Lust, Caution: The Story

by Eileen Chang
Lust, Caution: The Story
book data
112 ratings, 3.63 average rating, 20 reviews (more data...)
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published
September 4th 2007 (first published 2005) by Anchor

binding
Paperback, 80 pages

isbn
0307387445    (isbn13: 9780307387448)

description
Now a major motion picture from Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain): an intensely passionate story of ...more




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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 188)

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Bookshop
10/18/07
Bookshop rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: fiction
Read in November, 2007
I 'discovered' the book when researching Ang Lee's then upcoming movie of the same title. It's a short story written by an apparently popular Shanghainese writer, Eileen Chang, about a young girl who sacrifices herself for her country by seducing the enemy and then trapping him to be killed by other team members.

I am no good with short stories as I find them confusing. This one included. Like Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee created a full-span movie from a thin material. It took me one h...more
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Sarah
05/01/09
Sarah rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in May, 2009
I really liked this story, but I am glad I saw the movie first. The movie expanded on some of the issues and history in the book, issues that I was not familiar with prior. The story is ambiguous in a lot of ways, but I think it just adds to the aura. Great one-night read!
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James
02/27/09
James rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: novels
Read in February, 2009
A novella masquerading as a book. The various introductions take up as many pages as the story. And the story is fascinating. Why did she do it? Are women really so selfless?

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Matt
01/07/09
Matt marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read
Holy mackerel....I watched the Ang Lee movie tonight and it practically threw a fucking mortar shell into my heart. Gotta get around to reading this. Soon.
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  3 comments

Sarah
12/18/07
Sarah rated it: 3 of 5 stars

Read in December, 2007
I admit I picked this up after seeing Ang Lee's film because I was really curious to see what kind of source material he had to work with. It's hard to review the story as it stands on its own only because so much had to be fleshed out to make a film of it that I found myself filling in the gaps with impressions I had from the movie. I suspect that some of the nuances of the relationship are lost in translation - the story is quite short, but supposedly in the original Chinese it contains many...more
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Melissa
10/15/07
Melissa rated it: 3 of 5 stars

Read in October, 2007
This is really a short story, packaged on it's own to cross-promote the movie. I'm not much of a short story reader, and this was no exception. The format doesn't give me enough time to invest myself in the characters. I don't believe the idea that Wang Chia-chih realizes she is in love with Mr. Yee, and that is why she tips him off. More likely she is disallusioned by the operation. Does she realize that she will die for it? Eh, maybe it's too deep for me...

It is such a small story,...more
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Sam Baber
06/07/09
Sam Baber rated it: 4 of 5 stars

A memorable tale of erotic intrigue and so much better than the film adaptation.
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Katie
05/09/09
Katie rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Amazing. I read this after I saw the movie and was impressed by how well the movie was adapted.
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Alger
10/29/07
Alger added it

Read in January, 2008
Very interesting look at the "best laid plans of mice and men" when they happen to be Chinese college students trying to assassinate an official in the Japanese Occupationist Government. The main character's perspective an paranoia sets you right in the middle of what you could adequately guess an assassination plot would feel like. Excellent novella.
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  2 comments

John Self
Read in November, 2007
An unusual but cumulatively powerful collection of stories set in 1940s China and concerning men and women and East v West. The title story is the source for Ang Lee's award-winning film.

Full review here: http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2007/11/1...
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Angela Smith
01/03/08
Angela Smith rated it: 4 of 5 stars

A quick read - I finished it in a day. The book had a forward that gave a lot of the author's history, which was very interesting. It's a short story, so I'm curious to see how they turned it into a full-length movie. Very good.
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Vicky
02/15/08
fbuser681190697 rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in February, 2008
recommends it for: Historical fiction fans
Although this is a love story, the dark and suspenseful backdrop of the war, was very educational. The brevity and word choice made for a really quick read, which was a refreshing change.
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Nika
04/21/08
Nika rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in March, 2008
Zhang Eileen poses a feminist and complex question amidst the backdrop of the japanese occupation of Shanghai. The novella is beautifully written as is most anything by the author.
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Marie
09/07/08
Marie rated it: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: -the-book-was-better-
Read in September, 2008
Like all books in this category, all films were awesome in their own right. I love short stories bulked up into the big screen. Especially when it is done by Ang Lee.
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Yvonne
10/24/07
Yvonne rated it: 2 of 5 stars

bookshelves: finished, own
Read in October, 2007
I just read the English version ... maybe there's something lost in the translation. I want to watch the movie to get a better understanding of the story.
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Michelle
11/06/07
Michelle rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: fall07
Read in November, 2007
However ignoble the male protagonist is, there is something noble in him I can't quite put my finger on.
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Laura
03/24/08
Laura rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in March, 2008
Eileen Chang writes beautifully and the story, when fleshed out into the Ang Lee film is even better.
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Jingping
08/28/08
Jingping added it

Chinese version will be better because of the controversy of chinese culture.
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Issy
09/27/07
Issy rated it: 1 of 5 stars

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in September, 2007
Hwauhuh? This book is like a stranger walking up to you and insulting you.
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kabukigal
11/25/07
kabukigal rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in October, 2007
recommends it for: smart people only
Subtly devastating.
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recent status updates | recommend it | blog it

Lust, Caution: And Other Stories (Penguin Modern Classics)
Lust, Caution: The Story, the Screenplay, and the Making of the Film (Hardcover)
Lust caution - Amour, luxure, trahison (Paperback)
Lust, Caution/Tulips (Traditional Chinese, NOT in English)
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