Lost Golden Bell/失去的金铃子

This book depicts the experiences and observations of a young girl studying away from home during the War of Resistance against Japan—ordinary people and simple events in her mountain village. Yet, under Nie Hualing's pen, the girl's unrequited love, the bitterness of a woman upholding chastity, the struggles between wives and concubines, and women's yearning for freedom are presented delicately and gently, like a freehand landscape painting, simple yet profound. The gentle singing of Jin Lingzi, a metaphor for the girl's feelings, is like a golden thread, softly appearing throughout the book, not only becoming the underlying theme but also draping the entire plot in a poetic veil.

本书描写的是抗战时期一个在外读书的少女返回故乡的一段经历和见闻--山村故土的一些平平常常的人, 一些简简单单的事。但在聂华苓的笔下, 少女暗恋的情怀, 守节女子的苦涩, 妻妾之间的争斗, 女性向往自由的憧憬, 被细腻地、舒缓地展现出来, 象一幅写意的山水画, 素淡而隽永。而暗喻着少女情怀的金铃子的轻唱, 好象一根金丝, 柔柔地隐现在全书中, 不仅成为小说暗伏的主线, 更使得整个故事情节披上了一缕诗意的薄纱。