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The Chinese Violin

by Madeleine Thien, Joe Chang (Illustrator)

3.80 · rating details · 5 ratings · 4 reviews

When Lin Lin and her father immigrate to Canada from China, they bring with them one of their most treasured possessions - a traditional Chinese violin. From the beauty of their new country to the uneasiness of not fitting in, this violin sees them through all their experiences, good and bad. One day, however, a terrible misfortune occurs when the Chinese violin is broken

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Hardcover, 32 pages

Published March 1st 2001 by Whitecap Books

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Mar 07, 2011

Gundula rated it

Recommends it for: anyone, especially anyone who has experienced immigration and moving to a new, strange location

Shelves: childrens-literature, immigration-moving, music, picture-books, book-reviews

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Chinese Violin is a moving and poignant story about immigration, and how cherished objects, mementos and memories can ease the pain of homesickness. The Chinese violin is a traditional Chinese musical instrument that Lin Lin and her father take with them when they immigrate from China to Canada (from the look of the illustrations, I would say that they immigrate to the Greater Vancouver area). To Lin Lin (the daughter), it represents a treasured memento, as well as a link not only to her h...moreThe Chinese Violin is a moving and poignant story about immigration, and how cherished objects, mementos and memories can ease the pain of homesickness. The Chinese violin is a traditional Chinese musical instrument that Lin Lin and her father take with them when they immigrate from China to Canada (from the look of the illustrations, I would say that they immigrate to the Greater Vancouver area). To Lin Lin (the daughter), it represents a treasured memento, as well as a link not only to her home village in China, but also to her past, to her culture. The Chinese violin eases Lin Lin's homesickness; it represents home, thoughts and memories of home, and the friends and family she had to leave behind when she immigrated to Canada. The violin is not only a treasure, but also a type of security blanket, a solace, which is why Lin Lin is so sad and distracted when the violin gets broken (and the fact that the violin gets broken as a result of a violent robbery makes its loss even more traumatic). Also poignant and moving (to the point of repeatedly bringing tears to my eyes) is the fact that Lin Lin's father works washing dishes at a busy restaurant, not only to make enough money to pay the rent, to make ends meet, but also so he can buy a new Chinese violin for his daughter. When Lin Lin receives the new Chinese violin from her father, she is happy beyond words; she practices playing the violin outside and both friends and strangers stop to listen to her music. The final scene in The Chinese Violin is absolutely priceless; Lin Lin, performing in the school auditorium to an appreciative audience, with her proud father beaming at her.

When I first perused The Chinese Violin, I really did not enjoy the illustrations all that much. I found them rather cartoon-like and not my cup of tea at all. However, there is a good reason why the illustrations seem rather cartoon-like. The illustrator, Joe Chang, actually created both the story and the illustrations originally as an animated short feature for the National Film Board of Canada; the story, with images and music, was told without words. When the story was then transferred from film to book, author Madeleine Thien created the words that would accompany Joe Chang's illustrations (animation). Looking at the illustrations, one can easily see how this story was originally an animated feature; the illustrations are very much like a cartoon film. I still do not "love" the illustrations, but being aware of the fact that the story was originally an animated short, makes me realise that the illustrations in The Chinese Violin should be approached as being, or as having originally been an animated short film; they should be accepted for what they are. Because, if one thinks of Joe Chang's illustrations as representing an animated film, they work very well, and Madeleine Thien's words provide a wonderful complement, a poignant and emotional story for everyone, both children and adults alike.(less)

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Mar 24, 2011

Dolly rated it

Recommends it for: parents reading with their children

Shelves: 2011, canada, childrens, china-chinese, poetry-song-music

This was a selection for the March 2011 Music-Themed reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books group here at Goodreads. I was unable to find this book at our local library, but they did have it featured on a DVD with a collection of songs and stories. We enjoyed watching the animated story, narrated by Lulu Li, on a Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD. It included seven other sing-along songs with animations of the illustrated books.

The story was pretty dramatic, but in...more

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May 25, 2011

Cheryl in CC NV rated it

I loved the creative illustrations. Just to note, in case your eyes/perceptions resemble mine, Lin Lin does not wear a cap; she just has short smooth hair. Dramatic story I would not recommend to the youngest children, heartwarming for all of us over age about 5 or 6.

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Feb 11, 2010

Linda Costello rated it

This book is about a girl who moves to Canada from China. She connects to her new world through the violin. Great and touching story.

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About Madeleine Thien

Madeleine Thien is a Canadian short story writer and novelist.

She was educated at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. In 2001 Madeleine was awarded the Canadian Authors Association Air Canada Award for most promising writer under age 30.

Thien's first book, Simple Recipes (2001), a collection of short stories, received the City of Vancouver Book A...more

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