Рядко срещана фантасмагория.

Има отделни моменти, които са приказно гениални и други, които са твърде нелогични и наивни, даже за приказка. Нещо като Том и Джери.

Цялостното усещане е хубаво. 5/5, но можеше да е по-добре.

A very strange book, yet original to say the least. Hughart manages to weave together multiple Chinese historical figures and myths into a driving and well crafted trickster-hero story.

I really wanted to like this book, but I found it a tedious read from the beginning. My favorite and most interesting character was Li Kao, but I found the main protagonist, Nr 10 Ox to be somewhat flat. Also, although the I found the myth of the ginseng plant intriguing, as well as the subsequent quest to find it- nothing in the story grabbed my fancy completely. I found some of the main characters in need of further development, in order to make their motivations and actions believable. Although the story showed great potential and I finished it, there just wasn't the hook for me to keep turning the pages.

2.5 stars
I've hated the majority of this book. The amount of sexism, misogyny, and laughing at certain groups of people put me off. Moreover, the book is full of sometimes distasteful, not particularly funny jokes. The plot is absolutely ridiculous, with so many holes and pacing problems. I felt like there was not much editing done, as sometimes it was hard to decipher what the author wants to communicate, which character is which etc.
However, the ending was actually very good, and the mystery's big reveal satisfying. I also enjoyed the author's playing with the Chinese folklore, and the magical tale that was the story's backbone.
I feel I would have enjoyed this book more if I've read it 10-15 years ago, when I wasn't so conscious and I didn't mind terrible plot holes and cringy humor ;). I just feel there are nowadays much better books with this kind of "puzzle mystery" plot lines (e.g. Mistborn trilogy, The Shadow of the Wind, Annihilation...) or with a cool absurd humor (Good Omens, Anxious People).

This was a really fun book, full of adventure and puzzles. Essentially it is a hero journey with memorable characters and challenges. And some wisdom too. For example, would you REALLY want to live forever?

Okay, I see now why this book has such a great reputation. There are loads of shenanigans, myths, travel, magic, a grand adventure, gods, whimsy, and it all comes together in a great pattern. A wonderful read, this is a classic that deserves the name.

This has always been one of my favorite books and one I periodically revisit. I haven't reread it, though, in years and years, but ended up going back to it recently, afraid that it wouldn't stand up to my memory of it.

It is still one of my favorite books. I love the story, the characters, the poetry of it. I love Ox and Master Li. Slipping back into this story is like curling up under a warm soft blanket.

This was a surprising find. I'm not huge into the traditional Asian/Chinese style of storytelling, so the subtitle 'A Novel of an Ancient China that Never Was' made me hesitate just a tad. I'm glad I ended up picking it up. This is a rollicking good tale. It's got the flavor of a Chinese folktale, but told in a kind of tounge-in-cheek style that makes it fun to read, and rolls you right along with the adventure. I mean, you know it's going to be a funny read when one of the main character constantly introduces himself thus: "My name is Kao Li, and I have a slight flaw in my character." The other main character has the evocative nickname of Number Ten Ox. The story overall is like that: absurd, but it ends up making sense. In short, Bridge of Birds has everything a good adventure story should have: a seemingly impossible quest, romance, danger, charlatans, trickey, escapes, magic and myth.. and most importantly, a very satisfying ending. There's a reason it won the World Fantasy Award back in 1985. Now I just need to find the sequels...

"My surname is Li, my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character."

what a strange and delightful book. it's like the princess bride but set in fantasy ancient china