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anieeereads's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
leslie_d's review
3.0
The young teen-aged* Robin would seem a prime target for having an unsavory boyfriend who needs saving, mama! but for the character of Mr. Tsow. His cryptic statements, his unrepentant bigotry and certainty is intriguing; and he isn’t easily dismissed as not worth her trouble. That Robin’s maternal grandmother has come to America and provokes a desire in Robin to learn about her Chinese heritage is another. Part of understanding where Mr. Tsow is coming from is to understand his past. The grandmother would help Robin navigate these waters, providing a story of her own and physical evidence that old wounds still haunt the present.
Angelfish is Juvenile Fiction and has its audience in mind. The prose are not looking for the literateur, just clean straightforward storytelling. I cannot guess on the transparency in some of the plot, but I am guessing that most Young Readers will figure out pretty early on that when the limping Mr. Tsow talks about his friend the dancer, he is actually speaking about himself. Robin stays one step denser and another step clumsier to allow for revelation, or does the author have a surprise in mind? Near the end of the jacket copy, it reads, “To their horror, they discover that he was a victim of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.” When the Chinese Cultural Revolution is mentioned for the first time, Robin doesn’t truly understand the implications, and I am guessing most readers won’t either. It is to their’s and the Reader’s horror when you discover Mr. Tsow’s victimization.
Robin is driven by curiosity at first, but she has a tender heart and great compassion for Mr. Tsow. By then we already known that she is a very loving individual. She is brave and determined, very focused on her craft; but still very much a growing up girl navigating the world. She is a strong female protagonist of not the most usual sort; in ways that Belle is. Laurence does a beautiful job with his use of Beauty and the Beast. And then there is his lovely metaphoric use of the Angelfish.
Set in San Francisco, Yep takes around the Richmond neighborhood and the Chinese-American cultural landscape. The feel is less educational as much as incidentally informational. You learn as Robin learns, of course, she is still discovering her heritage and how to negotiate her double culture. Two halves, a hybrid, Robin has to deal with bigotry and self-acceptance; with antiquated notions and contemporary ignorance.
For all the drama, there is humor. Robin’s ballet partner Thomas is comedic, as well as the caricatures of Auntie Ruby, and even Madame to some extent. Yep keeps a lighthearted and determinedly optimistic tone to off-set the dark intrigue surrounding Mr. Tsow; buoying the story in the kindness of the human heart and the hope of new beginnings, and families who fight to save their own.
I had thought to at least make it half-way before bed last night and ended up forcing myself to put the book down only a few chapters from the end for the sake of an early morning–Tsow was that compelling. 216 pages is a quick read and the writing isn’t hard, but the emotional content may be—Yep employs the perfect amount of gravity. I would recommend Angelfish to any Juvenile Fiction audience member, especially those interested in a not wholly-white protagonist, a diverse cast, and in cultural information and revelation. Yep is adept in writing about the world of Ballet, so do hand this to your resident ballerina as well. [was gratified to find those few years of N's ballet lessons came in handy.]
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/angelfish/
Angelfish is Juvenile Fiction and has its audience in mind. The prose are not looking for the literateur, just clean straightforward storytelling. I cannot guess on the transparency in some of the plot, but I am guessing that most Young Readers will figure out pretty early on that when the limping Mr. Tsow talks about his friend the dancer, he is actually speaking about himself. Robin stays one step denser and another step clumsier to allow for revelation, or does the author have a surprise in mind? Near the end of the jacket copy, it reads, “To their horror, they discover that he was a victim of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.” When the Chinese Cultural Revolution is mentioned for the first time, Robin doesn’t truly understand the implications, and I am guessing most readers won’t either. It is to their’s and the Reader’s horror when you discover Mr. Tsow’s victimization.
Robin is driven by curiosity at first, but she has a tender heart and great compassion for Mr. Tsow. By then we already known that she is a very loving individual. She is brave and determined, very focused on her craft; but still very much a growing up girl navigating the world. She is a strong female protagonist of not the most usual sort; in ways that Belle is. Laurence does a beautiful job with his use of Beauty and the Beast. And then there is his lovely metaphoric use of the Angelfish.
Set in San Francisco, Yep takes around the Richmond neighborhood and the Chinese-American cultural landscape. The feel is less educational as much as incidentally informational. You learn as Robin learns, of course, she is still discovering her heritage and how to negotiate her double culture. Two halves, a hybrid, Robin has to deal with bigotry and self-acceptance; with antiquated notions and contemporary ignorance.
For all the drama, there is humor. Robin’s ballet partner Thomas is comedic, as well as the caricatures of Auntie Ruby, and even Madame to some extent. Yep keeps a lighthearted and determinedly optimistic tone to off-set the dark intrigue surrounding Mr. Tsow; buoying the story in the kindness of the human heart and the hope of new beginnings, and families who fight to save their own.
I had thought to at least make it half-way before bed last night and ended up forcing myself to put the book down only a few chapters from the end for the sake of an early morning–Tsow was that compelling. 216 pages is a quick read and the writing isn’t hard, but the emotional content may be—Yep employs the perfect amount of gravity. I would recommend Angelfish to any Juvenile Fiction audience member, especially those interested in a not wholly-white protagonist, a diverse cast, and in cultural information and revelation. Yep is adept in writing about the world of Ballet, so do hand this to your resident ballerina as well. [was gratified to find those few years of N's ballet lessons came in handy.]
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/angelfish/
dearvivi's review
3.0
I read this because I was bored at the library today. It's actually the sequel to a book I enjoyed as a child, Ribbons. It's nothing remarkable. It's short, it's entertaining, it's a good and simple story. It's not bad, but I guess I'm not in the target audience anymore!
america_maxon1096's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pussreboots's review
5.0
In Angelfish by Laurence Yep, Robin is half Chinese and feels out of place. She loves to dance ballet but she's going to spend her summer working a tropical fish store after she accidentally breaks the shops's front window. The biggest problem though, is the shop's owner is grumpy, old and fiercely traditional. He doesn't see a place in the world for a girl like Robin.
As with so many of Yep's novel, the central theme is the coming together of different generations. As they learn from each other a friendship grows hesitantly that benefits not just Robin and Mr. Tsow but the rest of the neighborhood.
Mr. Tsow has hidden, unused artist talents that he has given up to run the shop. His friendship with Robin gives him a chance to express himself by helping out at the dance studio and in other ways.
It took a little while to get into the book because of all the prejudice both on Robin's part and on Mr. Tsow's part. But as the novel unfolds the reasons behind these preconceived notions come to light. These are problems across not only generations and cultures but regions and languages (Cantonese vs Mandarin).
Despite the rough start where I wasn't sure I'd like or understand either Robin or Mr. Tsow, I ended up loving the book.
As with so many of Yep's novel, the central theme is the coming together of different generations. As they learn from each other a friendship grows hesitantly that benefits not just Robin and Mr. Tsow but the rest of the neighborhood.
Mr. Tsow has hidden, unused artist talents that he has given up to run the shop. His friendship with Robin gives him a chance to express himself by helping out at the dance studio and in other ways.
It took a little while to get into the book because of all the prejudice both on Robin's part and on Mr. Tsow's part. But as the novel unfolds the reasons behind these preconceived notions come to light. These are problems across not only generations and cultures but regions and languages (Cantonese vs Mandarin).
Despite the rough start where I wasn't sure I'd like or understand either Robin or Mr. Tsow, I ended up loving the book.
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