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Book Review By Alex
Lili: A Novel of Tiananmen by Annie Wang

Lili Lin is a young girl of 27, living a life in the large city of Beijing. Bored and Cynical from the daily routine and oppression of daily life in China and the events leading up to Tiananmen Square. From the very beginning there is a sense of corruption as Lili is thrown into jail for "Hoodlumism" and "Sexual Miscoduct" for being out past curfew set in Beijing. After being released she reveals she is unemployed and currently lives with her parents.
Lili seems to show a very medicore view of herself, but it is revealed as she finds herself left alone in the wilderness after attending a party that she had lived a very harsh life from the Cultural Revolution that rfelects her view of life now.
Her parents were (and still are) Music professers at a local University. In Elementary School she was a top student, and also a bit of a prodigy as she could play a varity of instrument, the Ehru in particular.
That all changed when the Cultural Revolution when she 12 she was sent to the country side to be "re-educated" with her parents. There she was mistreated by the residents and eventually raped by the Party Secretary of the Monkey Village. During this time she meets an American Journalist named Roy Goldstien. At first she is disgusted by his naitivity but begins to slowly find herself in a rocky relationship with him.
Her relationship with her family is also presented very well as her Mother has always fought for her reputation first and family second. Her Father is a very kind man, but submissive and obedient-Lili has a difficult time connecting with them and they as well are viewed as "disappionted" in their daughter in Lili's eyes.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - depressed
Time/era of story - 1960's-1970's
Political/social activism Yes
Plotlet:
Ethnic/Regional/Religion
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - none
How sensitive is this character?

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - China
Misc setting

Writing Style
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - impregnation/reproduction
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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