Reviews

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua

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joallott's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

kellee's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Part noir detective, family drama, and commentary on racism in 1940s San Francisco. There’s definitely an audience for this book, if you like historical mystery. The audio production was fantastic, but the actual story felt too heavy-handed for me, with chapters beginning with exposition about the times that read like an article, and it felt like the author relied too much on “tell, don’t show.” I wasn’t a fan of the ending, and I’m also still not completely sure why it’s called The Golden Gate.

kobby34's review

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

ashleypford's review

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informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ginabelle's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book had me on my toes so much! There’s unreliable narratives, a touch of paranormal, femme fatales—it has it all! I especially enjoyed the twisty mystery interspersed with heavy commentary of race, class, and gender in 1940s America. For me, it felt like the last 50 or so pages fell apart with the plot but it’s still a meaty mystery with a message. Definitely recommend!