The City of Youth

Name: The City of Youth
ISBN: 9787507526349

乐小米Sino-Culture Press2009

3.9

Series: The City of Youth
ISBN: 9787507526349

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Summary

The City of Youth is a coming-of-age novel by Yue Xiaomi, first published by Huawen Publishing House in 2009. The story begins with four teenagers who are isolated or forgotten by their classmates: Ai Tianya, a short, plain-looking girl; Ye Ling, a beauty with a slight stutter; Hainan Dao, an orphan raised by a beggar; and Hu Ba, whose father vanished when he was a child. In their loneliness, the four form a bond almost like family. Gu Lang, a cold-faced boy, is the shining ideal in many girls' hearts; both Ai Tianya and her best friend Ye Ling secretly love him, and fate makes Ye Ling his girlfriend. When Gu Lang's family is struck by sudden misfortune, he is forced to leave the city; when he secretly returns to school to see Ye Ling, he learns a shocking secret of hers. What follows overturns everyone's expectations: Ye Ling chooses to end her life, Hu Ba is sent to reeducation through labor, Hainan Dao stays behind to care for Hu Ba's ailing mother, and Ai Tianya grows from a short girl into a tall, beautiful young woman. Years later, Ai Tianya enters university, Hainan Dao runs a business in the same city, and Hu Ba returns after serving his term. They make new friends and meet new loves. Then one day, on an unexpected occasion, they meet Gu Lang again after years apart. Long-buried memories of their youth reopen: what exactly happened in the summer when they were thirteen? Told through multiple narrative threads that weave together friendship, love, and family pain, the novel portrays a group of marginalized teenagers—their confusion, betrayal, and transformation in the whirlpool of fate.

Editor's review

在乐小米的笔下，青春不是加了滤镜的校园写真，而是一座让人无处可逃的城。小说把镜头对准四个被集体遗忘的少年：矮小平凡的艾天涯、结巴的叶灵、被乞丐养大的海南岛、父亲缺席的胡巴。他们之间近乎悲壮的友情，与少男少女对顾朗朦胧的心动交织在一起，最终被一连串极端变故击碎。乐小米的文字辛辣俏皮，前一秒让人捧腹，下一秒就让人落泪，这种在残酷与幽默之间自由切换的叙述，正是她被称为“草根式残酷青春文学代言人”的原因。作品不写王子和公主，而写底层少年最真实的窘迫与倔强，写喜欢一个人时那种郑重而又无望的心情。作为乐小米《凉生，我们可不可以不忧伤》之后的长篇，本书首印达十二万册，在青春文学读者中影响颇广。对于想在青春故事里读到痛感的读者，它是一次值得的、被刺痛的阅读。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢乐小米《凉生》系列、习惯青春疼痛叙事的读者
想读校园友情、暗恋与成长故事的初高中生及大学生
对草根少年、边缘群体处境有共情与关注的读者
喜欢多线叙事、群像式青春小说写法的读者

Not a good fit for

偏好轻松治愈甜文、不愿面对死亡与牢狱情节的读者
对早恋、自杀等沉重题材敏感的未成年读者及家长
期待宏大社会议题严肃小说或现实派纯文学的读者

Reading tips

先把它当作一部群像青春小说来读，留意四个少年各自的身世伏笔，后面揭晓时才更有冲击。
读完可以回头重看艾天涯十三岁夏天的段落，很多情绪与细节在全书后半才显出意义。
读完后若想接着看，可读《青城Ⅱ》，补完人物在成年后的走向与新的情感纠葛。
书中涉及自杀、劳教等沉重情节，读到情绪波动处不妨停下来，和朋友聊聊自己的少年往事。

About the publisher

Sino-Culture Press China · Founded in 1987

Sino-Culture Press is known for publishing in history, social sciences and traditional Chinese culture, with a further reach into literary appreciation, classic works and foreign literature. Its library of 489 titles includes such works as The Road to Dongpo: The Evolution of Su Shi's Poetic Style, The Poetry and Life of Du Fu, The History of Qin and Han, and Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City (collector's edition), while A Preliminary Survey of Ancient Architecture in Shanxi and Fen: Hand-drawn Records of Architectural Remains reflects an interest in documenting architectural heritage. Van Loon's Collected Classics and guided-reading editions of works such as Call to Arms and Notre-Dame de Paris serve general readers and classroom use. Its authors include scholars and popular writers such as Fu Junmai, Chen Linlin, Van Loon, Wang Longlin and Guan Ranrong, and biography is another direction. As public information is limited, this note focuses on the publishing profile shown by the titles in the library.

FAQ

《青城》讲的是一个什么样的故事？

它讲艾天涯、叶灵、海南岛、胡巴四个被同学孤立的少年之间的友情，以及艾天涯和叶灵同时喜欢顾朗所引发的一系列变故。十三岁那个夏天埋下的秘密，多年后重逢时被重新揭开。

《青城》和《凉生》是同一个作者吗？

是，作者都是乐小米（本名纪伟娜），青岛人，是《花火》等青春杂志的代表性写手，代表作包括《凉生，我们可不可以不忧伤》系列、《苍耳》《青城》及其续作。

《青城》有续集吗？需要按顺序读吗？

有续作《青城Ⅱ》，2012年由新世界出版社出版。建议先读《青城》再读续作，因为续作承接第一部的少年往事与人物关系，先读原作更能理解人物的情感底色。

这本书适合初中生读吗？

可以读，但需要留意：书中包含自杀、劳动教养、家庭破碎等沉重情节，情绪冲击较强。初高中生读时，建议家长或老师了解大致内容，方便在孩子情绪波动时交流。

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About the author

乐小米 Author

Le Xiaomi is a Chinese author known for writing youth literature. Publicly available information about her is limited, and her nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented. Judging from the eight works held in the collection, her writing focuses on youth, growing up, and emotional narratives. Her representative work, Liang Sheng, Can We Not Be Sad, unfolds across five volumes, with commemorative editions of individual parts such as Mo Shang Lang, Ru Meng Ling, Zi Ye Ge, Cai Yun San, and Ming Yue Gui. These titles often borrow classical ci tune names and imagery, giving the books a graceful and melancholic lyrical quality. Another work, Cang Er, along with Cang Er 2, also centers on youth themes. Overall, her books depict characters' emotions and coming-of-age experiences in delicate prose and have a recognizable presence among readers of youth literature.