Fiction

A Lover's Discourse

A Lover's Discourse

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  • Create Date：2021-05-14 10:51:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Xiaolu Guo
  • ISBN：1529112486
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Summary

'A fragmentary meditation on the nature of love' Guardian

A Chinese woman comes to post-Brexit London to start over - just as the Brexit campaign reaches a fever pitch。

Isolated and lonely in a Britain increasingly hostile to foreigners， she meets a landscape architect and the two begin to build their future together。

Playing with language and the cultural differences that our narrator encounters as she settles into her new life， the lovers must navigate their differences and their romance， whether on their unmoored houseboat or in a cramped apartment in east London。 Suffused with a wonderful sense of humour， this intimate novel asks what it means to make a home and a family in a new land。

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Reviews

Avery ，

I never break it down to quarter rating but damn: 3。75I love the first half but it flounders in the middle。 The end was worth it though。

Joanna ，

A lyrical， short book told in glimpses and snatches of conversations， this novel left me feeling quietly satisfied。 There's not plot here--things happen as the characters progress through meeting to marriage to parenting， but the things happening are in the background of the fragments that are each chapter。 I enjoyed seeing the interactions between East and West， the musings on love， domesticity， and the frequent return to nature， art， and physical space。The format didn't translate particularly A lyrical， short book told in glimpses and snatches of conversations， this novel left me feeling quietly satisfied。 There's not plot here--things happen as the characters progress through meeting to marriage to parenting， but the things happening are in the background of the fragments that are each chapter。 I enjoyed seeing the interactions between East and West， the musings on love， domesticity， and the frequent return to nature， art， and physical space。The format didn't translate particularly well to audio。 The narrator's voice was consistently quiet， almost whispering， and the efforts to give different accents to the different speakers was distracting。 I'd recommend reading this one in print。 If the book were longer， I might have switched over。 。。。more

Cliff。Hanger。Books ，

Maybe all I can say about this book without spoiling it is that it’s about a Chinese PhD student who moves to the UK just before the Brexit referendum passed。 The book explores love though a multicultural setting and the shaping of ideas moving back and forth through East to West perspective。 This books really resonated with me maybe because I moved to Copenhagen at the same time the protagonist moves from China to the UK。 Maybe because I too moved to a place I physically stand out and it’s so d Maybe all I can say about this book without spoiling it is that it’s about a Chinese PhD student who moves to the UK just before the Brexit referendum passed。 The book explores love though a multicultural setting and the shaping of ideas moving back and forth through East to West perspective。 This books really resonated with me maybe because I moved to Copenhagen at the same time the protagonist moves from China to the UK。 Maybe because I too moved to a place I physically stand out and it’s so different to where I’m from。 Maybe because my partner and I also come from different parts of the world， that sometimes seem like different worlds。This book hit me really hard。The structure is simply brilliant: from the cardinal point chapters to the style of writing to “you”。 I specially appreciated how the narrator explains and critiques her life though Barthes’ lovers discourse。 This book is smart， emotionally heavy and I can’t believe I took me this long to read it。 。。。more

Jenna ，

I have given other books five stars before but I believe that to have been a mistake。 This is the only book that I have read that truly deserves a perfect rating。

Denise ，

easy read， talks about uprooting and living in a foreign country， building a life with a lover。 wasnt particularly interesting or told with any depth though。

Marina Klimova ，

I loved this book。 For the first time in years， I breezed through a book。 This book was written like a conversation and it felt so natural and interesting to just look into the thoughts of this intelligent person。 Her musings and intellectual conversations were relatable and stirring。 Exploring the concepts of transnationals and what it means to belong and live is what one of my university classes is discussing right now and it just felt perfectly in tune with my life right now。 Also her thought I loved this book。 For the first time in years， I breezed through a book。 This book was written like a conversation and it felt so natural and interesting to just look into the thoughts of this intelligent person。 Her musings and intellectual conversations were relatable and stirring。 Exploring the concepts of transnationals and what it means to belong and live is what one of my university classes is discussing right now and it just felt perfectly in tune with my life right now。 Also her thoughts on romance being illusion and what marriage is were intriguing。 Lots of food for thought。 。。。more

Anna ，

Just as an artist paints to interpret his/her view of the world， Guo has written "A Lover's Discourse" to interpret her view of a relationship。 This is a much more difficult thing to do when writing for the masses。 Of course， this book appears to be a personal piece of writing thus， wanting for the general reader。 Knowing the basic premise of the book， I could clumsily make my way through the gaps， punctuation， and silence。 But boy， it could have made for a good story and possibly， an enjoyable Just as an artist paints to interpret his/her view of the world， Guo has written "A Lover's Discourse" to interpret her view of a relationship。 This is a much more difficult thing to do when writing for the masses。 Of course， this book appears to be a personal piece of writing thus， wanting for the general reader。 Knowing the basic premise of the book， I could clumsily make my way through the gaps， punctuation， and silence。 But boy， it could have made for a good story and possibly， an enjoyable read if written in the good old-fashioned way。 。 。。。more

Catherine ，

This is an interesting read。 The perspective from the main character is quite unique and refreshing。 I also like the fact that each chapter is short and it's an easy and quick read。 This is an interesting read。 The perspective from the main character is quite unique and refreshing。 I also like the fact that each chapter is short and it's an easy and quick read。 。。。more

Vicky ，

It was a quick read and quite a pleasant one。 The story is of a marriage， of culture clash and the current situation in Europe during the Brexit craziness but before the Covid。 The most interesting part of this short book is a description of modern China and it difference from Europe。 The main character turned between the worlds。 She can not find contentment and does not have a feeling of belonging wherever she tries to put her roots。 This state of isolation and loneliness， the language barrier It was a quick read and quite a pleasant one。 The story is of a marriage， of culture clash and the current situation in Europe during the Brexit craziness but before the Covid。 The most interesting part of this short book is a description of modern China and it difference from Europe。 The main character turned between the worlds。 She can not find contentment and does not have a feeling of belonging wherever she tries to put her roots。 This state of isolation and loneliness， the language barrier and the two different ideologies she experience in her life are main obstacles of real happiness she wants to achieve in her marriage。 The East and the West are two sides of her life and it makes a very interesting reality of being a strange in her own future。 。。。more

Lauren ，

In vignettes prefaced by snippets of conversation that appear within the scenes， a Chinese woman who has recently arrived to the UK for her PhD and a long-term British resident and architect with Australian and German roots meet， fall in love， and form a relationship。 This is a soft and musing book， mainly focused on the unnamed narrator's inner thoughts as she explores a new country， considers language—her own， English， and her partner's German—and cultural， and works on her studies。 Her thesis In vignettes prefaced by snippets of conversation that appear within the scenes， a Chinese woman who has recently arrived to the UK for her PhD and a long-term British resident and architect with Australian and German roots meet， fall in love， and form a relationship。 This is a soft and musing book， mainly focused on the unnamed narrator's inner thoughts as she explores a new country， considers language—her own， English， and her partner's German—and cultural， and works on her studies。 Her thesis is regarding a Chinese city whose residents nearly all make a living from creating reproductions of famous paintings， and this motif of originals versus copies is a thread that appears throughout the story。 I enjoyed the poetic， fragmented nature of the story， offering glimpses into a life and relationship that is at times unconventional but overall sensitive and tender。 。。。more

Arvin ，

It was ok。。。 the prose is extremely well written （as a native English speaker am I always in awe of this author's command of the English language despite being born in China and illiterate until the age of 9）， but it was a bit of a meandering story to me that didn't leave much of a lasting impact。 Her autobiography was much more powerful （and you can see how her own life fed into the basis of this fictional story） It was ok。。。 the prose is extremely well written （as a native English speaker am I always in awe of this author's command of the English language despite being born in China and illiterate until the age of 9）， but it was a bit of a meandering story to me that didn't leave much of a lasting impact。 Her autobiography was much more powerful （and you can see how her own life fed into the basis of this fictional story） 。。。more

It's Pronounced Scorpio ，

A well-written book that does some interesting things but that felt somewhat immature and not as smart as it wanted to be。 An okay book in every sense。 Some interesting analysis on the East vs West and all that， but the basic story felt very unbelievable， the characters very flat， and honestly， the ideas not all that interesting/well explored。

Sarah ，

Mandarin， German， English language meanings and barriers in Brexit Britain

Jennith Chen ，

Love makes people blind。 But how I desperately needed this blindness， at least for now。 Our lovemaking continued with penetration。 Why？ Was it because that’s what men and women do when they are in love？ Was I submitting myself to you because I feared I might lose you？

Jmolentin ，

I am looking forward to reading more of this author's work。 Almost all of the plot details were interesting to me。 At first I didn't like that the chapter headings contained quotes from the chapter， but then I told myself that I didn't have to read them， which made me want to read them。I didn't see how the work could be described as innovative。 I am looking forward to reading more of this author's work。 Almost all of the plot details were interesting to me。 At first I didn't like that the chapter headings contained quotes from the chapter， but then I told myself that I didn't have to read them， which made me want to read them。I didn't see how the work could be described as innovative。 。。。more

Kevin ，

I enjoyed this book for the way it describes moving to a foreign land and the day to day life of an international romantic relationship。

Felix ，

I enjoyed this book a lot。 A Lover's Discourse is essentially a romance novel， although not of the most strictly romantic variety。 It's partly about the various troubles that emerge in the relationship between the Chinese narrator and her German-Australian boyfriend， but it's also partly about the narrator's feeling of cultural dislocation。 She is living in London， and doesn't always find it easy to adapt to that environment。It's a brisk and easy read， and there is a lot of life to the character I enjoyed this book a lot。 A Lover's Discourse is essentially a romance novel， although not of the most strictly romantic variety。 It's partly about the various troubles that emerge in the relationship between the Chinese narrator and her German-Australian boyfriend， but it's also partly about the narrator's feeling of cultural dislocation。 She is living in London， and doesn't always find it easy to adapt to that environment。It's a brisk and easy read， and there is a lot of life to the characters。 It was quite refreshing to read something about Chinese experience in the West。 It's always interesting for me to see an outside look at British culure。 。。。more

Jordan ，

Hard not to be impressed by this startlingly beautiful story about longing， love， and belonging。 Xiaolu Guo's A Lover's Discourse is a story about romance， but more so it's a story about life and where love fits in the robust complexity of one's existence。 Following an unnamed Chinese woman come to London as she struggles to capture and keep the feeling of home， whether that's in a place or a relationship。 Our protagonist's journey stems in figuring out where she fits in and always chasing a fee Hard not to be impressed by this startlingly beautiful story about longing， love， and belonging。 Xiaolu Guo's A Lover's Discourse is a story about romance， but more so it's a story about life and where love fits in the robust complexity of one's existence。 Following an unnamed Chinese woman come to London as she struggles to capture and keep the feeling of home， whether that's in a place or a relationship。 Our protagonist's journey stems in figuring out where she fits in and always chasing a feeling that seems to only exist in reflection。 One of my new favorite books， as it captures feelings I've never had the words to explain。 。。。more

kelsey ，

Felt like an unresolved love story of "belonging" somewhere rather than a love story between the narrator and her partner。 Enjoyed it and the short snippet style。 Felt like an unresolved love story of "belonging" somewhere rather than a love story between the narrator and her partner。 Enjoyed it and the short snippet style。 。。。more

Yousra & Books ，

I love this novel so much！ I'm sharing a more elaborate review very soon！ I love this novel so much！ I'm sharing a more elaborate review very soon！ 。。。more

Paloma ，

Reseña en español | Review in EnglishPara ser justa， no sé si es que me estoy acercando a un bloqueo de lector， pero esta novela me pareció bastante regular y me atrevería a decir que un poco plana。 “El discurso de un amante” está escrita como una colección de pensamientos y reflexiones de la vida de una joven inmigrante china， recién llegada al Reino Unido antes del Brexit。 Es una mujer que ha perdido sus raíces en China con la muerte de sus padres y que llega a Europa para estudiar un posgrado Reseña en español | Review in EnglishPara ser justa， no sé si es que me estoy acercando a un bloqueo de lector， pero esta novela me pareció bastante regular y me atrevería a decir que un poco plana。 “El discurso de un amante” está escrita como una colección de pensamientos y reflexiones de la vida de una joven inmigrante china， recién llegada al Reino Unido antes del Brexit。 Es una mujer que ha perdido sus raíces en China con la muerte de sus padres y que llega a Europa para estudiar un posgrado pero sin una idea clara de su futuro。 Al poco tiempo conoce a un hombre， un inmigrante australiano-alemán con quien inicia una relación y que marcará su vida por los siguientes años。 La historia la conocemos solo desde la perspectiva de la mujer y a través de los fragmentos de las conversaciones con su pareja a lo largo de los años。 Los temas que toca son variados e interesantes， y van desde la inmigración， la pérdida del país de origen， la muerte de los padres， el arte， el amor y las relaciones personales。 El problema que encontré es que justo considero que cubre demasiados temas y quizá me hubiera gustado ahondar en uno solo para así construir una trama más sólida。 Si bien la autora logra dibujar retratos claros de las emociones humanas a través de los distintos temas abordados， no pude evitar sentirme alejada tanto de la voz de la protagonista como de su pareja。 Por ejemplo， ella viaja a Reino Unido con una beca para estudiar algo relacionado con la antropología social y en algún momento regresa a China para documentar su tema de tesis。 Todo es muy interesante pero al final， creo que no tiene nada que ver con la historia: si se ve como solo un fragmento de esta colección de momentos en la vida de la protagonista está bien， pero personalmente me hubiera gustado conocer más del tema y que de hecho， la experiencia significara algo en la vida de la protagonista。 Pero no。 Por otra parte， me molestó que la voz de la protagonista siempre se sintiera ajena， distante: como si nada la importara。 Realmente no tenía idea por qué había elegido Reino Unido ni sus estudios y casi casi creo que le hubiera dado igual relacionarse con el australiano alemán que con cualquier otro。 Y entiendo， sin duda hay tantos seres humanos parecidos –que andan sin rumbo- y sé que no es raro， ni tiene nada de malo estar cuestionándonos a los 40 años qué es lo que deseamos de nuestra vida pero， en verdad que no me apeteció leer sobre un personaje que tiene más dudas que yo。 Puede sonar un poco duro y quizá tiene que ver más con mi estado de ánimo que otra cosa， pero no funcionó。Además， literalmente el título de la obra se traduce como el discurso de un amante y bueno， la verdad que la relación me pareció de una flojera tremenda。 Sé que todas las relaciones tienen diversos momentos y aspectos pero en el caso de los protagonistas， todo siempre fue gris， aburrido， como forzado。 En fin， otra historia más para mi catálogo de novelas olvidables。 ___I fear I am coming closer to a reading slump， because nothing that I have been reading lately seems to fully satisfy me。 Given this state of mind I am not sure if this book was just very plain or it was not the right time for me to read it。 A Lover's Discourse is the story of a young Chinese woman， who arrives to the United Kingdom to start her master’s degree， shortly before Brexit。 She then meets a man， also an immigrant but with Australian-German heritage and they start dating。 We learn their story from the woman’s perspective， and from the bits and pieces of conversations with her lover。 Both characters remain unnamed throughout the story。 I believe the story had the potential to be many things but it just felt flat。 The main character faces and touches on so many different subjects –immigration， loneliness， travel， love， differences between East and West， language， but perhaps I would have preferred to see her focus on one thing。 The story seemed fragmented and there does not seem to be passion in anything: nor in the character’s perspective nor the author’s writing。 I also disliked how our main character seemed to be detached from anything: truly， it appears she feels no passion for anything。 While I understand what the author might be trying to convey –how the loss of parents， the motherland， and the arrival to a very different country– might leave you scared and lonely at times， she was always like that。 This woman goes to Europe to study a very interesting degree on social anthropology and she just seems “ok” with it: not happy， nothing。 Also， her relationship to this man seems completely random: she could have started a relationship with him or with any other man。 Now， of course I understand as humans， we should not be forced to know what we want of our lives when we are 20， or even 30， but this character seemed just so indifferent it bothered me。 Or maybe I was just not wanting to read about this kind of characters now。 Finally， the title of this novel is a lover’s discourse and it sounded wonderful， poetic and therefore I was expecting something more passionate， perhaps epic， but the truth was the relationship was just boring and plain。 Ok， ok， I know most relationships go through phases and the strongest ones are those that face hardships， but this relationship was gray and felt forced since day one。 So， there goes another book for my catalogue of forgettable books， unfortunately。 。。。more

Kim ，

I thought the boyfriend was such a loser。 He annoyed me the whole book。 Like couldn’t she have found someone better？

KileyV ，

A cosmopolitan love story that I couldn't help but have a feeling of dread about？？ It was nice to read a story set in so many countries I've never been to， and I felt very sympathetic to the protagonist at times but it still。。。didn't have that 4/5 star spark for me， y'know？ A cosmopolitan love story that I couldn't help but have a feeling of dread about？？ It was nice to read a story set in so many countries I've never been to， and I felt very sympathetic to the protagonist at times but it still。。。didn't have that 4/5 star spark for me， y'know？ 。。。more

Cellena Cm ，

This was a very good book。

Emily ，

A Lover's Discourse by Xiaolu Guo （3。5 stars） tells the story of a Chinese woman who moves to the UK and begins a relationship with a German man in Brexit Britain。 Guo's story of love is told through chunks of dialogue between the two lovers。 The difference in their outlooks and life views made for some interesting commentary。 "It was the same feeling I had when I first got to Britain。 How many times could one restart a life？“I read that in China， people will transplant large number of trees and A Lover's Discourse by Xiaolu Guo （3。5 stars） tells the story of a Chinese woman who moves to the UK and begins a relationship with a German man in Brexit Britain。 Guo's story of love is told through chunks of dialogue between the two lovers。 The difference in their outlooks and life views made for some interesting commentary。 "It was the same feeling I had when I first got to Britain。 How many times could one restart a life？“I read that in China， people will transplant large number of trees and bring them to the newly developed cities。 Chinese people seem to be very adaptable， like the trees。” You were trying to comfort me。“Yes， but once the trees grew older， you can’t transplant them again。 The roots are too embedded into the ground。" Guo highlights the cultural differences between the partners and has an interesting voice in her words。 I really liked her comment about true love: “It’s only real when it’s mixed up with dirt and sweat。 Otherwise it’s just for puppies and adolescents”。Anyways， A Lover's Discourse just wasn't really my cuppa tea but I'm still glad I read it。 。。。more

Samantha ，

A Chinese woman comes to London to study and we follow her as she embarks on a romantic relationship。 We then follow them as they move in together， first in a flat then to a house boat moored in various spots around London's canals。 In this story， each character does not have an actual name， Without names it feels quite an impersonal story， and perhaps it makes it kind of bleak， like the concrete giant that London can be。 She does return to China for her studies but for such an interesting place A Chinese woman comes to London to study and we follow her as she embarks on a romantic relationship。 We then follow them as they move in together， first in a flat then to a house boat moored in various spots around London's canals。 In this story， each character does not have an actual name， Without names it feels quite an impersonal story， and perhaps it makes it kind of bleak， like the concrete giant that London can be。 She does return to China for her studies but for such an interesting place， I was left wanting to know more about the landscape and culture。 Its quite strange to read， which left me feeling quite detached from the characters and the landscape。I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review。 。。。more

Blair ，

Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize， this novel has a fragmented style， chopped up into small passages that are nevertheless linear。 The narrative voice is strong， giving the point of view of Chinese woman who has come to a UK in the throes of Brexit in order to complete a PhD in anthropology focusing on a Chinese village which has turned the copying of great works of art into a cottage industry。 The main focus is on a relationship she embarks on with a German/Australian/Englishman and as the t Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize， this novel has a fragmented style， chopped up into small passages that are nevertheless linear。 The narrative voice is strong， giving the point of view of Chinese woman who has come to a UK in the throes of Brexit in order to complete a PhD in anthropology focusing on a Chinese village which has turned the copying of great works of art into a cottage industry。 The main focus is on a relationship she embarks on with a German/Australian/Englishman and as the title indicates she riffs on Roland Barthes' book of the same name。 It's intellectual and feminist and an absorbing read。 。。。more

Kath ，

No sé cómo calificar a un libro al que no le encontré sentido。 En la descripción dicen que es un discurso entre dos amantes （incluso el mismo titulo lo dice） pero nunca vi la comunicación entre ellos！ Y tampoco entendí su relación。 Ella estaba muy enamorada de él en un inicio y él sólo se dejaban llevar， pocas veces opinaba casi nunca decía no etc。 Después su relación avanza （view spoiler）[y cuando se van a vivir juntos todo empeora， ella deja su casa para vivir en un bote en el que nunca quiso No sé cómo calificar a un libro al que no le encontré sentido。 En la descripción dicen que es un discurso entre dos amantes （incluso el mismo titulo lo dice） pero nunca vi la comunicación entre ellos！ Y tampoco entendí su relación。 Ella estaba muy enamorada de él en un inicio y él sólo se dejaban llevar， pocas veces opinaba casi nunca decía no etc。 Después su relación avanza （view spoiler）[y cuando se van a vivir juntos todo empeora， ella deja su casa para vivir en un bote en el que nunca quiso vivir desde el principio y una vez allí SE LA PASA TODO EL TIEMPO QUEJANDOSE！！ Luego él no está listo para ir 'mas allá' y ella comienza a hablar de hijos y asentarse， sin notar que ÉL NO ESTABA LISTO！ Total， se embaraza y ¡al fin！ él demuestra que puede querer a alguien （al bebé， obviamente， la morra sigue allí estorbando） y comienza a hacer modificaciones para que la niña crezca en un lugar que sea seguro y amplio pero nooooo， la morra lo obliga a regresar a Inglaterra y al final cuando él le cuestiona si no se arrepiente de la decisión tomada ella no sabe ni de lo que le hablan。 （hide spoiler）]Lo que me gustó: -Esa manera de retratar las diferencias entre culturas sin caer en los cliches， ellas es china y él es un alemán criado en Australia y viviendo una gran parte en Inglaterra y cada uno de ellos conserva su esencia lo que los hace personajes interesantes。-La parte de su tesis。 Si el libro se hubiera basado en ella investigando esa población china que se dedica a reproducir arte europeo a la perfección pero sin saber que están pintando， yo creo que le hubiera dado 5 estrellas。-La maternidad。 La manera en la que retrata las diferentes maneras en las que las personas se enfrentan a la maternidad es muy interesante， así como ver la manera en la que el personaje principal vive su maternidad。-Las referencias a libros， arquitectura， pinturas， etcLo que no me gustó: -Su relación。 Nunca la entendí， no sé como puedes hablar de una historia de amor si todo lo que hacen es discutir， ofenderse e ignorar las ideas o deseos de la otra persona。-La manera en la que ella se metió en la vida de él y veía como obligación encajar entre ellos， la primera vez que conoció a sus suegros no dejaba de pensar que ahora ellos eran su familia y tenían la obligación de aceptarla a ella sólo por ser la pareja de él。 I mean， c'mon morra！！！ -Que solo se basara en su relación， hay una parte en la que ella misma se da cuenta que no tiene amigos porque todo su tiempo libre lo pasa con él y aún así nunca trata de cambiar， sólo vive por y alrededor de él， por eso a veces suele ser muy asfixiante。 。。。more

Bronwyn ，

A kind of anti-romance between two stateless people。 There's a drifting quality to the text， which matches the course of the narrator's slide into a relationship and motherhood while also following the currents of emigration and immigration。 A kind of anti-romance between two stateless people。 There's a drifting quality to the text， which matches the course of the narrator's slide into a relationship and motherhood while also following the currents of emigration and immigration。 。。。more

Ayu Chandradyani ，

“Aren’t you worried about having to change mooring all the time？”This quote hit me。 Never knew that this beautiful books also contain the beauty of short and plain narative by Xiaolu Guo。 Do not expect a twist in this book cause this is simply an intellectual rom com you won't forget。 “Aren’t you worried about having to change mooring all the time？”This quote hit me。 Never knew that this beautiful books also contain the beauty of short and plain narative by Xiaolu Guo。 Do not expect a twist in this book cause this is simply an intellectual rom com you won't forget。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Lover's Discourse

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Lover's Discourse&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Lover's Discourse&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0