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Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet

Xinran,

Julia Lovell (Translator)

Start date: February 6, 2012

Finish date: February 8, 2012

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Dec 04, 2011 Dolly rated it liked it

Shelves: military, historical-fiction, china-chinese, religion-philosophy, 2012, tibet, van-noy-book-club

I'd never really heard of this book before my library book club chose it to read in February 2012. I really believed that it was based on a true story by the author's note until I read the note on the verso page of the book that "This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. And resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coi I'd never really heard of this book before my library book club chose it to read in February 2012. I really believed that it was based on a true story by the author's note until I read the note on the verso page of the book that "This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. And resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental." And when I looked at the binding and saw that it was filed in the Fiction section of the library, I finally accepted that this lovely tale was made up.

Hmmm... I wanted this story to be true. I'm not sure if the fact that it's not changes the way I feel about the book, but overall, I liked the story. It didn't evoke strong emotions in me, though, so I couldn't give it anything more than three stars. The story was interesting, but it didn't draw me into the tale, deep into the lives of the characters, as some books do. I'm happy that I discovered this book and learned more about China and Tibet, especially the lives of the nomadic herders (at least I assume this is a somewhat accurate description of the way that they lived.) The religious and event mystical aspects of their lives is fascinating and the violent struggles against the Chinese "revolutionary" forces is startling. But I was able to finish the book without the typical wistful desire to read more. It was good, but not great.

interesting quotes:

"There is a Tibetan saying: 'Yak butter is a more lasting possession than a son.' That is because a yak belongs to a family alone, but a son can easily be taken away to a monastery." (p. 85)

"More and more I feel how faith informs everything in Tibet," she said. "Here, people place themselves entirely in the hands of heaven and nature. Even the mountains, waters, and plants speak of faith." (p. 97)

"Wen was terrified that the family would give Ni a sky burial. Zhuoma had described how, after her father's death, his corpse had been cut into pieces and left on a mountain alter to eat. She had answered Wen's disgust by saying that sky burial was merely another manifestation of the harmony in Tibet between heaven and earth, nature and man: there was nothing to be disgusted by." (p. 109)

"No one likes crying, but tears water our souls." (p. 206) ...more

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Aug 06, 2007 Nicole rated it liked it

Shelves: bookclub

Fascinating look at Tibetian culture, especially the different roles men and women play. It was a powerful love story, but not necessarily the type of book that I couldn't put down. ...more

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