This is my first time to read such an impressive novel which gives me fascinating insights into life and fate of boat dwellers.
— A Chinese reader

This magic and quite stylistically experimental novel narrates a story of the beautiful woman Kuai Lili, who grew up in a water town and lost three husbands three times when she heard or saw birds of paradise.

One of the novel’s protagonists is a blind old woman, Granny Kuai (Kuai Lili), who has been with three men in her life.
The first man was Wang Zonghai, the son of the shipowner. Also born in a boat, Kuai fell in love with him crazily, and even eloped with him despite her father’s opposition. Later they had a lovely son. However, something unexpected may happen any time. Their son fell into the river and was drowned, and then Wang’s boat capsized and sank to the bottom of the river.
The second man was Ma Xiaotian, captain of the county brigade. She met this soldier/bandit man on the way to flee the persecution from her husband’s family. Captain Ma, who was really decent with a wealth of feelings and experiences, won the heart of the beautiful young married woman.
The third man was Yang Ruizhao, an orphan fisherman. Kuai met him when she was about to drown herself for love after her second husband died in a battle. She was moved by this kind and selfless man and then married him.
Kuai’s three husbands all died after she heard the birds of paradise. The three legendary love stories all ended in tragedy.
This is not a legendary novel in the traditional sense, but obvisouly it draws on the storytelling of legends. At the beginning of the novel, Granny Kuai is set as the answer to a riddle. On good terms with Yang Erlong and Song Xiaoqiu, Kuai gradually trusted them and talked about her three husbands bit by bit.
Granny Kuai was reluctant to tell her stories at first and could not help telling in the end. Yang and Song were initially curious to explore the stories, then heard the stories and finally found the stories too sad to be heard. These two opposing forces were in motion with each other, creating the driving force of storytelling and also forming the tension of storytelling.
Mr. Chen Qingjun, the author of the novel, has a special understanding and feeling of history and culture of water towns as well as waterside life. He has a deep insight into life state of the water town people. Therefore, his stories of the water town people, especially boat dwellers, will create a special reading experience.

Chen Qingjun, bachelor degree, has been engaged in middle school physics teaching and loves literature. He has published several novels and essays in literary journals, published monographs on physics and dozens of influential physics papers in core physics journals.