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dckathleen's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
I finished it, but two weeks later I couldn't reconstruct the plot for you...much of which was convoluted.
jenleah's review against another edition
2.0
I'm being fairly generous with my two star rating. the first half of the book wasn't too bad, I found myself interested in the story even though the plot was far fetched. But the second half of the book was just totally ridiculous. The timeline, dialogue, and plot reminded me of a cross between an 80's B movie and an episode of Scooby Doo -- they would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids David and Hulan! Not sure why I bothered to finish it, but I'd come so far I guess I had to see it to the end.
ksprokes's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
hellokitty777's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emilyusuallyreading's review against another edition
3.0
What I Liked
Lisa See is an incredible writer and she can tackle any genre with skill. Flower Net is a pop culture mystery novel and it fits into that genre in almost every way, but for something of that genre, it is very well done.
One of See's best tricks in her writing is that she reveals things about characters that they never realized before but that were there all along. This does take place in Flower Net. It's more clumsily done than in her later works of historical fiction, but I still recognized See in this trait and I enjoyed it.
The gruesome murders (such as the scene on the boat) were shocking, but well-written. See doesn't leave out things just because they make your stomach churn... and that's part of what makes a good murder mystery.
What I Didn't Like
The romance. This would be my number one complain about the novel. Hulan and David have had zero contact in TEN years. And yet they fall back into each other's arms at the drop of a hat and have apparently been madly in love for the last decade. It doesn't work for me at all.
The bad guys. There was a typical monologue at the end and that let the mystery clean up nicely... in my opinion, the best mystery novels are when there is a hint of a bad guy and a hint of evil still lingering. No matter how many bad guys are killed or locked up, there is evil in the world, and things don't stitch up nice and neat in real life.
Lisa See is an incredible writer and she can tackle any genre with skill. Flower Net is a pop culture mystery novel and it fits into that genre in almost every way, but for something of that genre, it is very well done.
One of See's best tricks in her writing is that she reveals things about characters that they never realized before but that were there all along. This does take place in Flower Net. It's more clumsily done than in her later works of historical fiction, but I still recognized See in this trait and I enjoyed it.
The gruesome murders (such as the scene on the boat) were shocking, but well-written. See doesn't leave out things just because they make your stomach churn... and that's part of what makes a good murder mystery.
What I Didn't Like
The romance. This would be my number one complain about the novel. Hulan and David have had zero contact in TEN years. And yet they fall back into each other's arms at the drop of a hat and have apparently been madly in love for the last decade. It doesn't work for me at all.
The bad guys. There was a typical monologue at the end and
Spoiler
two very convenient suicidesreneek84's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't understand all of the politics but I enjoyed the book very much.
zozoisgolden's review against another edition
4.0
Rating 4. Contains possible spoilers.
This is one of those books that I tell myself I'm not going to like but I end up doing so anyway. This is due to Liu Hulan, the main character.
She is a wonderfully complex character, drawn between loyalty to family and tradition, her own personal impulses and the duty as a law enforcer. The perfect amount of stoic and empathetic.
David didn't grow on me as much as Hulan did, but I did sort of empathize with his role as the morally torn defense lawyer still holding a flame for his ex.
The romance between them annoyed me because of how easily it was rekindled (dumb I know. I'm weird). In fact, I would have given this a full 5 stars if not for it (which I NEVER do). That is how much I enjoyed it. The female character was the least love-lorn to my surprise (not because of gender roles but the time period.....ok I'm surprised point blank. Sue me)
The mystery itself was a bit mild. Drawn out to add tension but nevertheless still surprisingly enjoyable. Some of the other characters thought were dumb and annoying as f*ck. No seriously. But so as not to spoil anything (hahahahahahahaha) I won't go further into details.
All in all, it was a steady thrill with a likeable protagonist and well built cultural background.
roshk99's review against another edition
2.0
The best part of the book is the description of the Chinese culture. It offers the insider's perspective on the Chinese life, especially the Chinese government. The plot was nothing exceptional and the main characters could get annoying at times. The writing style was not clear enough and didn't make the reader want to read every single word.
carolita1128's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
avalydia's review
2.0
The romance between the two main characters was laughably bad, and the stiffness of the writing/dialogue in their interactions reminded me of Robert Ludlum's [b:The Bourne Identity|515608|The Bourne Identity (Jason Bourne, #1)|Robert Ludlum|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1267489812s/515608.jpg|859111] (not a flattering comparison, I can assure you). The rest of the story was interesting enough, but since I'm assuming the romance between Hulan and David will feature prominently in the next two books, I'm not inclined to finish the trilogy. Especially after passages like this:
They stood facing each other. He put his hand on her cheek, then slowly let it glide along her neck, over her collarbone, down to her breast. They took their time unbuttoning each other's clothes. His mouth lingered on Hulan's nipples. She moaned in response to the caress. Soon her lips sought the tender nook under his left ear, then went to the hollow place at the base of his neck before continuing their downward journey. Tonight David and Hulan would make their passion last.
Dear lord. This is why authors should hire fanfic writers for their sex scenes.
They stood facing each other. He put his hand on her cheek, then slowly let it glide along her neck, over her collarbone, down to her breast. They took their time unbuttoning each other's clothes. His mouth lingered on Hulan's nipples. She moaned in response to the caress. Soon her lips sought the tender nook under his left ear, then went to the hollow place at the base of his neck before continuing their downward journey. Tonight David and Hulan would make their passion last.
Dear lord. This is why authors should hire fanfic writers for their sex scenes.