Bridge of Birds (part 1 of The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox)

  • Author: Barry Hughart
  • Page count: 278
  • Started on: 2025/01/31
  • Finished on: 2025/02/06
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • ★★★★☆

Cover of the book Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. The subtitle reads, "A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was." The background features an illustration of a traditional Chinese landscape with mountains and a figure in flowing robes, possibly representing a character from the story. The color palette consists of muted tones with soft lines, reflecting an ancient artistic style.

Bridge of Birds is a fun fairy tale set in China about the adventures of an old scholar and a strong young man on a quest to find a cure for the children from a village. I like how it blends myth, mystery, and humor and how the main story unfolds to its (somewhat predictable) climax, but found the lack of development in the main characters disappointing.

I read this as the first part of this Kindle edition, but decided against reading the other two parts as they’re rated much lower.

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