Heh, I picked up Death of a Red Heroine, which is the first Inspector Chen book, for much the same reason, although I seem to be enjoying it more than you enjoyed A Case of Two Cities. Currently about halfway through. Interestingly, I thought Yu's characterization was pretty good in this book; maybe it's more dynamic since he spends the first half resenting Chen and then gradually coming to grudgingly respect him? In contrast, I don't find Chen all that interesting--too much wish-fulfillment. He's a poet! Scholarly and filial! Politically astute but has a conscience! Like a walking Confucian ideal. He doesn't actually irritate me but I find him thoroughly predictable. I like the side characters, like Commissar Zhang and Overseas Chinese Lu, a lot more.
Everything you said about the poor treatment of women applies to Death of a Red Heroine as well, with the possible exception of Yu's wife, Peiqin. --; Although there's no implication in the text (so far) that the murdered woman in Death of a Red Heroine (killed for similar reasons as An Jiyang) deserved to die.
I do think that Death of a Red Heroine has a lot to say about class and generation gaps within the Communist Party. Also, its descriptions of the different neighborhoods of Shanghai and the food are probably the strongest aspects of Qiu's writing. Mystery plot is not so great though, and I agree about the weak writing overall.
ETA: Meant to add...I was planning on picking up A Case of Two Cities next, but maybe it's not worth reading the rest of the series if the books don't noticeably improve? Hmm...well, I'll have to see how Death of a Red Heroine ends first.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-22 01:04 am (UTC)Everything you said about the poor treatment of women applies to Death of a Red Heroine as well, with the possible exception of Yu's wife, Peiqin. --; Although there's no implication in the text (so far) that the murdered woman in Death of a Red Heroine (killed for similar reasons as An Jiyang) deserved to die.
I do think that Death of a Red Heroine has a lot to say about class and generation gaps within the Communist Party. Also, its descriptions of the different neighborhoods of Shanghai and the food are probably the strongest aspects of Qiu's writing. Mystery plot is not so great though, and I agree about the weak writing overall.
ETA: Meant to add...I was planning on picking up A Case of Two Cities next, but maybe it's not worth reading the rest of the series if the books don't noticeably improve? Hmm...well, I'll have to see how Death of a Red Heroine ends first.