2005: #66 – Bridge of Birds (Barry Hughart)

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Published by Del Rey on April 12th 1985
Genres: comedic fiction
Pages: 278

When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. He found master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Together, they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure.
 
The quest led them to a host of truly memorable characters, multiple wonders, incredible adventures—and strange coincidences, which were really not coincidences at all. And it involved them in an ancient crime that still perturbed the serenity of Heaven. Simply and charmingly told, this is a wry tale, a sly tale, and a story of wisdom delightfully askew. Once read, its marvels and beauty will not easily fade from the mind.
 
The author claims that this is a novel of an ancient China that never was. But, oh…it should have been!

Book #66 was Bridge of Birds: A Novel of China That Never Was, by Barry Hughart.

This is a book that Scott brought into the relationship. It was something he read in college and thought I should read, so I added it to the queue. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was expecting some sort of obtuse, hard-to-read, Chinese fable style tale. Instead, I got a very funny, very farcical, very easy to read fantasy novel. It was really a quite delightful story.

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

Book count: 66
Pages in book: 288
Page count: 23,539

15,000 page goal reached 6/14/05!
50 book goal reached 7/19/05!