Sky Burial : An Epic Love Story of Tibet

by Xinran Xue | Other |
ISBN: 0099484927 Global Overview for this book
Registered by thegoaliegirl of Vancouver, Washington USA on 10/27/2014
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This book is in a Controlled Release! This book is in a Controlled Release!
13 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by thegoaliegirl from Vancouver, Washington USA on Monday, October 27, 2014
Thank you for finding this book and welcome to bookcrossing! Bookcrossing is a wonderful place to share your love of reading with people all over the world. If you decide to register instead of remaining anonymous, when someone else journals this book you will get an e-mail notification. It is a lot of fun to follow the travels of a book that passed through your hands. Again, welcome to bookcrossing!

Journal Entry 2 by wingPiikuwing at Parainen, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Thank you thegoaliegirl for this birthday surprise!

Journal Entry 3 by wingPiikuwing at Parainen, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Tuesday, April 7, 2015
A beautiful story of love, hope and determination. Every now and then I had to remind myself that this is not just a well written novel, but a true story.

sakirmo will probably get this book in the recycling meetup in May.

Journal Entry 4 by wingsakirmowing at Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Sunday, May 10, 2015
The book is here, many thanks!!

"It was 1994 when Xinran, a journalist and the internationally acclaimed author of The Good Women of China, received a telephone call asking her to travel four hours to meet a woman who had just crossed the border from Tibet into China.

Xinran made the trip and met the woman, called Shu Wen, who recounted the story of her thirty-year odyssey in the vast landscape of Tibet. In Sky Burial, Xinran has re-created Shu Wen’s journey, painting an extraordinary portrait of a woman and a land, each at the mercy of fate and politics. It is an unforgettable, ultimately uplifting tale of love, loss, loyalty, and survival."

** varattu Soozreaderille Muu maa mansikka -pussin kautta

Journal Entry 5 by wingsakirmowing at Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Released 8 yrs ago (12/30/2015 UTC) at Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

It's a beautifully written book indeed, but actually more about a trip through Tibet a few decades ago than any actual love story - perhaps better described as one woman's obsession to find out what really happened to her husband. I have my doubts about how much of a true story this really is, and even more about the motive of Chinese troops going to Tibet as is portrayed in this book (only to help and protect them? hmmmm...) but I'm not deeply enough informed about the China/Tibet issue to say anything more about that! In any case, it's an enjoyable read and certainly not 'epic' in size - 160+ pages

Travelling to Soozreader next

Journal Entry 6 by wingSoozreaderwing at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Thank you very much for this book that had arrived during my holidays!:)

Journal Entry 7 by wingSoozreaderwing at Joensuu, Pohjois-Karjala / Norra Karelen Finland on Sunday, March 18, 2018
Well-written, beautiful story full of sorrow.

Journal Entry 8 by wingSoozreaderwing at on Monday, March 19, 2018

Released 6 yrs ago (3/19/2018 UTC) at

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The book is on its way to the next reader as a part of the wishlist tag game. Happy reading!

Journal Entry 9 by wingPoodlesisterwing at Walthamstow, Greater London United Kingdom on Thursday, March 22, 2018
My second Xinran book. Thanks very much for sending it to me.

Journal Entry 10 by wingPoodlesisterwing at Walthamstow, Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, April 9, 2018
I really like the way Xinran writes about the women who told her their stories. I enjoyed finding out more about Tibetan ritual.

Released 5 yrs ago (5/29/2018 UTC) at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Going to the winner.

Journal Entry 12 by Harobed82 at Pornichet, Pays de la Loire France on Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Thank you for the book, BC labels, postcard and letter! :)

Journal Entry 13 by Harobed82 at Pornichet, Pays de la Loire France on Monday, October 15, 2018
A well-written and interesting book.

Journal Entry 14 by Harobed82 at RABCK, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- France on Saturday, December 29, 2018

Released 5 yrs ago (12/31/2018 UTC) at RABCK, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- France

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to Delphi_Reader.
Enjoy! And Happy New Year 2019! :)

Journal Entry 15 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Sunday, January 20, 2019
Thank you very much Harobed82 for sending me this book and for your beautiful card and parcel! And thanks to thegoaliegirl for registering and everyone for keeping this book on the move! I've read another book of this author previously and found it interesting-although not flawless-, so I'm curious about this one...

I apologise for journaling the book so late. I was informed it arrived exactly on the day of my departure on a business trip 12 days ago. I returned yesterday night and I try to catch up with my BC and other "obligations" now...

Journal Entry 16 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at Delphi - Δελφοί , Fokida Greece on Wednesday, January 23, 2019
I finished Sky Burial in one afternoon and I liked it, although I didn't love it. I feel that it's mostly fiction than non-fiction, especially when it touches on political matters. Furthermore, I don't know if this comes due to cultural differences or it's just my idea, but I find Xinran a weird mix of too biased and naive narrator, too full of her self albeit her soft and modest manner of speaking. This is the second book I read from her and I don't trust her to be a reliable narrator.
After all, a) the book comes on different versions for the Chinese and Western audience and b) this is supposed to be a story spread on many decades, based on Wen's narration to Xinran taking place in only two days and Xinran deciding to write and publish it 10 years later.

All that said, the book narrates an extraordinary story and offers an insight on a quite alien culture, on past eras. It's hard to believe all these coincidences and the decisions or actions some characters make and on what pace, but then people from Far East seem to have a different understanding and attitude towards time, space, honor and society. I enjoyed the descriptions of local customs and landscapes, while the book didn't lack of some adventure and emotions...

A story that definitely worths a read. Thanks once again for sharing.

Journal Entry 17 by wingDelphi_Readerwing at on Thursday, January 24, 2019

Released 5 yrs ago (1/24/2019 UTC) at

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

As mentioned on my previous journal entry, I have my doubts on the credibility of the story as a non-fiction book, but anyway it's interesting on its own way and this is just my opinion after all...

So the book is now on its way to the winner/decoy of the Non-Fiction Sweepstakes- Round 10 along with another book for variety : )

Happy Reading!

Journal Entry 18 by Lamilla at Мінск / Minsk, Minsk Belarus on Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Thank you!

Journal Entry 19 by Lamilla at Мінск / Minsk, Minsk Belarus on Friday, March 8, 2019
Reserved for greenbadger, who has taken it from the alphabet box

Journal Entry 20 by Lamilla at Мінск / Minsk, Minsk Belarus on Monday, March 11, 2019

Released 5 yrs ago (3/11/2019 UTC) at Мінск / Minsk, Minsk Belarus

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

You've found a travelling book. Hurray!
The book's journey continues by its finder's cooperation and creativity. By making a journal entry on this book, you can add to the book's story as it travels from reader to reader around the world.
Enjoy your reading!

Привет!
Спасибо, что нашли время зайти на сайт и сделать запись в журнале! Напишите, когда и где вы нашли книгу.
Перед тем, как попасть к Вам, она побывала в других уголках света. История ее путешествий записана на сайте, и теперь к ней добавился еще один пункт. Я очень рада, что она нашла нового читателя в Вашем лице.

Journal Entry 21 by winggreenbadgerwing at St Albans, Hertfordshire United Kingdom on Saturday, March 16, 2019
Received from round 16 of the Alphabet VBB. Thank you!

Journal Entry 22 by winggreenbadgerwing at St Albans, Hertfordshire United Kingdom on Friday, April 2, 2021
The author meets a woman, Shu Wen, who has been on the most incredible journey - her husband went missing as a soldier in Tibet so she went to look for him, and she spent over thirty years in Tibet, living with a rural family, unable to communicate properly or get home, before she finally returns to Suzhou. The description of the alien culture, the religious Tibetan life, and the remoteness from anything like her life in China, and even further from life here, is fascinating, though although the story is presented as true I believe it is actually a fictional work. A sky burial is where the deceased's body is fed to the vultures, and the story starts with Xinran hearing about a soldier who has had this happen. It feels like this is somehow symbolic, maybe of the repeated losses suffered by Wen.

Journal Entry 23 by winggreenbadgerwing at St Albans, Hertfordshire United Kingdom on Thursday, June 10, 2021

Released 2 yrs ago (6/10/2021 UTC) at St Albans, Hertfordshire United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Put into the Read it, Swap it, Leave it ring.

Journal Entry 24 by dolph1n at Chester, Cheshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 14, 2021
This is going to be my Read it book from the bookbox.

Journal Entry 25 by dolph1n at Chester, Cheshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 21, 2021
I enjoyed the story but was constantly annoyed by what seemed like Chinese propaganda. It portrayed the Chinese and Tibetans as friends, the Dalai Lama as a thief, Tibetans as the baddies and Chinese as the goodies. This is all far from the truth.
China is very aware of the strength of the movement for Tibet's freedom. Inside Tibet, it uses repression and violence against that movement. Outside of China, it uses propaganda.
Sorry, I couldn't be more positive because the story itself was good.

Journal Entry 26 by wingCross-patchwing at Leicester, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Like Dolph1n, I am nominating this book as my ‘read it’ from the Read it/ Swap it/ Leave it BookBox.

Journal Entry 27 by wingCross-patchwing at Leicester, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Wednesday, November 10, 2021
A magical insight into a culture that has been and gone. I was fascinated by the presentation of the Chinese venture into Tibet in the 50s and the fast deterioration of their little band’s relationship with the Tibetanese fighters that they met. But then, Wen’s total submergence in the nomadic Tibetan life was our portway into understanding the spiritual nature of this culture surviving in such a harsh terrain. Om ma-ni pad-me hum will always stay with me.

Released 2 yrs ago (11/14/2021 UTC) at Read it/Swap it/Leave it BookBox , A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases

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Truly interesting novel. I greatly enjoyed it.

Journal Entry 29 by wingDiane-Fraserwing at Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Monday, November 29, 2021
I read this book for the read it/swapit/leaveit bookbox. I wouldn't normally pick a book like this however I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so. A very good read :-)

Journal Entry 30 by wingDiane-Fraserwing at Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom on Monday, November 29, 2021

Released 2 yrs ago (11/29/2021 UTC) at Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Going back in the bookbox :-)

Journal Entry 31 by wingearthcaroleannewing at Falkirk, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, December 12, 2021
I read this book for the read it/swapit/leaveit bookbox. This is an unbelievable true story. I learned so much while reading this but so many other reviewers are calling it non-fiction or narrow, I'm really not sure now. Nonetheless it is a wonderful story. It made me think quite a lot about things like faith and the meaning of life.

Journal Entry 32 by wingearthcaroleannewing at Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Released 2 yrs ago (12/16/2021 UTC) at Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Returning to the Read It, Swap It, Leave It Bookring.

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