The Song of Desert/ Ballad of the Desert (Sound of the Desert) 大漠谣 by Tong Hua (OE)

View Comments

• I would have felt the happy ending of this novel had it not ended with a Meng Jiu scene. Totally broke my heart.

• *This is my 1st c-novel translated into Engllish. It introduces me to another new obssession & I am glad I got addicted, heehee. When I read it I like it very much but after listening to a few other c-novels, I find this book slightly above average only. The introduction in the dessert is breathtaking & memorable but later I feel Yun Zhong Ge's intro is even better. After Yu Jin hooked up with Huo Qu Bing, I lost interest in the story. The only thing that kept me reading is Meng Jiu. In the 1st volume, I like HQB better as he is sunny & funny. Then I start to appreciate MJ in volume 2 as he did so much for YJ without expecting anything in return. The only tears I shed in this novel is for MJ alone only.

• My exact thoughts.This was also my first c-novel. Perhaps it's because I never felt much strongly towards HQB, so the OTP never really left a print in my heart. At one moment I really didn't like Meng Jiu because Jin Yu had already hooked up with HQB and he trying to get her to go back to him. My last feeling towards Jin Yu was exactly that of his subjects.

  Still, Tong Hua could have spared us that scene at the end. If ending on a happy note with Jin Yu and HQB, it would have been more happier. The Meng Jiu scene could have been put before Jin Yu's happy ending. I couldn't sleep after reading that scene. T_T

• At the end of the book, Huo Qu Bing got overshadowed by Meng Jiu. Just felt so bad for him, if he had missed his chance with Jin Yu because he doesn't love her, then I can overlook, but the guy didn't want to drag her into his life. But I agree with her going with Huo Qu Bing, Jin Yu can't wait around for him forever. She has her own feelings too.

  • The romantic me thinks Jin Yu should have waited for MJ a bit longer. She hooked up with HQB, less than a yr after MJ's rejection right? I mean not as dramatic as forever but at least a few yrs like Yang Guo waited for Xiao Long Nu for 15 yrs. I can understand one needs to seize the chance of the moment or else you might not get a 2nd one & live to regret, yet I feel her change in affection is too soon. Probably I am bias because Hu Ge is MJ & not HQB:P

• Meng Jiu or Huo Qu Bing?

  I'm strictly on the Huo Qu Bing-ship. While I liked Meng Jiu for his sacrifices in the second part, I feel like Yu'er gave him enough chances and he didn't understand her well enough. If he did, he would have known that she cared more about him than having children, and it wouldn't have taken him until she decided to leave him for him to accept her. After Yu'er returned to Chang An, I was really annoyed that he continued to chase after her even when she told him that she belonged to Huo Qu Bing.

  I love HQB for his directness in his pursuit of Yu'er and he stayed by her side even after he found out about her love for Meng Jiu. I always felt that Yu'er was more uninhibited when she was with HQB, while with Jiu Ye, she tried to be more lady-like and feigned illness just to exchange letters with him.

  My favorite scene is the archery contest with Yi Zhi Xie and the resulting chase. I could really feel the strength of Yu'er and Huo Qu Bing's love in that final kiss. :D

  Two things that I felt HQB did wrong was not telling Yu'er that Meng Jiu was searching for her and refusing to tell Meng Jiu where Yu'er was or even if she was safe. It must have taken a lot of effort for someone as proud as Jiu Ye to kneel in front of Housekeeper Chen just for any news of Yu'er, but because of HQB's orders not to tell Jiu Ye anything, he treated shamefully and hustled out of the Huo Estate.

  I also felt that Yu'er liked Meng Jiu because of the fatherly feeling he gave her. He reminded her of her father when he took care of her by cleaning her earlobes and feeding her medicine. The depths of her feelings for HQB were buried under the feelings she developed for Meng Jiu during that year they spent together. HQB was the one she turned around to gaze at in the desert, HQB was the one she looked for when she arrived in Chang An, and HQB was the one she hoped to see in the room at the end of the hallway when she was going to meet the man who had been looking for her.

  • Yah that part my liking for Meng Jiu just dropped to the bottom. It was like a taint on a piece of art. If he had not went to Jing Yu after she already considered herself Huo Qu Bing's woman, he would have been perfect. Totally ruined my impression on him that moment. Really rolled my eyes at that moment. It doesn't matter if it matters or not to you whether or not she slept with another man, her heart already turned to him. You only put out that argument that you don't care if she feels that she is not worthy to be by your side because she's been with another man, but that's not the case at that moment.

    But, still the character who left the biggest impression to me in this novel would still be Meng Jiu.

  • I have nothing against HQB. In fact I quite like him also but he is just a typical male lead like in so many books. Moreover he is based on a historical person. Whereas the 2nd male leads in other books are not as well drawn out as MJ in that they are either bad, bland or boring, not as giving & self-sacrificing as MJ.

    MJ's effort in trying to win back JY despite knowing she is with HQB doesn't lessen her appeal to me because I can understand his painful regret & try his best to make right his wrong decision. He never gives up on JY until the very end when he is assured HQB can give JY happiness is commendable. As for him rejecting JY at the beginning, it is because of his sacrificial nature which makes him thinks he is not good enough for JY due to her handicap.

    Different readers with different personality & life experiences will relate differently to both of the male leads. However I feel Tong Hua can create equally memorable & good first & 2nd male leads. In fact sometime, I don't even know who is leading, haha...

    • haha, I like and dislike it when the second male lead is a wonderful man. It's like the top of your hand is flesh and the bottom of your hand is flesh also. No matter which way she goes, I feel pain still.

      Why don't these authors do us a favor and give the 2nd male a girl also? even a open ending for the 2nd male?

      I think the other reason why MJ rejects JY is also because of his political position, he doesn't want to drag her into what he is suffering. But, he doesn't understand that she loves him enough to stand in it with him and the political background is still there whether JY is with MJ or with HQB.

• haha you really remind me a lot of parts that got muddy in my Meng Jiu scarred memory!!

  I felt HQB did those things out of his desire to not regret, whereas look at Jiu Ye he can only deal with the pain of missing his chance with the girl he has given his heart to. I think that's the worst.

  Never held any bad feelings for HQB because I wouldn't put those things he did (or didn't do) as betraying his morals or end justifies the means but it's love and because it's love it's every man for his own. Jin Yu doesn't owe Jiu Ye anything, she gave him her all while she was waiting for him to turn around and accept her but he didn't and she moved on. Jiu Ye sacrificing for her in the second part, it's of his own free will and no one forced him to. It's just!!! After happy ending for main couple, Tonghua just had to show us Jiu Ye suffering... *tears hair out*

• I've read through the whole book and I like it very much. I like Meng Jiu's character and his love to Yu Er but the character who really leaves impressions to me is Li Yan. I like her story but not her ending but I glad that she finally realize that revenging does not benefits her or anyone.

  • *high 5* I find Li Yan to give the biggest impression also. I find her very sad, but at least she did what she wanted to. I also felt the li Yan in dmy and yzg is different.

• after reading the last chapter i really want to know what did meng jiu meant when he said he wonder what huo qu bing expression would be when HQB and Yiu er arrived at the place with the sign of the gold desert with blue yue shang spring to pick up their son? is he trying let HQB know that that spot was also where he met Yiu er??

• I'm so looking forward to the drama after reading Da Mo Yao, ironically this the only Tong Hua's novel I have read so far and I really like the storyline! :)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60zoIi65gwk

  Another trailer fresh from the oven. Why do they come out in droves when I am at my most busy? The trailer looks good and I can see it is staying true to the novel. But the music is not that nice. Also, the trailer is a bit disorganized & confusing. I am a HG's fan but I don't know why I find Eddie is looking more attractive, lol. I guess it is the styling which makes HG looks kind of pale, gaunt & sickly which is what his character supposed to be. It took me a while to get used to Eddie's new name:P