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Title	:	The Dissident
Author	:	Nell Freudenberger
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Special Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 432 pages
Published	:	March 21st 2008 by Picador USA (first published 2006)
Categories	:	Fiction. Cultural. China. Literary Fiction. Novels. Contemporary

The Dissident

Nell Freudenberger

Paperback | Pages: 432 pages

Rating: 3.35 | 838 Users | 122 Reviews

Chronicle As Books The Dissident

From the award-winning author of "Lucky Girls" comes an intricately woven novel about secrets, love, art, identity and the shining chaos of everyday American life. Yuan Zho, a celebrated Chinese performance artist and political dissident, has accepted a one year's artist's residency in Los Angeles. He is to be a Visiting Scholar at the St Anselm's School for Girls, teaching advanced art, and hosted by one of the school's most devoted families: the wealthy if dysfunctional Traverses. The Traverses are too preoccupied with their own problems to pay their foreign guest much attention, and the dissident is delighted to be left alone - his past links with the radical movements give him good reason to avoid careful scrutiny. The trouble starts when he and his American hosts begin to view one another with clearer eyes.

'Freudenberger is most certainly the genuine article.' " Guardian"

'Freudenberger's novel unfolds into that rare thing, a work of poetics itself, a medication in art. The fact that she does it with such wit and compassion, such generosity of mind and heart, is miraculous.' "T he Times"

'A fiercely intelligent first novel . . . Lots of sharp, funny dialogue, it has something of a Lost in Translation feel.' "Eve Magazine "

'Written in prose as clear as birdsong, the novel grips from first to last.' "Scotland on Sunday"

Particularize Books Concering The Dissident

Original Title:	The Dissident: A Novel
ISBN:	0330493442 (ISBN13: 9780330493444)
Edition Language:	English
Literary Awards:	John Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize, Orange Prize Nominee for Fiction Longlist (2007), Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize (2006)

Rating About Books The Dissident

Ratings: 3.35 From 838 Users | 122 Reviews

Criticism About Books The Dissident

This novel tackled several interesting themes - the ownership of art, what makes art *art*, identity, culture clash - but it never quite coalesced into a convincing story. Freudenberger writes characters extremely well, and deftly cuts to the heart of interpersonal dynamics, but this book could have been twice as long and still not filled in all of the gaps that were left open from storyline to storyline. That said, I appreciated the impetus to question my own thoughts about art, artists, and

This wasn't bad for a first novel, but, eh. Basically none of the characters ever really came to life or drew you in so that you ever felt invested in or particularly attached to any of them. I think the author was maybe a bit too ambitious with the number of characters. All of them were given a cursory psychology and background and personality but once given the explanation that, say, the middle sister always felt like a gray sheep against her white sheep & black sheep brothers, nothing

Freudenberger is becoming one of my favourite authors. This is her first novel, after her book of short stories, and it is impressive for a debut novel. The story centres around a Chinese artist who has come to Los Angeles on an artist in residence program. There is a mystery around his origins. There are actually a lot of characters and themes in this story but they all gel in a very satisfying way.

"This was the second time an important moment in my life had been marked by a piece of performance art involving fish. ( How many people can write that sentence truthfully?)" Wonderful passages like this show how talented Nell Freudenberger's writing can be though she overreaches that talent overall in this book. This is the second text I've read recently by young women writers that touch on China in the years following Tiananmen Square. The other was the play "Chimerica" by Lucy Kirkwood which

This was a fabulous book for many reasons. The Chinese artists coming out of the Cultural Revolution have been producing some of the most complex, disturbing, and evocative artwork today. The author uses this as her backdrop to discuss the meaning of art, as well as the purpose of art in our modern world of utility and extreme praticality. The writer's direct, unadorned narrative was accessible, yet profound in its simplicity and frequent hints of a dry, dry wit. On the nature of artist:"It's a



5 stars for the writing, three for totally dropping the ball in the last 40 pages or so... I would definitely read more of her stuff, but hope she learns to tie up a plot more satisfyingly.