Waiting

Another Lesson

When I read this it was one of the books that had the most impact on me. With its subtly, it sneaks up on you with its strong depiction of human relationships and desires.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic!

This is an amazing piece of fiction about a 'bitter love.' Having read other reviews, I would have to say that I did not interpret the ending in such a hopeful manner, but I guess it all depend on your perspective. The characters are all very well developed, especially Lin, whose desire to do the right thing often leads to many unfortunate outcomes. Truly a beautiful story.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful

This is a really great story about what the passage of time can do to things. How it erodes and eats away at the value of things and relationships and emotions etc. Yet conversely, there was no waiting when reading this book. For sure it was a story told by a man because there was no time spent lingering too long on anything. It was perfectly paced. He just kept it moving and while you were reading you would know that something else was about to happen soon because the pace was predictable and that made it a great page turner too. The feminine voice of his female character was not ruined by the manly pace of the book. The setting is a Chinese military hospital. It's about a relationship between a couple who never consummate the affair because they wanted to wait to get a problem out of the way. but as the problem persisted, and the waiting went on and on, the waiting ate away at their deepest emotions and time threw everything including the bathtub and kitchen sink, causing them to question both their character and those deep feelings they once thought they held. This book is a great piece of literature and is perfect for a book club.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Waiting By Ha Jin

I really enjoyed this book. I had a personal connections with this book. Divorce is a hard thing to deal with this book opened my mind and made me realize that waiting can be a bad thing and good in ways. People going though a divorce would enjoy this book and it might help them though by putting things into propective. Making you realize that people go though things that mske you stronger or weaker. You decide how events effect your life.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Easy to read, Great Book

This book is great!! I enjoyed the fact that it was a love story. The end is the best part of the book. The ending isn't predictable, but more hopeful for some. I read this book for a class and because I liked it so much, I finished this book in 4 days. I recommend this book to any female!! Anyone who has been through a divorce would enjoy this book as well. Great book for many different kinds of people. The title tells so much about this book and if you have ever waited for someone for any reason, you will love it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Must Read

Oh, I loved this book. I couldn't put the book down. I felt I was in this story. The characters were amazing. I felt bad for Lin's wife Shuyu. Waiting is hard to do. The outcome was not what I had expected, but it was sweet. Lin did try to do the best for his family as well as his new family. All the characters suffer pain with what Lin put them through. This book was really amazing. This would be a book I would read again. This book kept you going. It's suspense. A great book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Read for the Anemic (Because It's Irony)

Outstanding. This book reminds me why I read: not only for aesthetic enjoyment, but for enlightenment. This book perfectly illustrates how time can change our perspectives on our circumstances (the grass is always greener). I loved the depth of the characters, who were so very balanced. They were obsessed with social propriety without being haughty, self-serving without being conceited, distant without being unloving, ordinary without being mundane. Yet for all the contradiction, the characters are never unbelievable, the plot never muddled. A truly amazing book, recommended for mature adults (a little life experience goes a long way toward appreciating the message here).

Living the American Dream

A truly heart-warming book with rich characters. Portrays how hard work and having a goal in life can bring fulfillment.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a pretty good book to read!

Waiting by Ha Jin was a pretty interesting book to read. I liked how the main character had to struggle with many decisions that would effect other people in his life. The story always kept you wanting to continue reading to find out what would happen next. The only thing that I felt I had a little trouble with was pronouncing names of the characters and cities in the story. I would strongly recommand people read this novel because what happens in the story happens to people in real life and it could make you have different opinions and views about certain subjects.

why to pick this particular book

Well this book was a very sad romantic story that had to do with these two character who life was quite the same in some standard's because one character was lonely and needed someone, which she found someone but he was already married. He was a character who wanted to divorce his wife because he didn't love her, but had concieved a baby with her wanted to fall in love with the woman he felt was more compatiable with him. He went through tribes and tribulation to try to be with this other woman, but it seem that everything was stopping them from getting married, but he was going to keep trying to he got his wish even if it took years to do it. When he did finally get to divorce his wife and marry the other woman he felt in his heart after a while that he made a big mistake, but he still stayed in the marriage and it turned out to be a good ending, but a sad one. Other's should read this book if they like romance books that might have a mystery to it in some cases, but if they don't like simple sequenced books then they shouldn't read this particular book.

The irony of waiting

This is a wonderfully written book. For those who are seeking an intriguing thrill from a novel, you'd be disappointed. The beauty of this book is its simple style, which depicts in such accuracy details in these people's life. It's a love story, yet the main characters do not seem to know how to express love. The best part of the book is Part III. Isn't it a tragic irony that after all these years of waiting, Lin had to reveal to his ex-wife that he really longed to her, or at least an illusion of peace of mind that is associated with her? I was in tears when I read the part that he asked Shuyu to wait for him. What a mess, yet how real! I enjoyed reading it and still enjoy thinking about it. The only part that is disturbing is about Ge Yang. I was angry with the author when I read about the rape. This is a book that makes you think about it over and over again.

Suspenseful and interesting

Waiting is a thoughtful novel full of suspense and insight into another time. The book teaches a valuable lesson to go with your heart and let your emotions develope. Don't justify everything or always follow all of the rules like the main character in this book- Lin. This is an excellent story!

not for entertainment

this book truly exemplifies the epithet that one man's treasure is another's garbage. I failed to see the big deal.

average

...at best. The first half was interesting, but by Part 3, I was bored out of my mind. The last 10 pages or so pull the book together and leave one with a sinking feeling, totally disgusted with Lin. Still worth the read.

ponderous and borong

I was very disappointed with this novel is was dull , dry and painful to read , in the sense it made me wince not at the situaiton of the characters but at the perdestrain writing of the author

Lin was a jerk!

Beautifully written, can feel the pain of their 'waiting' - BUT I felt no compassion for Lin. He had 3 women who loved him - and he did not appreciate them. He was always too conscious of what others would think. Why didn't he bring his first wife to the city to live with him - because he was ashamed of her. Why didn't he bring his daugther to the city for better education and why didn't he try to help her further her education so she wouldn't have to work in a match factory. I felt sorry for the women - caught in a society where they were only valued for the men they married.

Ironic and thoughtful -- but you'll have to 'wait' til the end...

A quick read, this novel by Jin kept me going while traversing the subway of NYC. Simply written, it traces two decades through the lives of Manna Wu and Lin Kong whose forbidden affair weaves both hope and futility. In the continueing battle of selfishness and selflessness, in the end, the reward for waiting is more bitter than sweet.

lovely and poignant

all the main characters-- lin kong, shuyu, manna wu--one way or the other are in the state of waiting for their loved one. the question is: are they waiting for the right person? how would you know this is the one for you when life offers you no opportunity to explore your inner feelings? a melancholy life journey of one man who is torn between duty and love will touch us all. beautiful.

A slow paced, yet satisfying novel

The plot of this novel is a very simple love story, using the often used theme of 'star-crossed lovers'. Although it is simple, the author succeeds in making this story original and very worthwhile to read. Yes, the pace got slow at some places, but I personally could not stop until I finished it. Also, this slow pace contributes to the very uniqueness and the purpose of this novel. One is painfully able to feel the characters' 'waiting' through the pages. It is definetely not boring, and along with the theme of unrequited love, one is able to gain the knowledge of Chinese tradition and society. Anyway, enough of my babbling. The bottom line is, just read it!

Worth the Wait

Lin Kong is a dutiful man suspended between two woman and two worlds. He has a wife in the family village and a modern nurse girlfriend in the city. For seventeen years he waits for an opportunity to divorce his wife to follow his heart. When at last he can follow his desire to wed his beloved, he is shocked and annoyed at the intensity of his second wife, the demands of his twin sons and the inevitable effect of age and waiting. I thought the book was a wonderful read about what can happen if you get what you truly want. I couldn't help but laugh at his anxious, perplexed reaction to childbirth and parenting babies.