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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
I don't know how to feel because it didn't nail in the head, especially the anti Chinese arc because it tries to be politically impactful, but ends up just a flat ending.
3.75 stars. This was a beautifully written book about a girl's really terrible experiences from living in China to being kidnapped and sent to America. I felt like the book veered off a bit when she landed in Pierce, UT and stayed despite having a chance to leave and this was explained later in the authors note where a specific event that happened there inspired this book. However, I didn't think the rest of this girls story fit with that event and things were sort of forced to work towards it in a way that took away from the rest of the book. 5 stars for the writing and 3 for the storyline.
3.5 stars. I love the writing and the metaphor and theme of calligraphy through out and enjoyed most of the book, but my interest waned at the very last section. It felt like the pace/cadence was off with the arrest coming so late in the book that I didn't feel very invested in it.
My favorite parts were the breakdown of the Chinese characters; it was really fun and cool to see Chinese characters I've known my whole life in a different light, making the language even more beautiful and profound.
My favorite parts were the breakdown of the Chinese characters; it was really fun and cool to see Chinese characters I've known my whole life in a different light, making the language even more beautiful and profound.
a truly touching and deeply human story, which had me shedding tears for these characters who felt like close friends. the author has such a talent for writing spoken and felt human connection, every location and person bursts with potential for years to come. truly a 5/5 experience
More like 3.5, maybe even 3.7 honestly, why doesn't goodreads allow partial stars? -- I can't quite bring myself to say "I really liked it," but there's so much that WAS appealing in this novel, and things that led me off on rabbit holes of research (is THAT based on real events? and THAT?). I learned some more under-taught history (oof!), and I really enjoyed the artful incorporation of bits of Chinese culture, the often lyrical writing, and even the restraint against temptation to overtell the story and reveal all the details that the narrating character wouldn't know -- the readers (here meaning "my book club") had plenty of room to speculate on other characters' lives.
Yet somehow it all added up to giving me less of a deep emotional reaction to all the horrors than I felt like they deserved, and that's often the easiest turnoff for me to run into with a book -- it causes a deep discomfort. Mentally comparing a book with a classic like The Jungle for dumping too much of reality's worst on a single fictional character is certainly no insult to the author... and yet, there it is, my big complaint. Despite all the beauty in the prose, it became a bit of a slog, possibly because my suspension of disbelief had been tugged a bit too far.
The interview with the author featured at the end of the audiobook was fascinating, and I find myself wondering what might have been if her editor had made different choices or if some of the most striking images had been scattered among a collection of stories instead of heaped into one novel to avoid that fatigue. Overall, I'm glad to meet her writing, hope to see more of it sometime soon.
Yet somehow it all added up to giving me less of a deep emotional reaction to all the horrors than I felt like they deserved, and that's often the easiest turnoff for me to run into with a book -- it causes a deep discomfort. Mentally comparing a book with a classic like The Jungle for dumping too much of reality's worst on a single fictional character is certainly no insult to the author... and yet, there it is, my big complaint. Despite all the beauty in the prose, it became a bit of a slog, possibly because my suspension of disbelief had been tugged a bit too far.
The interview with the author featured at the end of the audiobook was fascinating, and I find myself wondering what might have been if her editor had made different choices or if some of the most striking images had been scattered among a collection of stories instead of heaped into one novel to avoid that fatigue. Overall, I'm glad to meet her writing, hope to see more of it sometime soon.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
4.5 stars. This book was just absolutely magnificent and heartbreaking and beautifully written. It almost felt like three (or more) different books — Daiyu’s childhood in China, the kidnapping and journey to San Francisco, and her escape and settling in Idaho. I don’t quite know how to articulate my feelings about this book, but some of the prose was just *chef’s kiss*. And I deeply loved how the Chinese folklore was interwoven throughout, and the ghost (ish?) of Daiyu’s namesake navigating through life with her.
The end made me MAD, specifically just because I thought after ALL OF THAT, that Daiyu would happily ride off into the sunset. After everything, I kept having hope, even until the very end. I don’t know if I would have wanted the end to be any different but…MAYBE. I’d like to imagine a happy ending. Also, one of my takeaways from this book are that people are disappointing af. Looking at you Samuel, Caroline, literally every white person in Pierce. DO BETTER. It was interesting because I’d vaguely remembered learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act in the late 1800s but didn’t know a whole lot of details. Wonderful historical fiction, and so beautifully written.
I really liked the author’s note too, it was so lovely to hear about the research process and how this book came to be!
The end made me MAD, specifically just because I thought after ALL OF THAT, that Daiyu would happily ride off into the sunset. After everything, I kept having hope, even until the very end. I don’t know if I would have wanted the end to be any different but…MAYBE. I’d like to imagine a happy ending. Also, one of my takeaways from this book are that people are disappointing af. Looking at you Samuel, Caroline, literally every white person in Pierce. DO BETTER. It was interesting because I’d vaguely remembered learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act in the late 1800s but didn’t know a whole lot of details. Wonderful historical fiction, and so beautifully written.
I really liked the author’s note too, it was so lovely to hear about the research process and how this book came to be!