Portugal on Monday, July 3, 2006
Gosh, i can understand Hero's remark about this book, but i tell you i don't think i'd be parted of it even if i did get a new one :P.
I'm ansious to read it though and i hear there might be another bookring in its future so i suppose many will still benefit from it.
I'll start reading it as soon as i can.
I'm ansious to read it though and i hear there might be another bookring in its future so i suppose many will still benefit from it.
I'll start reading it as soon as i can.
