Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

4.13 AVERAGE

readingari's review

3.0
3.5 stars? My word this book was tragic. Yes, based on a true story but there was so little hope, even at the end. Also quotation marks would’ve been appreciated.
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allaurae's review against another edition

4.5
challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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
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abbyco22's review against another edition

5.0
So, so beautiful. Knew this would be a five star rating not even halfway through the book. Heartbreaking story of resilience - loved every second.

stinadpena's review

3.0
3.5 stars

emhermann's review

4.75
This book is beautifully written, well researched, and heartbreaking. It tells a story loosely based on a true story, taking place in the 1800s, but scarily related to our current world. 
nessazee's profile picture

nessazee's review

4.0
challenging dark informative slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
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lalaaaa_'s review

3.0
adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

nataliecoyne's review

4.5
dark emotional sad tense 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
This was going to be 5 stars until the ending. While it was beautiful, it just broke me a bit too much and has left me truly very upset. I don't really fault the author with regard to this, as I did read the author's note so I now understand why that was the ending (that it was based on true events). But I don't know, I just really didn't expect it (until maybe a couple of chapters before it) so I was caught off guard and ended the book upset.

Otherwise, though, this is a very beautiful book. I found myself totally encapsulated into the storytelling, and finished this book all in one day. The relationship between Daiyu and Lin Daiyu also somewhat reminded me of the relationship between Salama and Khawf from As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, which was a book I greatly enjoyed, and so I was delighted to see a similar relationship.

I tend to have mixed feelings around some authors' choices to not use quotation marks during dialogue. Some are able to pull it off, others aren't. I'd definitely say, though, that Jenny Tinghui Zhang was absolutely able to pull it off! For this book, the lack of quotation marks didn't bother me.

I would recommend this to others, but would warn others to not expect any sort of happy ending. I'd also definitely re-read if it didn't mean re-experiencing the ending.
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iamreadingshh's review against another edition

5.0
Beautiful and sad.

goutes93's review

5.0
As a 2nd generation Chinese American and with the current attacks on Asian Americans, this historical fiction truly hit home. The last 30 pages were difficult for me to read. Reading about the 1882 Chinese exclusion act was also an eye-opener. It is sad that the racism from the late 1800s and early 1900s is still very much alive in our present-day society.