Cultural

Becoming Inspector Chen

Becoming Inspector Chen

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  • Create Date：2021-06-23 06:51:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Xiaolong Qiu
  • ISBN：178029753X
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Summary

Inspector Chen is excluded from a poetry case as he awaits possible disciplinary action， leaving him to reflect on his career 。 。 。 but does his past hold a clue to the poetry case？

After a number of grueling cases Chief Inspector Chen is facing mounting pressure from his superiors， many of whom are concerned with where his loyalties lie。 What's more， he is excluded from an investigation into an incendiary poem posted on an online forum。

Wracked with self-doubt and facing an anxious wait to discover the fate of his career， Chen is left to reflect on the events that have led to where he is now - from his amateur investigations as a child during the Cultural Revolution， to his very first case on the Shanghai Police Force。

Has fighting for the Chinese people and the morals he believes in put him in conflict with the Party？ Why is he being kept away from the new case？ As well as his career， is his life now also at risk？

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Reviews

Francesca ，

Ho dovuto leggere questo libro non solo per una sfida di lettura， ma anche per confermare a me stessa che non sono tipa da libri polizieschi。Durante （quasi） tutto il libro mi sono ritrovata spesso annoiata， molto。Probabilmente è un buon libro per gli amanti del genere， e adesso sono sicura di non fare parte di questa categoria。 Un'altra tematica molto importante e forse anche la parte più interessante e toccante del libro， oltre all'omicidio del signor Fu， è la decadenza della Cina durante la di Ho dovuto leggere questo libro non solo per una sfida di lettura， ma anche per confermare a me stessa che non sono tipa da libri polizieschi。Durante （quasi） tutto il libro mi sono ritrovata spesso annoiata， molto。Probabilmente è un buon libro per gli amanti del genere， e adesso sono sicura di non fare parte di questa categoria。 Un'altra tematica molto importante e forse anche la parte più interessante e toccante del libro， oltre all'omicidio del signor Fu， è la decadenza della Cina durante la dittatura di Mao Zedong。Come già scritto， ho trovato il libro molto noioso in più di qualche momento， oltretutto non ho capito il collegamento tra alcuni personaggi， per esempio tra la bibliotecaria o il dottore dei primi capitoli e la parte del caso。Penso che questo sia l'ultimo poliziesco che leggo， in particolar modo di questo autore。 。。。more

Donna ，

A good insight into China’s cultural revolution and the aftermath。

Ann Repetto ，

Read the first five Chen novels。 Gave up halfway through on number six。 I've always liked the character so I tried this one which had good reviews。 Interestingly told。 Enjoyed it more as a novel then a mystery。 It didn't convince me to go back to the series。 Read the first five Chen novels。 Gave up halfway through on number six。 I've always liked the character so I tried this one which had good reviews。 Interestingly told。 Enjoyed it more as a novel then a mystery。 It didn't convince me to go back to the series。 。。。more

Darius Ostrowski ，

Definitely something different from the other books in this series。Inspector Chen is on the outs with his superiors， his career may be at an end。 He is back home at his mother's， in his old attic bedroom， where he spends a restless night， filled with vivid lyrical dreams。 Each dream reminds him of an episode in his life， from growing up as a black puppy during the Cultural Revolution， to his first brush with learning English at the park， to his first case as a policeman。 Most of these memories r Definitely something different from the other books in this series。Inspector Chen is on the outs with his superiors， his career may be at an end。 He is back home at his mother's， in his old attic bedroom， where he spends a restless night， filled with vivid lyrical dreams。 Each dream reminds him of an episode in his life， from growing up as a black puppy during the Cultural Revolution， to his first brush with learning English at the park， to his first case as a policeman。 Most of these memories revolve around Red Dust Lane， leading to a current case that may be setting Chen up for failure。 Not really a mystery， more of a collection of short stories fleshing out how Inspector Chen became the man he is today （as the title suggests）。 Nice， but rather ho hum。 。。。more

Denis ，

As a detective story it doesn't really succeed， but you get a lot of information on a history of modern China As a detective story it doesn't really succeed， but you get a lot of information on a history of modern China 。。。more

Meredith Rankin ，

This is number eleven in the Inspector Chen series。 Set in China， the series revolves around Chen （imagine that！）， who came of age during the Cultural Revolution and now works for the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau。 This is the first book I’ve read in the series。 That， I think， was a disadvantage。 I felt like I missed some of the significance with references to previous cases， especially in the opening chapters。 That’s not the author’s fault; I’m only making notes of it。 For those interested in t This is number eleven in the Inspector Chen series。 Set in China， the series revolves around Chen （imagine that！）， who came of age during the Cultural Revolution and now works for the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau。 This is the first book I’ve read in the series。 That， I think， was a disadvantage。 I felt like I missed some of the significance with references to previous cases， especially in the opening chapters。 That’s not the author’s fault; I’m only making notes of it。 For those interested in the series， it might be best to start with book one， Death of a Red Heroine。It took me a very long time to get into the story’s rhythms。 But once I did， the book grew on me。 It definitely felt more literary in tone and focus than a typical mystery。 The stories are a jumbled assortment of two kinds。 First， there are memories inspired by Chen’s dreams。 Second， there are fragments of seemingly unrelated stories about other people， all revolving around the community of Red Dust Lane。 The stories often felt unresolved。 After one particularly long story about Chen’s first unofficial case， the ending dissatisfied me。 I wanted more resolution。 It was difficult to piece together how all the stories related。 （I suspect I might’ve done a better job with putting the pieces together if I’d read previous titles in this series。）To me， this book read more like a collection of related stories with a tenuous continuous storyline than a “typical” novel。 That is， you define “typical” as a white， Western-worldview novel with a three act structure and the hook-conflict-climax-resolution pattern that our well-meaning English teacher shoved down our throats in middle school。 I’ve noticed that stories from non-Western cultures have a higher level of ambiguity and a higher tolerance for ambiguous endings。 It must be a difference in cultural mindset。 Neither is right or wrong。 It’s simply a difference that exists。The present-day storyline is Chen wrestling with whether or not to return to Red Dust Lane for another investigation even as his investigative career is slowly draining away。 That case didn’t sound terribly interesting to me， at least from the description given here; however， I would read the next book to see how Qiu Xiaolong develops the case。What was far more interesting is watching young Chen develop over the years。 He goes from being a youth dogged by his family’s black status to a student obsessed with T。S。 Eliot’s The Waste Land， then to a frustrated police translator who strikes out on his own to investigate a case that isn’t his。 Then he uses his newly-gained position to rectify old wrongs。 He’s a sympathetic character in the flashback stories。 I had a hard time sympathizing with his present-day self， who spends his night tossing and turning， musing on poetry and trying to make the decision and analyzing his dreams。 I never cared for the dream sequences–eventually I skimmed them–and I expect that many mystery readers would， too。 Literary readers might be more patient。It was truly fascinating to read about the inner workings of the Party and see the adaptability of the people under the rigidity of Chairman Mao’s regime。 The ordinary people wiggle and squirm their way around the Party rules， often （always） with collective （though unspoken） consent。 When put under enough pressure， the people who survive are those who are both adaptable and creative。 The residents of Red Dust Lane gather for their evening gossip under the guise of “political studies class，” always keeping a copy of Chairman Mao’s red book in hand as a prop。Their ingenuity opens young Chen’s eyes。 In this space， no one sees him as a “black puppy” （his nickname after the government brands his father as a black dissenter）。 For the first time， he has a vision beyond the confines of the dictatorship。 From them， he learns how to become himself in a system determined to exploit him as a piece in a political game。 For me， this is eye-opening and inspiring。Ultimately， this is a book that has its fascinating aspects。 Will it appeal to all mystery readers？ No。 Will it appeal to some？ Yes。 Do I recommend it？ Absolutely， and I will be looking for more of Qiu Xiaolong’s work in the future。Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I was not required to write a positive review。 All opinions are my own。This review will appear on my blog on 15 March 2021。 。。。more

David ，

I’ve read all 11 books in the Inspector Chen series and this one was perhaps the weakest。 I enjoyed the Origen story of Inspector Chen told in the flashbacks， and the history of the cultural revolution that came with it， but the contemporary story being told in parallel never resolved （as far as I could understand） and was frustrating。 Read the other 10 books first。

Kathleen Gray ，

Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in the unusual series- this is almost an origin story as Inspector Chen spends perhaps more time musing about his past than solving a current crime。 It's clearly to easy to be a police officer in Shanghai。 He has it tougher than many because of his family history， This latest case， involving a poem posted to social media， cuts close。 It's an intriguing read。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC， I'm going to look for others in the series。 Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in the unusual series- this is almost an origin story as Inspector Chen spends perhaps more time musing about his past than solving a current crime。 It's clearly to easy to be a police officer in Shanghai。 He has it tougher than many because of his family history， This latest case， involving a poem posted to social media， cuts close。 It's an intriguing read。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC， I'm going to look for others in the series。 。。。more

Joy Z ，

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This is such a complicated book， I haven't read one like this that fully blends Chinese idioms and poetry， politics and food， culture and traditions， into a mystery book。I read this book very slowly， not because it wasn't good， because there was so much to digest， so much tidbits to pickup。 I was fascinated by the story of the culture revolution， the red Dust lane， as it coincided with stories my mom told me a I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This is such a complicated book， I haven't read one like this that fully blends Chinese idioms and poetry， politics and food， culture and traditions， into a mystery book。I read this book very slowly， not because it wasn't good， because there was so much to digest， so much tidbits to pickup。 I was fascinated by the story of the culture revolution， the red Dust lane， as it coincided with stories my mom told me about her time as a child living in China during the same time period。The book was fascinating， I bookmarked so much parts to discuss with my parents， such as the Internet Police patroling over the content of weTalk。 The section about Pig Head changing the term limit of the constitution so the word Emperor became a highly censored word， Mr。 Qiu， you're an intrepid author。 。。。more

Bill Kronberger ，

Huh？Sorry， way too muddled for me。 What happened？ I’m sure there was a story here somewhere but it’s beyond me。 Wish it had an ending， although there is a last paragraph so there probably was one。

Linden ，

I've enjoyed the previous novels about the detective from Shanghai， and found this one quite different。 Chen Cao was considered a "black puppy" since his father was denounced by the Red Guard。 Part of the book is almost like a prequel to the series， discussing his experience growing up during the Cultural Revolution。 Part of the book was devoted to a mystery which Chen the adult cop wants to help his superior solve， the murder of an old man who had just left a restaurant。 I think I would have pr I've enjoyed the previous novels about the detective from Shanghai， and found this one quite different。 Chen Cao was considered a "black puppy" since his father was denounced by the Red Guard。 Part of the book is almost like a prequel to the series， discussing his experience growing up during the Cultural Revolution。 Part of the book was devoted to a mystery which Chen the adult cop wants to help his superior solve， the murder of an old man who had just left a restaurant。 I think I would have preferred this to be two different books， as I felt the stories didn't flow that well together。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more

Kimberly Ouwerkerk ，

The case in the ‘now’ revolves around an anti-Party poem; a poem that very much challenges the waters that Chen is carefully trying to navigate while working as an inspector in the police department of Shanghai。 I liked the frequent quotes of poems。 They were well placed and gave more meaning and flavor to the story。 Chen works at the mercy of the Party leaders and his investigations need to be concluded in the best interests of the Party。 That is， the investigations he does in the other books i The case in the ‘now’ revolves around an anti-Party poem; a poem that very much challenges the waters that Chen is carefully trying to navigate while working as an inspector in the police department of Shanghai。 I liked the frequent quotes of poems。 They were well placed and gave more meaning and flavor to the story。 Chen works at the mercy of the Party leaders and his investigations need to be concluded in the best interests of the Party。 That is， the investigations he does in the other books in the Inspector Chen Cao series。 Chen grew up during the Cultural Revolution that made his father repent for having lived the American bourgeois lifestyle。 As a result， Chen became one of the Black Class。 The first part of Becoming Inspector Chen reads like a biography infused with Chinese history lessons。Because of the many time jumps in the narrative， it took me some time to get into the story。 At first， it seemed like there was no connection between the chapters， almost as if you are reading anecdotes from someone’s life that provide a background and setting to the meager story in the now。 Some chapters I liked very much， for example， those featuring Ling and Mr。 Ma， and others were boring， especially when Chen was mostly an observer to conversations of others。In the end， all storylines do come together。 Becoming Inspector Chen is not so much about solving a crime， but more about the wellbeing of people living in Red Dust Lane。 After this book， you’ll understand how Chen came to be the person he is now and why he handles his cases as he does。 Here comes the crux: this is only interesting to those that love the Inspector Chen Cao series。There is no suspense involved。 Don’t start reading this book expecting a mystery novel。 Even though there is some light crime-solving， the story is more about the effect that the political and social situation in China has on ordinary people’s lives。 The writing style is quite laid-back and slow; a style that is familiar to readers of fiction from Asia。 As a non-Chinese person， you can easily understand what is going on as many things are explained。 I do wonder how much of this was added in the translation as I assume a Chinese reader wouldn’t enjoy the many explanations。While I am not overly enthusiastic about Becoming Inspector Chen – partly because of the slow pace that is not quite contemplating nor hardcore crime-solving – I did like some of the chapters。 I learned many things through the insights provided in the lives of those living on Red Dust Lane。 In such a short novel Qiu Xiaolong manages to introduce a lively cast of characters。Many thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Elaine Tomasso ，

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Becoming Inspector Chen， the eleventh novel to feature Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police。After his last case Chen has fallen out of political favour and may be about to lose his job。 On the eve of his interview with his boss he thinks back to key moments in his life and wonders if the memories can help him with the case of a subversive poet that no one， except his co-worker wants him near。I enjoyed Becom I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Becoming Inspector Chen， the eleventh novel to feature Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police。After his last case Chen has fallen out of political favour and may be about to lose his job。 On the eve of his interview with his boss he thinks back to key moments in his life and wonders if the memories can help him with the case of a subversive poet that no one， except his co-worker wants him near。I enjoyed Becoming Inspector Chen， although it’s probably a bit intellectual for my more pedestrian mind。 I’m not quite sure how to describe it as， personally， I wouldn’t class it as crime fiction despite finding it under that listing。 It’s circular， always ending up in the same place， Red Dirt Lane and with the same characters appearing at different times， often offering an update on their circumstances。 The novel offers a series of vignettes from Chen’s past， starting with the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s up until the late 1980s when capitalism becomes acceptable。 Reading the stories there is a certain irony in this volte-face and it doesn’t go unremarked in the personal histories depicted。 The present day story of the subversive poem is negligible in the overall storyline but reinforces the knowledge that censorship is alive and well in modern day China and that some things never change。There is some crime in the novel but it’s more a history of how a repressive regime affected ordinary citizens。 Some of it is really horrible but， at the same time， I was fascinated and found it compulsive reading。 I didn’t really get the imagery in either Chen’s dreams， philosophising or the poetry that pervade the novel， probably because I’m too lazy to work it out， but I was glued to the pages about everyday life and the unfolding dramas。 It comes to a rather abrupt and vague ending， but perhaps that is the point， nothing is sure in life。Becoming Inspector Chen is a good read that I can recommend。 。。。more

Yellow Talk ，

Un libro affascinante， che caratterizza molto bene la Rivoluzione Culturale cinese， la mentalità delle persone e la vera condizione sociale che si respirava。 Sembra composto da più parti quasi sconnesse tra di loro。 Le prime riguardano episodi di vita vissuti da Chen Cao， delineando bene la vita del personaggio e quali sono le motivazioni che lo portano a entrare nella polizia essendo。 Inizia il racconto del suo primo caso investigativo （non mi dilungo per non fare spoiler） che trovo intrigante Un libro affascinante， che caratterizza molto bene la Rivoluzione Culturale cinese， la mentalità delle persone e la vera condizione sociale che si respirava。 Sembra composto da più parti quasi sconnesse tra di loro。 Le prime riguardano episodi di vita vissuti da Chen Cao， delineando bene la vita del personaggio e quali sono le motivazioni che lo portano a entrare nella polizia essendo。 Inizia il racconto del suo primo caso investigativo （non mi dilungo per non fare spoiler） che trovo intrigante seguire il dipanarsi delle ricerche。 Ammetto che più che ricerche approfondite Chen va a tentoni， le scoperte avvengono grazie alla fortuna principalmente。 Trovo anche che l'ansia che si crea durante la lettura， durante la ricerca del colpevole poi scende in maniera sproporzionata quando effettivamente si raggiunge il finale del libro che si scopre essere molto semplice， naturale quasi banale da non pensarci neanche。 Molto reale come finale， niente che si avvicini a un thriller con psicopatici privi di empatia。 L'assassino è una persona comune， con difetti che abbiamo tutti noi e che forse per questo appiattisce la sensazione finale。In fine mi ha colpito molto il pezzo finale in cui racconta del suo amico， realmente esistito， al quale ha voluto fare un omaggio regalando nei suoi libri una vita e un finale diverso rispetto a quello che ha avuto nella realtà。 。。。more

Marino ，

Trop pénible à lire， j'ai arrêté trente pages avant la fin。 Entre la Chine dystopique de la Révolution Culturelle puis celle qui n'est guère mieux sous Deng Xiaoping， et l'art culinaire cruel envers les animaux， je n'en pouvais plus。 Archi plombant， ennuyeux et anxiogène。 Trop pénible à lire， j'ai arrêté trente pages avant la fin。 Entre la Chine dystopique de la Révolution Culturelle puis celle qui n'est guère mieux sous Deng Xiaoping， et l'art culinaire cruel envers les animaux， je n'en pouvais plus。 Archi plombant， ennuyeux et anxiogène。 。。。more

Flapidouille ，

Vraiment instructif。。。 hélas！ c'est une période bien sombre de l'histoire chinoise。Intéressant aussi par son côté autobiographique， que l'on ne trouve pas dans le reste de la série。Il semblerait pourtant que justement tous les passages autobiographiques aient （volontairement？） été moins bien écrits。 Vraiment instructif。。。 hélas！ c'est une période bien sombre de l'histoire chinoise。Intéressant aussi par son côté autobiographique， que l'on ne trouve pas dans le reste de la série。Il semblerait pourtant que justement tous les passages autobiographiques aient （volontairement？） été moins bien écrits。 。。。more

Melaslithos ，

Un ouvrage un peu à part dans la séries des enquêtes de l'inspecteur Chen， mais peut-être le plus touchant。Il était une fois l'inspecteur Chen fait le lien entre l'inspecteur Chen， la cité de la poussière rouge， et l'auteur lui-même。 Fraîchement diplômé de l'université des langues étrangères de Pékin， Chen est affecté à un commissariat de police de Shanghai， où il se retrouve cantonné à traduire des manuels de police。 S'ennuyant un peu， il va peu à peu se mêler à une affaire qui l'intrigue， mena Un ouvrage un peu à part dans la séries des enquêtes de l'inspecteur Chen， mais peut-être le plus touchant。Il était une fois l'inspecteur Chen fait le lien entre l'inspecteur Chen， la cité de la poussière rouge， et l'auteur lui-même。 Fraîchement diplômé de l'université des langues étrangères de Pékin， Chen est affecté à un commissariat de police de Shanghai， où il se retrouve cantonné à traduire des manuels de police。 S'ennuyant un peu， il va peu à peu se mêler à une affaire qui l'intrigue， menant ainsi sa toute première enquête。 Et comme dans tous les précédents livres， finalement， la culture et la vie shanghaienne prennent le pas sur l'enquête。 Au cours de son enquête， Chen se mèle aux discussions de soirée à la cité de la poussière rouge， nous offre un tour culinaire de Shanghai， sans oublier de partager avec nous quelques vers de poésie chinoise。Et particularité de ce livre， cette enquête fictionnelle de Chen est entourée de souvenirs， bien réels， de Qiu Xiaolong。 Ainsi， peu à peu， au fil de se livre， on démêle l'autobiographique du fictionnel， on voit où Qiu Xiaoling insuffle vie à Chen Cao， mais aussi là où il lui donne un caractère et une vie propre。 Finalement， c'est ce que j'aurai préféré dans ce livre。 。。。more

Angélita Manchado ，

Avis Il était une fois l’inspecteur Chen de Qiu XialongJe n’ai pas lu toutes les enquêtes de l’inspecteur Chen pourtant j’adore ce personnage récurrent et surtout l’auteur。 Lorsque j’ai été sélectionnée pour cette masse critique avec babelio et que j’ai reçu ce poche paru chez Points j’ai été plus que ravie de connaître les débuts de ce cher inspecteur。 Et je ne le regrette pas。 La plume de Qiu Xialong est toujours aussi percutante， plein de saveur et de poésie。S’il y a bien un pays que je ne so Avis Il était une fois l’inspecteur Chen de Qiu XialongJe n’ai pas lu toutes les enquêtes de l’inspecteur Chen pourtant j’adore ce personnage récurrent et surtout l’auteur。 Lorsque j’ai été sélectionnée pour cette masse critique avec babelio et que j’ai reçu ce poche paru chez Points j’ai été plus que ravie de connaître les débuts de ce cher inspecteur。 Et je ne le regrette pas。 La plume de Qiu Xialong est toujours aussi percutante， plein de saveur et de poésie。S’il y a bien un pays que je ne souhaite absolument pas visiter c’est bien la Chine。 Mais son histoire m’intéresse et toute son Histoire et ses habitants。 Avec l’auteur c’est la Chine de Mao surtout dans ce roman。 Pour certains Chinois cela a changé beaucoup de choses puisqu’ils sont devenus des parias。 Les enfants en ont subi les conséquences。 Cela a été le cas pour Chen mais aussi pour l’auteur car il commence son roman par des informations sur lui même et le finit avec sa propre histoire。 Cela permet de se rendre compte que de nombreux auteurs s’inspirent de leurs propres histoires pour leurs romans。 Mais ça， on le savait déjà。 J’ai encore appris sur cette Révolution Culturelle de Mao et la place donnée aux livres， comment se débrouillaient ceux qui ne voulaient pas que lire ce qui était autorisé。 Les Chinois sont， comme tous ceux qui sont oppressés， un peuple plein de ressources。 Il y a également tous ces enfants qui ont souffert et n’ont pas compris la déchéance imposée de leurs parents。 Ils sont des enfants de riches et ils n’ont pas les mêmes privilèges que les autres enfants。J’ai voyagé culinairement et j’ai adoré ça。 Tous ces plats， toutes ces saveurs décrites， cela en donne l’eau à la bouche et de sacrées rêveries。 J’avais l’impression d’avoir les plats devant moi de les déguster avec les héros。 Avec des ingrédients qui peuvent être très chers les plats le sont tout autant mais la débrouille existe。 Mais d’autres tout aussi bons sont moins excessifs。 Il faut toutefois faire attention à ne pas y laisser sa paie。 Outre la cuisine， le roman est parsemé de vers， de poésie， beaucoup moins que les plats， mais c’est vraiment très agréable。Nous le savions déjà mais Chen est un homme érudit。 Il a fait des études。 Il écrit des poèmes。 Mais à la fin de ses études， l’Etat le place à un endroit où il devra accomplir un travail。 Et ce sera un commissariat de police。 Il n’est au fait de rien。 Il ne sait pas mener une enquête。 Une tâche lui est assignée qu’il tentera de mener à bien。 Il a aussi du temps pour lire， surtout des romans policiers。 Mais il s’immiscera dans une enquête。 Il fera part de toutes ses découvertes à son supérieur， surtout en ne se mettant jamais en avant et en faisant en sorte de flatter l’inspecteur。 Ce que l’on retrouve， ici， c’est le caractère déjà connu de Chen。 Un homme qui écoute， note tout。 Les gens et les éléments ont toute leur importance。 Il ne se met pas en avant。 Même s’il n’est pas à l’aise avec le pouvoir en place， s’il subit， il n’émettra jamais aucune critique。 Et tout cela fera de Chen un très bon inspecteur pour toutes ses enquêtes futures。Je pense que je vais noter tous les livres de Qiu Xialong et les noter dans une de mes bibliothèques pour les recevoir dans mes box。 En effet， à la maison， l’homme et moi sommes fans de l’auteur。Je remercie Babelio pour cette sélection Masse Critique et les Editions Points。 Ce roman fait partie de la sélection du Prix du Meilleur Polar 2017。Résumé Il était une fois l’inspecteur Chen de Qiu XialongChen Cao est un petit garçon dont les parents sont des ennemis de classe dans la Chine de Mao。 Le petit garçon en souffre。Plus tard， il fait ses études à Pékin。 Il revient très peu chez lui， à Shanghai。 Il rencontre une jeune fille bibliothécaire。 。。。more

Delphine ，

4* non pas pour l'enquête en elle-même qui est intéressante mais pas prenante。 Mais pour les éléments propres au passé de Qiu Xialong qu'il immisce dans l'univers de son double de papier， nous rappelant notamment les affres de la révolution culturelle， nous distillant des informations concernant le quotidien et les souffrances de la période Mao et post Mao。 Le tout est intelligemment amené dans l'histoire ce qui fait que nul n'a la sensation de lire un livre d'histoire。 Le "Fragment autobiograph 4* non pas pour l'enquête en elle-même qui est intéressante mais pas prenante。 Mais pour les éléments propres au passé de Qiu Xialong qu'il immisce dans l'univers de son double de papier， nous rappelant notamment les affres de la révolution culturelle， nous distillant des informations concernant le quotidien et les souffrances de la période Mao et post Mao。 Le tout est intelligemment amené dans l'histoire ce qui fait que nul n'a la sensation de lire un livre d'histoire。 Le "Fragment autobiographique" d'une 40aine de pages est distinct de l'histoire mais rend un hommage appuyé à un ami d'enfance que l'on retrouve dans les enquêtes de Chen Cao mais avec une vie totalement différente。 。。。more

Marcella Rossi ，

Primo approccio con Qui Xiaolong， scrittore cinese che vive e pubblica negli Stati Uniti， autore di una serie di libri dedicati all'ispettore Chen Cao。 Strano libro per strutture e contenuti， diviso in capitoli che sono quasi racconti a se stante， dove si mischiano racconto e autobiografia。 Esiste la trama di un giallo， dove si indaga sulla morte di un anziano gourmet。 Ma esiste soprattutto il racconto della Cina， la rivoluzione culturale; figlio di un capitalista， l'autore percorre gli anni del Primo approccio con Qui Xiaolong， scrittore cinese che vive e pubblica negli Stati Uniti， autore di una serie di libri dedicati all'ispettore Chen Cao。 Strano libro per strutture e contenuti， diviso in capitoli che sono quasi racconti a se stante， dove si mischiano racconto e autobiografia。 Esiste la trama di un giallo， dove si indaga sulla morte di un anziano gourmet。 Ma esiste soprattutto il racconto della Cina， la rivoluzione culturale; figlio di un capitalista， l'autore percorre gli anni delle "critiche di massa" ， dei pubblici processi， delle dichiarazioni scritte di colpevolezza。 Il partito， prima negli anni di Mao， poi durante l'epoca revisionista di Deng， decide e segna le sorti delle persone。 Tutto con mano leggera， con grandi digressioni sulla cucina cinese （ci sono otto scuole di antica tradizione， non lo sapevo） Molto bella la narrazione dello scambio dei libri proibiti che i giovani cinesi leggevano tutto in una notte， per non fermare la circolazione; quando uno dei giovani viene scoperto con Dickens deve trovare aiuto in Marx e giurare che è un libro utile contro il capitalismo。 Insomma， pur non avendo apprezzato troppo la strana costruzione del libro， una lettura estremamente interessante。 Bella la copertina， con la bibliotecaria amica di Chen che balla al ritmo del walkman。。。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Becoming Inspector Chen

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Becoming Inspector Chen&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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