The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei, Volume Two: The Rivals: 2 (Princeton Library of Asian Translations)

This book is a continuation of the series by David Roy and it is as described and it arrived in perfect condition and on time. I have ordered this rest of the series from here as well.

Amazing insight into Chinese culture.Well, ancient Chinese culture.Well, ancient Chinese porn, though the translator makes a good case for it not being porn.I'd give it 5 stars, but I'm going to end up spending $100 to get to the end so I can read the disemboweling part. That seems a little overpriced. I'm sorry there's not more of a market for ancient Chinese porn.Anyway, the life & death of Hsi-men Ch'ing (I like to pronounce it Semen Ching) is shaping up to be a story worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, perhaps Quentin Tarantino can direct. These people are horrible!Never ask me to review a book again.

Even being absurdly careful with this you will split the spine. It's still rereadable, but won't hold up to multiple rereadings, which the content itself deserves. Either the Kindle or the hardback may be a better option. Content-wise someone suggested David Tod Roy's translation as a perfect entry-point into the Chinese novel, and I would agree. Five star for content; but be forewarned that Princeton University has not manufactured these paperbacks to last.

The book is fascinating. For a good reason it was called one of the most important (if not the most important) Chinese literary masterpieces. The story has interesting parallels with Don Juan, which it predates. According to my Chinese friend, the English translation is better for a contemporary reader than the original: a typical modern Chinese reader will have difficulty going through the ancient text. The downside of this purchase was a big ugly sticker on the back cover that I had difficult time peeling off.