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sdavis41's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
p6kiyu's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this book centers around grief and its complexities from the viewpoint of a family who lost their daughter. as someone who is more for the happy part of reading, i can kinda see myself in a lot of these characters and how human they are. it also truly embodies the statement of good intentions but awful and even painful executions! really cool and i wasnt expecting to go through wt this book as much as i have ^_^
taylersimon22's review against another edition
5.0
Some major themes in Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng was second chances, especially the lack of second chances you get to treat the people you love how you should treat them, and covering wounds without tending them will only make them fester.
In the Lee family, Lydia becomes the favorite child (which is strange because aren’t the middle kids supposed to be forgotten?). And then her body is found at the bottom of the lake. It’s one thing to stand out as the only Chinese American family in an all-white community in the 70s, but to have your family shaken to the core from a tragedy such as this is traumatic.
Marilyn and James, Lydia’s parents, found a bond out of tenuous circumstances. Marilyn wanted James because he stood out for being Chinese; James wanted Marilyn because she was so conventionally white and blended in. A whirl-wind love story, am I right? On their wedding day, Marilyn’s mother told her that this union would never work, and their marriage was from then on haunted, as James overhears these words.
Many instances of miscommunication occur, and people take frustration out on the people they supposedly care about in a way that perpetuates hurt in this family. In the midst of it all is poor Hannah, the third child, who is overlooked and forgotten (like a true middle child).
The Lee family thought this arrangement was working for them, but it took this tragedy for them to see how they were really treating each other. While it was too late to do better with the child they lost, they could start fresh with each other, especially the daughter that was left behind.
Regrets may happen in our lives, but every new day we wake up is a second chance. After reading this book, I wanted to make sure I treated every day as a second chance, but more importantly, a chance to do it right the first time.
In the Lee family, Lydia becomes the favorite child (which is strange because aren’t the middle kids supposed to be forgotten?). And then her body is found at the bottom of the lake. It’s one thing to stand out as the only Chinese American family in an all-white community in the 70s, but to have your family shaken to the core from a tragedy such as this is traumatic.
Marilyn and James, Lydia’s parents, found a bond out of tenuous circumstances. Marilyn wanted James because he stood out for being Chinese; James wanted Marilyn because she was so conventionally white and blended in. A whirl-wind love story, am I right? On their wedding day, Marilyn’s mother told her that this union would never work, and their marriage was from then on haunted, as James overhears these words.
Many instances of miscommunication occur, and people take frustration out on the people they supposedly care about in a way that perpetuates hurt in this family. In the midst of it all is poor Hannah, the third child, who is overlooked and forgotten (like a true middle child).
The Lee family thought this arrangement was working for them, but it took this tragedy for them to see how they were really treating each other. While it was too late to do better with the child they lost, they could start fresh with each other, especially the daughter that was left behind.
Regrets may happen in our lives, but every new day we wake up is a second chance. After reading this book, I wanted to make sure I treated every day as a second chance, but more importantly, a chance to do it right the first time.
maryquitecontrary_22's review against another edition
2.0
Ng is a good writer, but this book needed a little more spice to it! An interesting premise that would work well if it had been a mystery or suspense novel... Neither of which this book ended up being. Darn!
subito22's review against another edition
4.0
Finished this in one sitting. It's sad and, at times, frustrating to the point that you want to yell at the characters in this book for certain decisions (looking at you, James), but a very captivating story.
caitlinomorrison's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
grace_porter's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mrswhite's review against another edition
4.0
This book is excellently written, which almost forgives the fact that almost everyone in it is hopelessly and painfully self-absorbed.
kcrawfish's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - This book is a study in the baggage parents can transfer to their children. Years of resentments and insecurities, of crushed dreams and fears, they can all be funneled into a convenient, waiting receptacle. Your child.
And if you were wondering if that’s okay, healthy even, no. Definitely not. Even the relationships your kids have to each other can fracture as a result.
Read this if you’re in the mood for a family drama with primary focus on the parents.
And if you were wondering if that’s okay, healthy even, no. Definitely not. Even the relationships your kids have to each other can fracture as a result.
Read this if you’re in the mood for a family drama with primary focus on the parents.