The Swindler King cover

The Swindler King

Rating 4.1
Word count
383.9K words
ISBN
9787531334125

Tags

Summary

This is a popular novel many readers call impossible to put down, yet it is far more than the story of a swindler. The author's research into Republican-era antiquities trades, money houses and gambling dens, local customs, and worldly ways is meticulous and vividly rendered, reading like unfolding a long scroll of old-time urban life. What is most rewarding is the protagonist's transformation: from the deceived to the deceiver, every success sends a chill through the reader, who, even while applauding, cannot help asking—in a time of chaos, how exactly are a person's moral bottom lines worn away, layer by layer? The book is not only about cheating and being cheated but about how a person is reshaped by the rules of society. Readers who enjoy Republican-era settings, urban jianghu themes, or who are interested in antique lore and the structure of cons can read it as both popular history and a suspenseful story.

Editor's review

这是一部被不少读者称作“拿起就放不下”的通俗小说,却远不止于讲一个骗子的故事。作者对民国时期文物行当、钱庄赌馆、地方风物与世故人情,考据细致,写得具体可感,读来像在翻阅一幅旧时代的市井长卷。全书最耐读的地方,是主人公的转变:他从受骗者变成行骗者,每一次得手都让人心里发凉,读者在拍案之余又忍不住追问——乱世之中,人的底线究竟是怎样一层层被磨掉的?书中不止讲骗与被骗,更讲一个人如何被社会规则重塑。喜欢民国背景、市井江湖题材,或对古玩掌故、骗局结构感兴趣的朋友,可以把它当作一段通俗历史与一部悬念故事来读。

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • 喜欢民国背景通俗小说与市井江湖题材的读者
  • 对古玩字画、旧时钱庄赌馆等掌故感兴趣的读者
  • 偏爱骗局、复仇与悬疑推进式情节的读者
  • 想借小说观察人性与社会规则的成年读者

Not a good fit for

  • 对卖淫、赌博、欺诈等情节较敏感的读者不建议阅读
  • 希望读短篇轻松故事或儿童读物的读者不建议阅读
  • 只看非虚构历史论著的读者可能会失望

Reading tips

  1. 先弄清主人公受骗的那一段情节,后面每一次行骗,都能看出他的动机从何而来。这只是叙述顺序上的提示,不是剧透。
  2. 遇到古玩、钱庄、典当等专业描写时不妨慢读,书里很多门道本身就是看点。
  3. 把它当作社会小说来读,不只关注骗术是否成功,也留意作者对人物命运的安排。
  4. 篇幅较长,建议按故事推进的节奏分段阅读,每次读一段完整的骗局。

About the publisher

Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House is a local professional literature and art publisher focusing mainly on modern and contemporary literary works, while also publishing classical literature, foreign literature, and books on culture and the arts. Its well-known brands include the "Cloth Tiger Series" and the "Little Cloth Tiger Series." Judging from the 257 titles in the database, its publishing scope covers social novels, classic works, classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature, and philosophy. Representative books include Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering, Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West, Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River, and foreign classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Don Quixote, and The Golden Rose. Its authors include leading Chinese and foreign writers such as Lao She, Lu Xun, Feng Zikai, Wu Cheng'en, and Jane Austen, reflecting a publishing profile that combines Chinese classics with world literary masterpieces.

FAQ

《骗枭》讲的是真实历史还是虚构故事?
是虚构的长篇小说,人物与事件均出自作者创作,但背景设定在20世纪二三十年代,其中古玩文物、旧时行业、地方风物的描写有较强的历史依据,可以作为了解那个时代市井社会的通俗读物。
这本书的“足本”是什么意思?
据出版信息,2009年春风文艺出版社的“足本”是在此前版本基础上补全内容后推出的版本,篇幅更完整。若只求通读故事,这一版相对完整;不同版本的页数、定价略有差别。
《骗枭》和作者的另一部作品《骗女》有关系吗?
两部作品题材相近,都写民国的“高级骗子”。《骗枭》以卞梦龙为主角,《骗女》则转向女性骗子,可视作同一题材的姊妹篇或续书,先读《骗枭》更容易进入故事。
这本书适合当成“防骗指南”读吗?
不太适合。书中的骗局是文学化的情节设计,并未系统总结防骗方法。它的价值更多在于通过故事呈现人性的复杂与时代的荒唐,读后有所警醒即可,不要照着书里的做法去模仿。

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