Hourglass 1

Name: Hourglass 1
ISBN: 9787544715614

Rao XuemanYilin PressJun 2024

3.9

Word count: 121K words
Chapters: 26
ISBN: 9787544715614

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Summary

Mo Xingxing, a teenage girl, suffers from alternating binge eating and anorexia; whenever she is emotionally shaken, she falls ill and eats startling amounts of food in private. When her classmate Mi Sha unexpectedly learns the secret, the two girls' friendship develops rapidly, and Xingxing finds in Mi Sha a friendship and comfort she has never known before... Later, she meets Luli, the boy Mi Sha likes. Just as Xingxing decides to start anew, she uncovers a shocking secret about her mother. Her mother, Luli, Mi Sha — everyone around her seems to be connected in extraordinarily subtle ways.

Editor's review

Hourglass 1 is the opening volume of Rao Xueman's "Hourglass" series. Told from the perspective of Mo Xingxing, a teenage girl, it places the hidden burden of alternating binge eating and anorexia at the intersection of friendship and family upheaval. Its readability comes from the rapid warming of relationships and from the trust that forms after a secret is discovered: Mi Sha's accidental knowledge of the secret does not turn into exposure but rather an opportunity for closeness between the two girls, giving the coming-of-age narrative an extra layer of understanding. Luli's arrival shifts the emotional line from simple friendship to a more complex triangular tension, foreshadowing the later revelation of the mother's past. The language is brisk, with delicate psychological detail, making it suitable for reading in sections after school or during holidays, following Xingxing's emotional shifts to understand why she uses food to cope with pressure. For readers of youth literature, this is the gateway to the series; for readers attentive to adolescent psychology, it can also serve as a window into the inner world of a sensitive girl.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young adult readers encountering Rao Xueman's work for the first time
Readers who enjoy stories about school friendships and the pains of growing up
Readers willing to understand adolescent psychological pressure through fiction
Newcomers planning to read the entire "Hourglass" series

Not a good fit for

Adult readers with little interest in youth campus fiction
Readers expecting strong suspense or fast-paced plots
Readers hoping to gain professional knowledge about mental illness from this book

Reading tips

Read chapter by chapter, noting how Xingxing's emotional swings correspond to her eating behavior.
Follow the friendship between Misha and Xingxing as the main thread and see how trust is built step by step.
After Luli appears, pay attention to the subtle emotional shifts and foreshadowing in the trio's interactions.
After finishing, compare with "Hourglass 2" to see how the mother's secret changes the characters' relationships.

About the publisher

Yilin Press China · Founded in 1988

Yilin Press focuses mainly on translated foreign literature. Its current catalogue of 318 titles covers common categories such as mystery and detective fiction, foreign literature, world classics, biography, and social novels. Representative books include The Complete Sherlock Holmes 2: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, To the Lighthouse, The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, and Lives of the Artists: Michelangelo, often presented in bilingual or English-language editions that serve both original-text reading and language learning. Its author resources include foreign writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, and Romain Rolland, as well as translators including Li Jiazhen, Gao Fen, and Ma Ye. The catalogue also includes Chinese works such as Li Jieren's Ripples Across Stagnant Water. The press shows a concentrated publishing strength in foreign classics and bilingual readers; given limited public information, this overview is based only on catalogue data.

版权信息
第1章莫醒醒(1)
第2章莫醒醒(2)
第3章莫醒醒(3)
第4章莫醒醒(4)
第5章莫醒醒(5)
第6章莫醒醒(6)
第7章莫醒醒(7)
第8章莫醒醒(8)
第9章莫醒醒(9)
第10章莫醒醒(10)
第11章莫醒醒(11)
第12章莫醒醒(12)
第13章米砂(1)
第14章米砂(2)
第15章米砂(3)
第16章米砂(4)
第17章米砂(5)
第18章米砂(6)
第19章米砂(7)
第20章米砂(8)
第21章米砂(9)
第22章米砂(10)
第23章米砂(11)
第24章米砂(12)
附录

FAQ

What is this book mainly about?

The novel revolves around Mo Xingxing, a teenage girl with alternating binge eating and anorexia who eats large quantities of food in private when emotionally shaken. After her classmate Mi Sha unexpectedly learns the secret, their friendship develops rapidly; Xingxing then meets Luli, the boy Mi Sha likes, and when she decides to start anew, she discovers a secret about her mother. The story focuses on adolescent friendship, family trauma, and self-identity.

Is it suitable for boys to read?

Yes. Although the main line is from a girl's perspective, the themes of friendship and trust, family secrets, and the pressures of growing up are not limited by gender. Boys can use it to understand the emotional circumstances of their female peers and may also find an observational angle in characters such as Luli. What matters is whether one is interested in youth coming-of-age themes.

Do I have to read the second volume after finishing this one?

Not necessarily, but this volume ends with a suspenseful mystery about the mother, and the character relationships are not yet fully developed. Hourglass 2 continues and advances these threads. For a complete story experience, continuing with the second volume is recommended; if you only want the opening's atmosphere of friendship and growth, the volume can stand on its own.

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About the author

Rao Xueman Author · China · 1972

Rao Xueman, born in 1972 in Zigong, Sichuan, is a Chinese writer, screenwriter and lyricist. She graduated from Sichuan University of Science and Engineering and once served as editor-in-chief of the magazine Man Nüsheng. She has long devoted herself to youth literature, focusing on young people's confusion and choices in growth, relationships and family life. Her writing is delicate and close to reality, and she is good at capturing the sensitive and stubborn feelings of adolescents. Her representative works include Left Ear, Hourglass, Li Ge and Secret Fruit, many of which have been adapted into films and television series. She has had a broad influence in the field of youth literature and is known as the "leading figure of youth literature." The library holds 35 of her works, including Yi Ai, Left Wing and Betta, commonly categorized as youth literature, social fiction and modern romance.