From the PEN/Malamud Award-winning author of "Lucky Girls" comes a bold, intricately woven first novel about an enigmatic stranger who disrupts the...
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reviews
Nov 27, 2007
Eveline
rated it: 
This wasn't bad for a first novel, but, eh. Basically none of the characters ever really came to life or drew you in so that you ever felt invested in or particularly attached to any of them.
I think the author was maybe a bit too ambitious with the number of characters. All of them were given a cursory psychology and background and personality but once given the explanation that, say, the middle sister always felt like a gray sheep against her white sheep & black sheep brothers, not More...
I think the author was maybe a bit too ambitious with the number of characters. All of them were given a cursory psychology and background and personality but once given the explanation that, say, the middle sister always felt like a gray sheep against her white sheep & black sheep brothers, not More...
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Nov 04, 2007
Edy
rated it: 
This was a fabulous book for many reasons. The Chinese artists coming out of the Cultural Revolution have been producing some of the most complex, disturbing, and evocative artwork today. The author uses this as her backdrop to discuss the meaning of art, as well as the purpose of art in our modern world of utility and extreme praticality. The writer's direct, unadorned narrative was accessible, yet profound in its simplicity and frequent hints of a dry, dry wit.
On the nature of art More...
On the nature of art More...
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Aug 02, 2007
Jason
rated it:
(The much longer full review can be found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)
(Today's review is chock-full of spoilers, for reasons that will become obvious; those who are planning on reading the book themselves would be well-advised to skip this essay altogether until after finishing the novel. For a quick idea of what I thought of the book, please see the first two spoiler-free paragraphs.)
With the 2008 Beijing Olympics just around t More...
(Today's review is chock-full of spoilers, for reasons that will become obvious; those who are planning on reading the book themselves would be well-advised to skip this essay altogether until after finishing the novel. For a quick idea of what I thought of the book, please see the first two spoiler-free paragraphs.)
With the 2008 Beijing Olympics just around t More...
May 01, 2008
Maria
rated it: 
The Dissident was a EXTREMELY good book in my opinion. I had a personal connection because everyone reminded me of people i knew. The story was set in L.A and a famous chinese artist was coming to stay with a typical american family. The story revolves around the meaning of family and how one person can come in and change everything. There are ways to show teenage to parent bonds, husband to wife, and stranger to disaster. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone because you can find s
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Jul 24, 2009
Susan
rated it: 
I really wanted to like this book. It begins with promise, but deflates thereafter. In order to believe in this book, the reader must overlook the author's calculated deception that a character is who the author says he is up until the last few pages of the book when he is revealed to be someone else. It's a little more complicated than that, but that's the essential flaw. Anyone who comments on this book without a "spoiler alert" is confronted by the dilemma of discussing the book wit
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Feb 26, 2009
David
rated it:
A book with a few good moments and an interesting 1st person narrative about the history of avant-garde artists in communist China, but that ultimately builds to a climax that leaves the reader wondering, "Really? That's what it was all about?" Very disappointing.
It's obvious Freudenberger spent all her time researching and developing the character of the Dissident himself, as anything dealing directly with his past is quite interesting and compelling. Ironically, though, a More...
It's obvious Freudenberger spent all her time researching and developing the character of the Dissident himself, as anything dealing directly with his past is quite interesting and compelling. Ironically, though, a More...
May 19, 2010
Ms. McKeon
rated it:
This is a book I probably never would have chosen myself, first of all because it has a boring title, and second of all because the blurb on the back doesn't do it justice. Luckily, I have amazing Friends Who Read, and Mary-Margaret intelligently passed this one on to me.
I never really liked any of the characters--I never found myself really "rooting" for any of them--but strangely, that was actually preferable in this story. Well, maybe I liked the bush baby. They aren't real More...
I never really liked any of the characters--I never found myself really "rooting" for any of them--but strangely, that was actually preferable in this story. Well, maybe I liked the bush baby. They aren't real More...
Jan 03, 2009
Sara
rated it: 
My like of Freudenberger's short stories convinced me to give her novel a try. I had a bit more difficulty with this, and I wasn't helped by the deceit that lays at the story's core. The characters are well-drawn, even if some are more than a bit bizarre. Let's just say the Traverses are a unique family, and let it go at that. The book left me wanting to know more about Chinese culture, especially the art world and the suppression of dissidents undertaken by the Chinese government. On the w
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Apr 12, 2009
Jeanne
rated it:
If I had to sum it up in one word, I'd have to say 'dissatisfying'. It was basically two stories woven together, of the background of a Chinese man visiting LA, and the family that he stays with there. There were many strands to the story, and I found that many of them weren't tied up neatly, and were left hanging. It was almost as if she took on too many characters and themes, and then couldn't handle rounding them out. It was well written though, and somewhat compelling; I think that's wha
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Dec 05, 2007
Mike
rated it:
Nell Freudenberger’s career to date reads like a novel in itself, with her Harvard education, slinky good looks, New Yorker publication, famous literary agent, and mentions in Vogue and Elle. It is a letdown, of sorts, to find that her debut novel is such a banal affair. The Dissident tells the story of Yuan Zhao, an exiled Chinese artist who comes to live with the Traverses, a Southern Californian family that is a Woody Allen-style parody of shallow Beverly Hills life. The dramatis personae inc
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Apr 24, 2007
Amy
rated it:
I would like to give this book 3.7 stars :)
I really liked this novel, partially because the plot is not easily summarized at all (as I realized by trying to begin this review with a summary). Here's an attempt: The story focuses on a Chinese artist/political dissident who comes to California on a fellowship to teach art/work on his own art. He says with a well off family, who is not without their own problems and drama. Some chapters are told first-person by the Chinese "dis More...
I really liked this novel, partially because the plot is not easily summarized at all (as I realized by trying to begin this review with a summary). Here's an attempt: The story focuses on a Chinese artist/political dissident who comes to California on a fellowship to teach art/work on his own art. He says with a well off family, who is not without their own problems and drama. Some chapters are told first-person by the Chinese "dis More...
Sep 30, 2007
G
rated it:
It's ironic that I'm putting this under "no complaints", because I have a lot of criticisms of this book which are fascinating when one thinks about what Freudenberger was attempting with the book. There are a lot of plots at work - a Chinese dissident artist who comes to LA on a fellowship, full of deceit; his host family's slow implosion; the treacherous social strata of the school where the dissident is teaching - and despite Freudenberger's best intentions, the book doesn't come t
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Mar 08, 2009
Laurie
rated it:
I liked it, because I like the way Nell writes, but I still preferred her collection of short stories, Lucky Girls. In this novel, The Dissident, Nell captures the discomfort of a Chinese citizen in the United States, the exploitative nature of the time he is spending in America, and the gap between what we like to consider art and what really represents art.
May 06, 2008
Lisa
rated it:
This is a solid, if not spectacular, effort by a first-time novelist (although she's an accomplished short story writer). First, the good: Freudenberger really nails the sense of place, and she's a skilled wordsmith - plenty of evocative turns of phrase. And she handles the back-and-forth between POVs quite nicely. That said - the pacing feels uneven. It's slow to the point of inertia in the first half, then accelerates too rapidly, as if she were rushing for the finish line. And the characteriz
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Dec 15, 2009
Hubert
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 18, 2010
Carrie
rated it:
I'm watching Freudenberger. She has some fabulous short stories and I think, soon, a great novel is coming from her corner. Just not yet. The interesting thing about this one, it was based on a true story, but I almost felt like that kept her back somehow. It was fine, totally readable, but i'm still waiting.
May 15, 2010
Beth
rated it:
Very impressive first novel. She handles the multiple points of view, involving characters with vastly different cultural and personal experiences, deftly, not to mention several different plotlines. The writing itself is fairly plain, not poetic, and therefore easy to plunge into. Very good stuff.
Apr 15, 2008
Whitney
rated it:
Well-written. There were moments of honesty and truth I appreciated.
That being said, I don't recommend it to anyone and would probably sell the book. (I never part with books.) Did anyone else notice that some parts of the story you were supposed to be emotionally invested in just ended? Absolutely zero resolution--as in never got mentioned again. I also felt like 'Who in the World cares about the actual Story'?! The decent writing hides the fact that there is no story worth More...
That being said, I don't recommend it to anyone and would probably sell the book. (I never part with books.) Did anyone else notice that some parts of the story you were supposed to be emotionally invested in just ended? Absolutely zero resolution--as in never got mentioned again. I also felt like 'Who in the World cares about the actual Story'?! The decent writing hides the fact that there is no story worth More...
Jul 08, 2010
Dianne
rated it:
Another topic I knew little about, but this one just did not grab me. A political dissident/chinese artist comes to LA to teach at an all-girls school. (You can already guess how that ends up, right?) Interesting, but not great in my opinion.
Jul 22, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it:
5 stars for the writing, three for totally dropping the ball in the last 40 pages or so... I would definitely read more of her stuff, but hope she learns to tie up a plot more satisfyingly.
Nov 09, 2008
Alyssa
rated it:
The Dissident reads like the work of a young author--plenty of intrigue and drama, but the story and characters never seem to develop in quite the right way. The novel centers around the dissident, a Chinese artist on a fellowship in California. Freudenberger might have watched too many made-for-TV-movies while writing this novel. The many characters all seem to be hiding something, but whatever that may be is more often than not undiscovered by the reader. The novel ends will all the loose s
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Apr 20, 2011
Taylor
rated it:
Smart, interesting, engrossing. What I liked most was the juxtaposition of viewpoints--the ability to see the American family as Other just as well as the "dissident" himself.
Sep 28, 2008
Teresa
rated it:
nell freudenberger can write. reading her books is so easy on the mind because there's no craziness you have to struggle through in the language.
when i finished it was hard to believe that the protagonist would pull such a risky stunt. i guess he was still unformed as a person and also wanted an escape.
slightly problematic elements: 1) another book about the top 1% of the socioeconomic ladder, 2) a far-fetched scenario, and 3) the neatly tied cinderella ending.
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when i finished it was hard to believe that the protagonist would pull such a risky stunt. i guess he was still unformed as a person and also wanted an escape.
slightly problematic elements: 1) another book about the top 1% of the socioeconomic ladder, 2) a far-fetched scenario, and 3) the neatly tied cinderella ending.
More...
Aug 17, 2010
Naomi
rated it:
I'm glad it was only $1. Maybe it deserves two stars at best, but it's just kinda boring. I waited the entire time for something more exciting to happen but when the "twist" was revealed it just seemed pointless
Dec 16, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
This book is so good. It's such a good example of fantastic contemporary fiction. It reminded me slightly (in terms of prose) of Francine Prose's A Changed Man or Jay McInery's The Good Life - two modern books I love. (If you don't like those novels, you might not like this one.) What this book does really well is compare and contrast modern day Los Angeles with China while still keeping you interested in the characters and the plot. It also asks interesting questions about the More...
Nov 26, 2007
Emily
rated it:
I picked this book up because the author was on Granta's "young authors to watch" list a few months ago. I've been slowly working through the list and it's been an interesting bunch so far. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. On the most basic level a really engrossing story, which is always nice. I also liked how it explored the relationship between artistic creation and the creation of identity. I did feel that about midway through the book the plot complications and twists began
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Mar 08, 2010
Ariella
rated it:
A bit of a disappointment. The initial topic is very interesting and I liked very much the back-and-forth between 1980's-90's avante guarde artist China and 21stC Beverly Hills,CA. However, the climax and the ending were dissappointing. Alot of threads were left open and the things that happened were boring and banal. Oh well.
Jul 11, 2008
Ellie
rated it:
Not quite as good as I had hoped, but perfect for a multi-stop flight from NYC to Sacramento. I was interested in the perspective on the Beijing avant-garde art scene of the 90s, although I've no idea how accurate it is...I thought the character development started out strong, but fell a bit flat for me in the end. There were just so many characters, and not quite enough pages to make them all fully developed. She's a young author though, and covered a lot of themes that interest me, from globa
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Nov 18, 2008
Wade
rated it:
Mixed feelings on this one. Starts off well, with intruiging characters, multiple overlapping storylines and a decent sense of humor, but sort of falls flat about 2/3 of the way in, as many of the characters fail to develop or live up to their original promise. The ending feels way too tidy, a bit of positive melancholy, where everyone achieves success through failure. The main storyline here, that of the "dissident", is quite engaging, at least for the first 250 pages or so, before th
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Dec 19, 2010
Emma
rated it:
An interesting novel with a variety of contrasting characters. I enjoyed the descriptions of the East Village artists and the challenges they faced to express their artistic ideals.
