"She was reluctant to leave this world; she loved the sun, loved the earth, loved work, loved the clear and bright Great Horse River, loved the grasses and wildflowers that grew on the riverbank . . . She couldn’t die! She should live!"

This is the story of Gao Jialin, a young twenty something who's just been fired from his job, he was a teacher in the city and is now forced to go back to his village and work in the country side. He's never worked in the fields and is deeply ashamed and mortified: on one hand he wants to show the villagers that he's capable just like everybody else and that he's not a burden to his family, on the other he's afraid that his old classmates could find out that he's gone back to be a peasant. In the meantime he finds himself falling in love with a villager, Liu Qiaozhen. Their story will be a troubled one from the very beginning and when he'll go back to the city to work as a journalist they'll see how much strain can their relationship really endure.

"Once a self-confident teacher, he was now like an old country granny, selling buns at the market!"

I was really surprised to see that this book is over 300 pages long, it took me only two days to devour it. The descriptions were lovely (kudos to the translator as well!!) and, even though the characters were not exactly flashed out, their psychology is explored in depth and you end up not taking anyone's side, they're all facing life for the first time and encountering the struggles and trials that young people are bound to find along the way: do I favour the simplicity and familiarity of my hometown and of everything I know or do I give everything up and try to find myself elsewhere? What if things don't work out? What if they do?

This book was a pleasant surprise and if I were to find it in its physical form (that cover too, is gorgeous!) I'll surely buy a copy for myself!

This book was absolutely beautifully written and translated.
I loved it because it reminded me of 5 years that I spent living in Cambodia. I had lots of local friends that were teachers from rural areas and I have seen the hardship and corruption that occurs all too often.
I loved following Jialin's story from beginning till end. What puzzled me though was that before Qiaozhen confessed her love, it was never mentioned that he thought about girls and dating and suddenly he "falls in love". That was the only thing that didn't feel very believable or needed further explanation.
If you enjoyed Pachinko, the Geisha or any other family saga set in Asia, you'll want to put this on your TBR list.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of Life.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I am fairly knowledgeable about Chinese history, having taught Chinese art for many years, but I think this book could be appreciated by anyone with any level of knowledge about Chinese history. It isn't a quick read, but it isn't meant to be. Think Pearl Buck's Good Earth without the orientalist problems.

The story is a sort of classic one, country mouse, in this case, a young man, in the big city. But, the text is so incredibly beautiful. I was honestly surprised. Books in translation, particularly those that rely on the cadence and music of another language, can lose something in another language. I don't read Chinese, so I can't compare this to the original. But, I definitely think this is worth a read.

I hope schools use this book instead of Pearl Buck or other stories about China written by a white author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.