Lust, Caution: The Story

by Eileen Chang

book data

112 ratings, 3.63 average rating, 20 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		15%
4		44%
3		30%
2		8%
1		1%

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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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10/18/07

Bookshop rated it:

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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05/01/09

Sarah rated it:

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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02/27/09

James rated it:

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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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

12/18/07

Sarah rated it:

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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10/15/07

Melissa rated it:

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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06/07/09

Sam Baber rated it:

A memorable tale of erotic intrigue and so much better than the film adaptation.

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05/09/09

Katie rated it:

Amazing. I read this after I saw the movie and was impressed by how well the movie was adapted.

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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

11/08/07

John Self rated it:

(review of isbn 0141034386)

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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2 comments

01/03/08

Angela Smith rated it:

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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02/15/08

fbuser681190697 rated it:

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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04/21/08

Nika rated it:

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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09/07/08

Marie rated it:

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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10/24/07

Yvonne rated it:

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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