A Lifetime of Unease
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
The book's value lies in its distinctive narrative perspective on historical women. It does not aim to overturn verdicts or rehabilitate these women, but seeks to understand their "unease" within specific historical contexts—a profound sense of rupture stemming from traditional propriety, personal emotion, and the changes of the times. Reading it, you feel a complex empathy: mourning their misfortune, sometimes lamenting their failure to strive, yet ultimately admiring the vitality—sometimes resilient, sometimes resolute—they displayed within constricted fates. It is more like a prism, reflecting different facets of eternal themes such as love, dignity, dependence, and independence.
As an editor, I find the reading experience immersive and slightly heavy. It is not for readers seeking light, fast entertainment, but is well suited to those interested in history, women's issues, and deep exploration of human nature. The literary quality and reflectiveness that permeate the book lift it beyond an ordinary collection of character stories, making it a text that invites deep thought.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in Republican-era history and the stories of historical figures
- Thinkers concerned with women's fate and emotional issues
- Literature lovers who appreciate graceful prose with a strong literary quality
- Readers hoping to find different perspectives and resonance in historical narratives
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light entertainment or purely recreational reading
- Researchers expecting rigorous academic historical biography
Reading tips
- Reading in order is recommended, but you can also start with the chapters on the figures who interest you most to build momentum
- It helps to combine relevant background knowledge on the historical figures while reading to deepen understanding
- After reading, pause to reflect on the similarities and differences between the women's choices in the book and contemporary circumstances
About the publisher
Founded in Lanzhou in 1951, Gansu People's Publishing House specializes in local chronicles, Dunhuang studies, historical documents of northwest China, collation of ancient books, and cultural and historical readings. It once launched the magazine Reader and is now an independent subsidiary of Reader Publishing Group. Its six titles in our database span several fields: in medicine, Advances in Clinical Pharmacology and Research Methods by Qin Hongyan, Liu Lijuan and Zang Kaihong; in documentary literature, Chen Yufu's Record of Traffic Police in Earthquake Relief; in biography, the volume Wang Shitai: A Biography by its editorial committee; and also Li Mengji's A Life of Unpaid Debts, Shi Fang's Quality Education Library: Creativity, and Sun Kui's Selected Lectures on Armed Police Development. Its authors are mainly medical researchers, documentary and biography writers, and educators. Public information is limited, so this introduction focuses on the publishing directions reflected in the titles in our database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 作者介绍
- 再版序2：北漂那些年，我的得与失
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 再版序：我见众生皆草木，唯你是青山
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 初版序：我只是一个香水师
- 鲁迅妻子朱安：一生欠安
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 尾声
- 忆顾城妻子谢烨：一纸深情为子书
- 一
- 二
- 三
- 四
- 五
- 民国影后胡蝶：生活待我凉薄，我报之以梨涡
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 尾声
- 京剧女皇孟小冬：与梅兰芳情深，与杜月笙缘浅
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 尾声
- 少帅张学良夫人于凤至：凤兮凤兮，非梧不栖
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 尾声
- 徐悲鸿原配蒋棠珍：却道海棠依旧
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 尾声
- 宋子文初恋盛七小姐：当时只道是寻常
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 继母忆张爱玲：豆蔻不消心上恨，才情深处人孤独
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 民国第一才女吕碧城：莫待无花空折枝
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 原配忆郁达夫：曾因酒醉鞭名马，生怕情多累美人
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 尾声
- 末代皇帝溥仪正妻婉容：北方有佳人
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 秦淮八艳陈圆圆：冲冠一怒为红颜，一夕倾城为君尽
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 秦淮八艳柳如是：料杨柳见我应如是
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 秦淮八艳卞玉京：陌上乍相逢，误尽平生意
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 秦淮八艳顾横波：水是眼波横
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 秦淮八艳寇白门：女侠谁知寇白门
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 尾声
- 忆陆游弃妻唐琬：一世痴情，未得卿心
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 尾声
- 后记
FAQ
Is this book a historical biography or a literary work?
Which women are featured in the book?
What is the author's writing style like?
Comments
Find this book
This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Li Mengji is a Chinese author known for her essay collections and inspirational writing on personal growth. Public information about her is limited, and biographical details are not available in the current records. Judging from the nine works collected so far, her writing follows roughly two threads. The first concerns inner steadiness, as in Let All Things Pass Through Me, Let Everything Happen: The Courage to Be Undefined and Let Everything Happen: Living Without Tension, which explore how to stay relaxed and at ease amid pressure and others' judgments. The second observes life's circumstances and women's experience, as in One Trip Through This World, Joy Above All, The Scenery About You in This Life: The Brilliant Lives of Eleven Independent Women and Life Is Always a Wilderness: Traveling to Antarctica Alone, as well as inspirational books such as Exhausted by Involution, More Exhausted by Inner Friction, which respond to real-life anxiety. She is also the author of A Life of Unfulfilled Peace. Her style is essayistic, gentle yet direct, and she often approaches life's questions through everyday feelings, which places her work in the categories of essays, inspirational growth and health reading.
