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A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 334970 5 325450 2003 Chronicle of a Blood Merchant total:91|5:25|4:40|3:17|2:8|1:1| 91 353 149 10 192095 3.93 393 76 32515668 743323 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.83 77
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 4 0 false Mon Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 07:18:05 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 06:26:36 -0700 2008
There is an appealing naievity about the characters. The three friends ...more...]]> 78708782 2313527 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 2 0 false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 22 22:22:41 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 22:34:39 -0800 2009 more...]]> 68066271 2452130 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 4 0 false Wed Aug 19 12:50:30 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 12:56:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 53703424 1388102 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 4 0 false Thu May 07 11:29:46 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 07:27:30 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 11:29:46 -0700 2009 Yu Hua seems to balance a fine line between very clever ...more...]]> 59525128 1266815 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 11:27:37 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 11:35:47 -0700 2009 20627562 1101773 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 3 0 false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 21 05:29:47 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 21 05:30:12 -0700 2008 more...]]> 19095377 1040170 1264897 037542220X 9780375422201 2 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431m/1264897.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431s/1264897.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1264897.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant_A_Novel 4.14 14
Xu Sanguan is a Chinese everyman—a cart-pusher in a silk mill struggling under the cruelty and hardships of Mao’s leadership. His meager salary is not enough to sustain his family, so he pays regular visits to the local blood chief, followed by stops at the Victory Restaurant, where he pounds on the table and demands his ritual meal: “A plate of fried pork livers and two shots of yellow rice wine. And warm the wine up for me.”
But fried pork livers and yellow rice wine are not enough to restore Xu Sanguan. With the country in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, his visits to the blood chief become lethally frequent and his obligations to his family press against him mercilessly. At the height of famine, the Xu family lies motionless in bed, rising twice a day to consume increasingly watery rations of corn gruel. Xu Sanguan’s wife is forced to stand on a stool in the center of town wearing a sandwich board that reads “prostitute.” Yile, his wife’s bastard son, forever haunts Xu Sanguan’s sense of honor. And when Xu Sanguan sells his blood so he can take his family out to a proper meal, he does not invite Yile, who paces the town, famished and in tears, offering himself as a son to any man who will buy him a bowl of noodles.

In a series of heartbreaking reversals, Xu Sanguan decides to risk his own life to save Yile and comes to understand that in a society ravaged by suspicion, hostility, and poverty, blood money not only pays debts, but forgives them as well. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 4 0 false Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Mon Mar 31 08:51:49 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 06:05:11 -0700 2008 15231926 870345 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 5 0 false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 12 08:03:22 -0800 2008 Mon Sep 01 21:39:19 -0700 2008 530030 46565 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 2 0 false Mon Apr 02 07:59:36 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 16 17:24:21 -0800 2009
Language is jilted. Bad translation perhaps?]]> 5201185 123285 1264897 037542220X 9780375422201 2 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431m/1264897.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431s/1264897.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1264897.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant_A_Novel 3.88 91
Xu Sanguan is a Chinese everyman—a cart-pusher in a silk mill struggling under the cruelty and hardships of Mao’s leadership. His meager salary is not enough to sustain his family, so he pays regular visits to the local blood chief, followed by stops at the Victory Restaurant, where he pounds on the table and demands his ritual meal: “A plate of fried pork livers and two shots of yellow rice wine. And warm the wine up for me.”
But fried pork livers and yellow rice wine are not enough to restore Xu Sanguan. With the country in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, his visits to the blood chief become lethally frequent and his obligations to his family press against him mercilessly. At the height of famine, the Xu family lies motionless in bed, rising twice a day to consume increasingly watery rations of corn gruel. Xu Sanguan’s wife is forced to stand on a stool in the center of town wearing a sandwich board that reads “prostitute.” Yile, his wife’s bastard son, forever haunts Xu Sanguan’s sense of honor. And when Xu Sanguan sells his blood so he can take his family out to a proper meal, he does not invite Yile, who paces the town, famished and in tears, offering himself as a son to any man who will buy him a bowl of noodles.

In a series of heartbreaking reversals, Xu Sanguan decides to risk his own life to save Yile and comes to understand that in a society ravaged by suspicion, hostility, and poverty, blood money not only pays debts, but forgives them as well. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 4 0 false Mon Aug 27 19:59:38 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 07:21:10 -0800 2009 82318485 649770 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Mon Dec 28 12:30:23 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 28 12:31:18 -0800 2009 81009183 3029722 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Mon Dec 14 15:13:44 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 14 15:13:44 -0800 2009 79954930 3011363 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Sat Dec 05 05:11:49 -0800 2009 Sat Dec 05 05:12:04 -0800 2009 79495464 1488595 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Mon Nov 30 22:27:43 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 30 22:27:43 -0800 2009 79050555 139558 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Thu Nov 26 10:24:17 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 26 10:24:17 -0800 2009 78429887 2373444 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Fri Nov 20 09:14:33 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 09:14:33 -0800 2009 77299502 2928890 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 5 0 false Tue Nov 10 04:00:12 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 10 04:00:12 -0800 2009 76002970 2886557 1264897 037542220X 9780375422201 2 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431m/1264897.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431s/1264897.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1264897.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant_A_Novel 3.88 91
Xu Sanguan is a Chinese everyman—a cart-pusher in a silk mill struggling under the cruelty and hardships of Mao’s leadership. His meager salary is not enough to sustain his family, so he pays regular visits to the local blood chief, followed by stops at the Victory Restaurant, where he pounds on the table and demands his ritual meal: “A plate of fried pork livers and two shots of yellow rice wine. And warm the wine up for me.”
But fried pork livers and yellow rice wine are not enough to restore Xu Sanguan. With the country in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, his visits to the blood chief become lethally frequent and his obligations to his family press against him mercilessly. At the height of famine, the Xu family lies motionless in bed, rising twice a day to consume increasingly watery rations of corn gruel. Xu Sanguan’s wife is forced to stand on a stool in the center of town wearing a sandwich board that reads “prostitute.” Yile, his wife’s bastard son, forever haunts Xu Sanguan’s sense of honor. And when Xu Sanguan sells his blood so he can take his family out to a proper meal, he does not invite Yile, who paces the town, famished and in tears, offering himself as a son to any man who will buy him a bowl of noodles.

In a series of heartbreaking reversals, Xu Sanguan decides to risk his own life to save Yile and comes to understand that in a society ravaged by suspicion, hostility, and poverty, blood money not only pays debts, but forgives them as well. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Wed Oct 28 08:47:57 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 09:42:42 -0700 2009 74634181 1403347 1264897 037542220X 9780375422201 2 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431m/1264897.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182360431s/1264897.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1264897.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant_A_Novel 3.88 91
Xu Sanguan is a Chinese everyman—a cart-pusher in a silk mill struggling under the cruelty and hardships of Mao’s leadership. His meager salary is not enough to sustain his family, so he pays regular visits to the local blood chief, followed by stops at the Victory Restaurant, where he pounds on the table and demands his ritual meal: “A plate of fried pork livers and two shots of yellow rice wine. And warm the wine up for me.”
But fried pork livers and yellow rice wine are not enough to restore Xu Sanguan. With the country in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, his visits to the blood chief become lethally frequent and his obligations to his family press against him mercilessly. At the height of famine, the Xu family lies motionless in bed, rising twice a day to consume increasingly watery rations of corn gruel. Xu Sanguan’s wife is forced to stand on a stool in the center of town wearing a sandwich board that reads “prostitute.” Yile, his wife’s bastard son, forever haunts Xu Sanguan’s sense of honor. And when Xu Sanguan sells his blood so he can take his family out to a proper meal, he does not invite Yile, who paces the town, famished and in tears, offering himself as a son to any man who will buy him a bowl of noodles.

In a series of heartbreaking reversals, Xu Sanguan decides to risk his own life to save Yile and comes to understand that in a society ravaged by suspicion, hostility, and poverty, blood money not only pays debts, but forgives them as well. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Thu Oct 15 11:24:39 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 11:24:39 -0700 2009 74472444 1026584 334970 1400031850 9781400031856 8 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569m/334970.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173841569s/334970.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334970.Chronicle_of_a_Blood_Merchant 3.88 91
A cart-pusher in a silk mill, Xu Sanguan augments his meager salary with regular visits to the local blood chief. His visits become lethally frequent as he struggles to provide for his wife and three sons at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Shattered to discover that his favorite son was actually born of a liaison between his wife and a neighbor, he suffers his greatest indignity, while his wife is publicly scorned as a prostitute. Although the poverty and betrayals of Mao’s regime have drained him, Xu Sanguan ultimately finds strength in the blood ties of his family. With rare emotional intensity, grippingly raw descriptions of place and time, and clear-eyed compassion, Yu Hua gives us a stunning tapestry of human life in the grave particulars of one man’s days.]]> 2003 0 0 false Tue Oct 13 22:43:19 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 22:43:19 -0700 2009 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=334970