I bought a used copy of 金庸’s 神雕俠侶 (The Return of the Condor Heroes) on Ebay for a fraction of the price and the 4 volume novel arrived today!  Yeah!  “Charlotte”, 12, has already started reading it on Kindle last week.  But, like all things, a book in hand is a book indeed and still works better for her.  I ask her to read a little every day.  I did have to explain to her a few passages that she didn’t get, particularly since she didn’t read the previous series, 射雕英雄傳 (The Legend of the Condor Heroes).  However, having watched the cartoon version a couple of years ago does help her with having an overall understanding of the plot.   I also explain to her a few terms that she didn’t get and read a few paragraphs for her every now and then, to make sure she gets the gist of the plot.  I am not say that she understands every idiom 成語 or word usage (because she doesn’t), but I am sure she will pick up more and more of them up from context over time.

With the novel in hand and the real action finally starting with the arrival of the main protagonist 楊過, she is now getting excited about the story.  Super duper!  I am so glad she can now enjoy what I enjoyed reading in my teens!  I am sure that, after reading this four volume novel, her Chinese would improve by a significant degree.