Book Review of #4 The Debt of Tears by Xueqin Cao
Name of Book: The Debt of Tears Author: Xueqin Cao, Gao E ISBN: 0-14-044371-1 Publisher: Penguin Classics Part of a Series: The story of the stone Type of book: China, Manchurian Dynasty, soul mates, 1700s, wealth, death, true love Year it was published: 1760 ( Version I have 1982) Summary: Divided into five volumes, of which The Debt of Tears is the fourth, it charts the glory and decline of the illustrious Jia family (a story which closely accords with the fortunes of the author's own family). The two main characters, Bao-yu, and Dai-yu, are set against a rich tapestry of humor, realistic detail and delicate poetry which accurately reflects the ritualized hurly-burly of Chinese family life. BUt over and above the novel hangs the constant reminder that there is another plane of existence- a theme which affirms the Buddhist belief in a supernatural scheme of things. Characters: Although the author tries to keep semblance of the characters from the first thr...