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bellasgonemissing's review
4.0
i really enjoyed this book! the characterisation was so well done that i honestly thought it might be a memoir at the beginning and i was confused. i really loved girl as a character and found her situation and thoughts so real and moving. a star off just because it thought it could have done a little bit more, especially with the ending which felt a bit rushed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Racism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Dementia and Alcohol
chanelchapters's review against another edition
3.0
This just felt like the author was using the “character” as a puppet to voice her own opinions - it felt like a memoir, not a fictional story with fictional characters. Had Yellowface vibes.
al07734's review against another edition
3.25
I feel like I've read better. It was enjoyable but sort of full of nothing. There are better books in this "genre." The plain and simple writing style, to me, was a bit irritating, though this may be personal taste.
natastop's review
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jessicaxmaria's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
parkinglotbirds's review
Well worth a read with a particularly strong first half. I was reminded of Salinger’s Seymour, An Introduction in the meandering, introspective, psychological narration, mixed with some Zadie Smith in some of the more postmodern touches. Since I enjoy Salinger I was unbothered with the story breaking off into tangents and anecdotes, and to me Girl’s long-distance memories of her family were some of the strongest in the novel. Towards the end I felt like it lost steam a bit—maybe as a reader one tires of being in Girl’s head (she’s really going through it after all!), or some of the memories and reflections aren't as strong, or there were a touch too many affectations in the prose for my taste…it just didn’t end as strongly as it began. But I think this is a very strong debut worth talking about and analyzing. I look forward to whatever Yu writes next.
monazaneefer's review
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)
Format: Audible
I wouldn't be surprised if this reduces to 2 at some point. It's not as though it was a bad story but, like Agnes Grey, it was just meh.
It all started when the protagonist, and by proxy, the author, brought out her views on race and cancel culture which I found to be so banal. Up until then, I did like the book but even then it felt underwhelming and after the protagonist's views, my interest did wane a bit to the point that I DNFed it until I realised I couldn't return the credit on audible. So I listened to the remainder with neutrality and till the end, my opinion stayed the same. The whole book was underwhelming; the observations were either trite or too brief. Barely anything I read here was THAT thought-provoking.
It did bring me similar vibes to The Idiot (meandering, observation-wrought) but I think the latter has the edge due to its wit as well as intriguing and fresh observations that were developed. It's this underdevelopment that makes everything in this book feel random - as though the author dipped her toes into multiple things too quickly. The only cohesive elements in But The Girl were Sylvia Plath and art, but the latter was SO uninspiring.
However, I am glad I read this. The whole race/cancel culture mention in the book made me annoyed but driven enough to writemy version of a campus novel...only time will tell whether that'll come into fruition.
Yet, with time (I am writing this about 6 days after I finished reading this), what stands out to me are the The Idiot-vibes and an urge to respond to what I wish this book could've been - which, all in all, is good enough for me to not want to drop this down to 2 stars.
Format: Audible
I wouldn't be surprised if this reduces to 2 at some point. It's not as though it was a bad story but, like Agnes Grey, it was just meh.
It all started when the protagonist, and by proxy, the author, brought out her views on race and cancel culture which I found to be so banal. Up until then, I did like the book but even then it felt underwhelming and after the protagonist's views, my interest did wane a bit to the point that I DNFed it until I realised I couldn't return the credit on audible. So I listened to the remainder with neutrality and till the end, my opinion stayed the same. The whole book was underwhelming; the observations were either trite or too brief. Barely anything I read here was THAT thought-provoking.
It did bring me similar vibes to The Idiot (meandering, observation-wrought) but I think the latter has the edge due to its wit as well as intriguing and fresh observations that were developed. It's this underdevelopment that makes everything in this book feel random - as though the author dipped her toes into multiple things too quickly. The only cohesive elements in But The Girl were Sylvia Plath and art, but the latter was SO uninspiring.
However, I am glad I read this. The whole race/cancel culture mention in the book made me annoyed but driven enough to write
Yet, with time (I am writing this about 6 days after I finished reading this), what stands out to me are the The Idiot-vibes and an urge to respond to what I wish this book could've been - which, all in all, is good enough for me to not want to drop this down to 2 stars.
carriebee's review against another edition
5.0
But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu opens with its main character Girl traveling from Australia to Scotland for an artist residency. In the backdrop is the recent disappearance of MAS370. People assume Girl knows about it because of her Malaysian parents. She plans to work on her Sylvia Plath dissertation and write a postcolonial novel, which is more challenging than it seems. Out in the world and away from her close-knit family for the first time, Girl explores questions of her identity and all of its complex facets: Australian/Malaysian, daughter, woman, friend, academic, creator. Girl negotiates a world where the complexities of her identity can’t be shed and begins to own all the pieces that make her who she is.
The writing alone made this an instant favorite. I marked what feels like a million passages; I love so many of the sentences and the way Yu frames the things she is writing about. While there is dialogue and interactions with others, we spend a lot of time in Girl’s head and her observations are so astute and at times there is dry, witty, laugh-out-loud humor.
There is so much here I want to write about and also feel I can’t adequately address. I want to mention Plath but also point out this is only one part of the many things that make this novel great. I love how Yu used Plath in a way that enhances explorations of race, how it plays out in academia and in how we read and interpret literature. The way Girl sees herself in Plath’s work and recognizes and discusses how someone that looks like her is represented is brilliant. Girl appreciates how Plath puts often hidden things out in the open. The novel definitely offers a different lens for Plath and the challenges modern readers have with oppressive aspects of backlist work. I was consistently in awe of the way Yu’s writing offered perspectives I hadn’t had before. There is a brutal and refreshing honesty in this book’s pages we don’t often see and I absolutely love.
One of my favorite books of the year so far. Highly recommended.
Thank you @unnamedpress for the #gifted ARC
The writing alone made this an instant favorite. I marked what feels like a million passages; I love so many of the sentences and the way Yu frames the things she is writing about. While there is dialogue and interactions with others, we spend a lot of time in Girl’s head and her observations are so astute and at times there is dry, witty, laugh-out-loud humor.
There is so much here I want to write about and also feel I can’t adequately address. I want to mention Plath but also point out this is only one part of the many things that make this novel great. I love how Yu used Plath in a way that enhances explorations of race, how it plays out in academia and in how we read and interpret literature. The way Girl sees herself in Plath’s work and recognizes and discusses how someone that looks like her is represented is brilliant. Girl appreciates how Plath puts often hidden things out in the open. The novel definitely offers a different lens for Plath and the challenges modern readers have with oppressive aspects of backlist work. I was consistently in awe of the way Yu’s writing offered perspectives I hadn’t had before. There is a brutal and refreshing honesty in this book’s pages we don’t often see and I absolutely love.
One of my favorite books of the year so far. Highly recommended.
Thank you @unnamedpress for the #gifted ARC