I prefer the Salzman of _Iron and Silk_, but still enjoyed this book. A little of everything, lots of humor. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me to realize all over again to the differences between cultures! This book was part farie tale and part object lesson. Very good read! ( )

This is an engaging fable about an orphan, Hsun-ching, raised by a Buddhist monk, Wei-ching, who hopes that in the future this young boy he is raising and educating, will go to the U.S. to pursue acquiring the last of the sutras for the library, called The Laughing Sutra, which is purported to show the way to immortality. Hsun-Ching, is pulled into the Cultural Revolution, survives, and returns to the temple to find Wei-ching an elderly, sick man. Hsun-Ching decides to journey to the U.S. in quest of The Laughing Sutra to fulfill Wei-ching's last request. Along the way he is joined by Colonel Sun and they enter into many amazing adventures before returning to China. This book seemed more like a YA than an adult book, but had lots of fun for the adults to enjoy. ( )

Sheng-Hui est né en 1956, orphelin à quatre ans, il est élevé en forêt par un moine bouddhiste. Passionné par l'épopée du Roi des Singes, il va refaire le voyage...de Hong Kong aux Etats-Unis. ( )

The Laughing Sutra is a modern-day retelling of the classic Chinese tale, The Journey to the West. The "monk" this time is Hsun-Ching, an orphan raised by a monk whose greatest desire is to find the Laughing Sutra, a legendary Buddhist sutra that is supposed to confer instant enlightenment on anyone who reads and understands it. The Monkey King is Colonel Sun, a mysterious soldier who claims to be several thousand years old. Together, the two head for San Francisco in search of the sutra, during the tumultuous 1960s. It's a lively story, funny and fantastic, but with a lot of heart. I enjoyed it a lot. ( )