Returning Home

Name: Returning Home
ISBN: 9787505743335

任宝茹 / 高璇China Friendship Publishing Company · ChinaMay 2018

3.5

Word count: 505K words
Chapters: 49
ISBN: 9787505743335

Report an error Find this book

Summary

Go Back portrays the lives of different international students, telling the story of Xiao Qing, a daughter of a legal family; Shu Che, a son of officials; Miao Ying, a daughter of business wealth; and Ning Ming, Cheng Ran, and "Green Card," young people from ordinary backgrounds, who gather in the United States for various reasons of family, ideals, and love, undergo trials in a foreign land, hold fast to their ideals, and achieve personal transformation.

Editor's review

Taking international students as its entry point, Go Back brings together characters from different backgrounds—children of legal families, officials, and business wealth alongside ordinary young people—in the United States, unfolding multiple threads around family, ideals, and love. The book's readability lies in the clashes of outlook brought about by differences in upbringing and in the choices and growth of characters facing trials in a foreign environment, giving it a certain realistic relevance. As a novel published alongside a TV series, the narrative emphasizes plot momentum and character relationships, with a low threshold for reading; it suits continuous reading on commutes or in leisure time. Readers may use the characters' situations to reflect on the relationship between family background and personal choice, but should not treat it as documentary material on international student life. It is best approached with a relaxed mindset, following the arc of character change rather than scrutinizing plot logic.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in international-student themes and urban romance stories
Readers who enjoy multi-character ensembles and topics of generation and class
Viewers of the同名 television adaptation who wish to revisit the story
Readers seeking light, continuous reading for commutes or travel

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking practical guidance or documentary information about studying abroad
Serious literary readers who prefer strong literary quality and experimental narrative
Readers impatient with emotional entanglements and multi-thread ensemble narration

Reading tips

First sort out the main characters' family backgrounds and networks of relationships before entering the plot, to better understand the motives behind conflicts.
Read in sections by character thread, attending to differences in stance among characters in the same event.
After reading, one might compare it with one's own understanding of family and ideals and jot down a few reflections to deepen the experience.
If one has seen the television adaptation, comparing the differences in character portrayal between text and screen can add reading pleasure.

About the publisher

China Friendship Publishing Company China · Founded in 1983

China Friendship Publishing Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literary titles, covering classical Chinese literature, foreign literature, folk literature and cultural appreciation. According to the books in the database, its classical list includes celebrated dramas and novels such as The Peony Pavilion, The Romance of the Western Chamber and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, as well as note-style classics like Hong Mai's Rongzhai Suibi. In foreign literature it offers translations of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Kawabata Yasunari's Snow Country and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, involving translators such as Zeng Siyi. It also publishes The Complete Literary Works of Lu Xun and titles associated with the "Xue'er Shuguan" editorial group, balancing the collation and popularization of classic texts. Public information on its publishing features and plans is limited; the above is summarized only from the books in the database.

《归去来》记事
第1章
第二集
第三集
第四集
第五集
第六集
第七集
第八集
第九集
第十集
第十一集
第十二集
第十三集
第十四集
第十五集
第十六集
第十七集
第十八集
第十九集
第二十集
第二十一集
第二十二集
第二十三集
第二十四集
第二十五集
第二十六集
第二十七集
第二十八集
第二十九集
第三十集
第三十一集
第三十二集
第三十三集
第三十四集
第三十五章
第三十六章
第三十七章
第三十八章
第三十九章
第四十章
第四十一章
第四十二章
第四十三章
第四十四章
第四十五章
第四十六章
第四十七章
第四十八章

FAQ

Will I have trouble reading this book directly without having seen the TV adaptation?

No, you will not. This book is a self-contained novel narrative, and the character relationships and plot are explained within the text. Viewers of the adaptation may have first impressions of the characters, but readers who have not seen it can understand the story by reading in the book's order without prior knowledge of the adaptation.

Can this book be read as a guide to studying abroad?

It is not recommended. The work is a popular novel centered on characters' emotions and growth, focusing on dramatic conflict and character relationships rather than a systematic record or practical guide to international student life. For information on real applications, living costs, and the like, one should choose dedicated documentary or guidebooks.

There are many characters—what if I get confused while reading?

At the start of reading, you can briefly note the main characters' family backgrounds and relationships—who is a couple with whom, who has interests entangled with whom. Multi-thread narratives concentrate on introducing characters early on, and the threads gradually become clear by the middle; there is no need to give up because of the density of characters at the beginning.

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

任宝茹 Author

Ren Baoru is a contemporary Chinese novelist about whom little information is publicly available. Three works are known under her name, all unfolding around the same story: Gui Qu Lai, its sequel Gui Qu Lai II, and the concluding volume Gui Qu Lai: The Finale. Judging from common cataloguing, her writing leans toward modern romance and social fiction, and some platforms list her among authors of quality popular novels. The works extend the same characters and emotional threads across a multi-volume sequence, offering a narrative close to present-day urban life in which personal relationships are interwoven with social realities; they should appeal to readers who enjoy continuous long-form storytelling and lifelike detail. Because no reliable records exist for her dates of birth and death, nationality, education, or awards, no further biographical account can be given, and readers can best approach her writing through these three works.

高璇 Author

Gao Xuan is an author about whom limited public information is available. Three works are currently confirmed, all unfolding around the same story: Gui Qu Lai, its sequel Gui Qu Lai II, and the finale volume. According to the library's categories, these works combine elements of modern romance and social fiction and are listed as premium novels, suggesting that beyond their emotional storylines they also engage with real-life circumstances and social relationships. The series format indicates that the author tends to develop characters and plot twists over an extended narrative before bringing the story to a close. As information such as dates of birth and death, nationality, education, and writing career is not found in the available records, no further biographical details can be given; readers may come to know the author's work mainly through the titles mentioned above.