A Free Life (Vintage International)

How does a Chinese immigrant deal with cultural, political, and emotional adjustment to his new country while struggling to support himself and pursue his not-very-remunerative passion for writing poetry? Author Ha Jin brings to this subject his own experience as a literary immigrant who has won many awards including a National Book Award. In A Free Life (Jin's fifth novel) he focuses most on his...more

How does a Chinese immigrant deal with cultural, political, and emotional adjustment to his new country while struggling to support himself and pursue his not-very-remunerative passion for writing poetry? Author Ha Jin brings to this subject his own experience as a literary immigrant who has won many awards including a National Book Award. In A Free Life (Jin's fifth novel) he focuses most on his hero's inner life, but the lives of his wife and son also draw the reader in. The painful struggle to gain an economic foothold in this country yields gradually to the ability to pursue interests beyond the need for simple subsistence. It's Maslow's hierarchy written from the gritty bottom to the top in a cross cultural situation. Great book.   hide

First time reading this author , won't be the last.

One of my favorite authors. This book is good - not his best. It doesn't come close to "War Trash".

This cannot be the same writer as "Waiting", Ha Jin's masterpiece. Enjoyable nevertheless. Captures the immigrant's experience through an interesting narrative style.

The book is very rich in autobiographical details. It paints a very unflattering picture of the various personalities the author came across in the Chinese Émigré community. A touching and deeply-felt book.

so far so good

I read Ha Jin's Waitin a long time ago and found it not as impressive as the PEN/Faulkner committee did. Then, I came across this book at a used book exchange shop in Madrid, and decided to give him another try. The first chapter of the story hits super close to home - 6 year old boy coming from China to the US by himself to reunite with his parents who had come several years earlier to pursue...more

I read Ha Jin's Waitin a long time ago and found it not as impressive as the PEN/Faulkner committee did. Then, I came across this book at a used book exchange shop in Madrid, and decided to give him another try. The first chapter of the story hits super close to home - 6 year old boy coming from China to the US by himself to reunite with his parents who had come several years earlier to pursue their studies - and I was hooked. Then, the next 500 pages became too drawn out and verbose, and while Ha Jin's English is exemplary, there were many moments where I am reminded that he is not a native English speaker. Overall, the story was relatable enough for me to finish the book, but I am perplexed about the extremely high ratings it has received in its reviews. (Oct, 2010)   hide

"Now, in this land, the water felt similar but people were different; so were the birds and the woods. This changed life was full of mysteries" (454). This is a work that resonates--at once subtle and strong. On one level, it is a contemporary immigrant story. On another level, it is the story of a writer. The book raises so many questions about the nature of...more

"Now, in this land, the water felt similar but people were different; so were the birds and the woods. This changed life was full of mysteries" (454). This is a work that resonates--at once subtle and strong. On one level, it is a contemporary immigrant story. On another level, it is the story of a writer. The book raises so many questions about the nature of success, the American Dream, and the nature of freedom, but one of the most intriguing questions for me was this: "Do you have to live a literary life to produce literary work?" (582). And if so, what is a literary life? Is Nan Wu, writing poetry during his overnight shift at the hotel front desk, leading a literary life? Ha Jin's novel leaves the reader with much to contemplate and much to appreciate; the poems at the end of the novel are a gift.   hide

Captivating story about a Chinese family realizing the "American dream".