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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Impeccably written and researched, and with one of the most depressing endings of all time! However, it didn't bombard you constantly with torture and strife, our hero(ine)'s journey was balanced with times of warmth, hope, and love. Highly recommended.
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Murder
I don't remember learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act in school much. If I did, it was probably a paragraph in a history textbook, maybe a page if I'm being generous. The author's note says, "My hope is that this book brings the United States' history of anti-Chinese violence out of scholarship and research and into our collective memory." I like a historical ficiton novel that transports me to another time. I love one that really teaches me something I didn't know anything about before. This debut serves up double with locations in the U.S. and China.
A terrifying account of the American West in the 1880s through the eyes of a woman kidnapped from China and forced to conceal her identity (in more ways than one) to survive. Lin Daiyu also carries the burden of her name which appears throughout the story as an imaginary friend (sometimes welcome, sometimes foreboding). Despite the danger of the story, it was also beautiful - the craft of calligraphy, a yearning for a home that doesn't exist anymore, deep love and friendship when restraint was a necessity.
I reread the firecrackers chapter a few times before continuing with the book because I could feel that this would be the last moment of joy. I needed to soak it up. I'll be thinking of that scene for a long, long time.
This read took me longer than usual, but that's not because I didn't like it. I loved it! I've just been distracted lately.
A terrifying account of the American West in the 1880s through the eyes of a woman kidnapped from China and forced to conceal her identity (in more ways than one) to survive. Lin Daiyu also carries the burden of her name which appears throughout the story as an imaginary friend (sometimes welcome, sometimes foreboding). Despite the danger of the story, it was also beautiful - the craft of calligraphy, a yearning for a home that doesn't exist anymore, deep love and friendship when restraint was a necessity.
I reread the firecrackers chapter a few times before continuing with the book because I could feel that this would be the last moment of joy. I needed to soak it up. I'll be thinking of that scene for a long, long time.
This read took me longer than usual, but that's not because I didn't like it. I loved it! I've just been distracted lately.
I was so torn about what to rate this book, but my visceral reaction after finishing was that I hated it so I’m going with 2 stars.
The writing itself doesn’t deserve 2 stars. It’s beautifully written. I really cared for Daiyu and I loved the reoccurring spirit of her namesake that visits her.
However, it’s brutal to read a story that is so devoid of any joy or hope. The time period is dark with so much anti-Chinese racism and violence in the West. That’s where the fiction of historical fiction comes in though. I need a little kernel of hope to hold onto somewhere or it’s just torture as a reader.
Also, it really bugged me in the end that no one discovered Daiyu was a girl and not Jacob. How did she share a jail cell with 4 men for days using a bucket toilet and no one figured it out?!
The writing itself doesn’t deserve 2 stars. It’s beautifully written. I really cared for Daiyu and I loved the reoccurring spirit of her namesake that visits her.
However, it’s brutal to read a story that is so devoid of any joy or hope. The time period is dark with so much anti-Chinese racism and violence in the West. That’s where the fiction of historical fiction comes in though. I need a little kernel of hope to hold onto somewhere or it’s just torture as a reader.
Also, it really bugged me in the end that no one discovered Daiyu was a girl and not Jacob. How did she share a jail cell with 4 men for days using a bucket toilet and no one figured it out?!
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
"We are all just trying to do the best we can."
Not a book for light reading or a feel good book. But this is a dang good book. Set during the Chinese Exclusion Act in the late 19th Century, the story had me constantly engaged, turning page after page for a reunification, a happy ending, or even just hope for its main character Daiyu, but left with her reality.
Not a book for light reading or a feel good book. But this is a dang good book. Set during the Chinese Exclusion Act in the late 19th Century, the story had me constantly engaged, turning page after page for a reunification, a happy ending, or even just hope for its main character Daiyu, but left with her reality.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated