Surrounded by a remorseless mother and seven sisters, each named in anticipation of his birth, a boy-child becomes the narrator of this story, presenting a gene... » 

Surrounded by a remorseless mother and seven sisters, each named in anticipation of his birth, a boy-child becomes the narrator of this story, presenting a generation of life in a rural Chinese community in twentieth century, populated by strong women and weak husbands, bandits and government bureaucrats, hen-murdering mid-wives and missionaries. «