The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 2 (Volume 2) Paperback – December 11, 2012

This is part two of one of the four great written masterpieces of China, beautifully translated by Professor Yu. It is, I believe, the closest English speakers will get to the original Chinese text. Occasional awkwardness of wording in the translation is unavoidable as this work has gone from its original to a greatly contrasting culture. Do not let this discourage you as you read, let it instead encourage you to learn to read the Chinese original. Seeing it via one of the many movies / TV productions available is a great help in enjoying this work. I highly recommend the CCTV production from mainland China done in both 1986 and 2000.

A must read book for all avid readers around the world! Brought the whole series from this author's since I like the story and wanted to own the entire book collection of Journey to the West. It is one of the best book I read in my life and believed me, I read over 2,000 books in 20 yrs. After reading JW Book 1, I wanted to read the other 3 JW books since I was totally hooked into the story once I read book 1 of JW. Amazing story telling!

Great reading.

Book is as described.

This is the second volume of Anthony C. Yu's four-volume translation of the Chinese classic, "The Journey to the West." As with the first volume, it is quite different than I'd originally anticipated. Far from being a dry, difficult, worthy tome, it is filled with taunts, trickery, battles, monsters, and a generous helping of poetry. The narrative is episodic and repetitive, but connections between the various events help thread it together. I had intended to read a chapter a day, but was often tempted into more. Although there is a great deal of violence, the tone is very light. Suffice it to say, I didn't expect a Chinese classic to contain a scene where three of the heroes pass off their piss as holy water. A radical concept: literature is allowed to be fun.

Continuing with volume 2--just as good as volume 1. A joy to read. Learning a lot about Chinese culture in this classic and at the same time very entertaining.

I have many translations of this Chinese classic, as well as the original Chinese version. If you want a real feel for this story, you cannot go wrong with this version. Yes, it is long, but so is the original. If you are looking for a very condensed, but well done version, I would also recommend the Arthur Waley translation!!