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The Story of the Stone or The Dream of the Red Chamber Vol 5 The Dreamer Wakes Cao Xuequin Gao E John Minford Books

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The Story of the Stone or The Dream of the Red Chamber Vol 5 The Dreamer Wakes Cao Xuequin Gao E John Minford Books

If you've read the novels this far, you want to know how it all ends. The translator, however, in his preface, indicates that many things contribute to this volume seeming convoluted and straying from the general theme of the previous books. First, Cao Xueqin lost some of the final chapters when he asked family/friends to proofread, and the last chapters are certainly finished by another author. This author (or even authors) may have been unaffiliated readers who wrote the equivalent of fan-fiction to finish off the story, heavily influenced by fear of writing anything that could be construed as criticism of the emperor, or motivated by a desire to be the first publisher with a 'complete' edition.

You get some closure--the story draws to an end and homage is paid to the theological theme of realizing the primacy of the spiritual world over the material world. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that you are expecting a fall from grace with a stalwart conviction that life isn't over--a Chinese version of the Book of Job--but you get a lot of deus ex machina events that give it more of a fairy tale ending than what Cao Xueqin hinted at throughout the first three volumes.


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The Story of the Stone or The Dream of the Red Chamber Vol 5 The Dreamer Wakes Cao Xuequin Gao E John Minford Books Reviews

Great series.
David Hawke's English translation is probably the best version of this Chinese classic published so far. Item arrived in reasonable condition.
I've read all parts of The Story of the Stone. It starts and ends in a mystical fashion; coming full circle in a traditional ying/yang way. Wonderful five volume story about two wealthy families closely connected to the throne. Although there's not much known about the true author, I suspect that it was written by a maid. There is incredible detail from the perspective of the servents working for their sometimes nutty employers. The family actually built a garden at one point in honor of a visit from a daughter who had been chosen to be a royal concubine. If you want to immerse yourself in the ups and downs, daily life, (warts and all) of 1750's Chinese culture don't miss The Story of the Stone et al.
I read all 5 volumes of this translation of the 18th Century Chinese novel known as The Story of the Stone or The Dream of the Red Chamber. The stone in question is a small magic jade found in the mouth of the newborn Jia Baoyu. It is the story of the journey through life of that stone and the beautiful young man Bao-yu. Written 300+ years before Downton Abbey this is also a story of a family, the fabulous mansion and garden they live in and the complicated relationships they have with their many servants. Poetry, painting, landscape and architecture, flowers, herbal medicines, Taost priests and Buddhist monks, rape, murder, thievery, jealousy, corruption, death and beauty dance through the pages like nothing else I have ever read.
This novel definitely deserves its place in the topmost tier of global literature. I was not convinced of that until I reached this volume. Amazing that it came to such a complete and inevitable conclusion when it had to be finalized after the author's death by others.
The book is exactly as advertised & arrived promptly. Thank you.
Part of my culture
If you've read the novels this far, you want to know how it all ends. The translator, however, in his preface, indicates that many things contribute to this volume seeming convoluted and straying from the general theme of the previous books. First, Cao Xueqin lost some of the final chapters when he asked family/friends to proofread, and the last chapters are certainly finished by another author. This author (or even authors) may have been unaffiliated readers who wrote the equivalent of fan-fiction to finish off the story, heavily influenced by fear of writing anything that could be construed as criticism of the emperor, or motivated by a desire to be the first publisher with a 'complete' edition.

You get some closure--the story draws to an end and homage is paid to the theological theme of realizing the primacy of the spiritual world over the material world. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that you are expecting a fall from grace with a stalwart conviction that life isn't over--a Chinese version of the Book of Job--but you get a lot of deus ex machina events that give it more of a fairy tale ending than what Cao Xueqin hinted at throughout the first three volumes.