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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Leftover Women is a powerful and eye-opening book that delves into the complex issue of gender inequality in contemporary China. The book humanizes the issue through personal stories and digs into the root causes, exploring the one-child policy, economic disparity, and deeply ingrained cultural expectations.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There are some stunning sections of writing in this, which made me want a little more from the plot. It's not a thriller but a drama about two mothers linked by a transatlanti adoption, an immigrant story paralleled with the life of a rich New York editor that leads up to a life-changing moment. 3.75 ⭐️
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Storyline was unexpected. In rereading the summary blurb, it tells you everything about the book right in there.
I thought the author made some interesting points - like whether adhering to the Chinese One Child Policy at the cost of female infanticide was an act of patriotism or an extension of patrilineal patriarchy, whether transnational adoption is an act of saviorship or an act of love and longing, and whether working off your human trafficking fee in a seedy sex club is an act of sexual empowerment or one of survival. In the end, I've concluded that all these things can be true simultaneously, though I'm unsold on whether adoption is really saving a child's life in these particular circumstances (I'm still pretty upset about the AP stories that came out earlier in the year about how Korean children were either kidnapped and/or trafficked while their parents were told their babies had died during delivery).
Jasmine was a nice surprise - her character development used the stereotypes we have of Asian women against us by letting us think she is the embodiment of those stereotypes - weak and meek, both sexually impotent and conservative, an object to be traded and possessed as part of the patriarchy, desperate, fearful, and invisible to the western world she's trying to survive in. Don't be fooled! Every new layer of her character reveals a deeper and more complex, steelier, and more cunning a person than you might have expected.
The storyline is the same in that sense - it zigs and zags in unexpected directions, and with each redirect, it becomes more fun to unravel.
PS, trivia fact: Beautiful Country is the literal translation from Mandarin of the United States.
I thought the author made some interesting points - like whether adhering to the Chinese One Child Policy at the cost of female infanticide was an act of patriotism or an extension of patrilineal patriarchy, whether transnational adoption is an act of saviorship or an act of love and longing, and whether working off your human trafficking fee in a seedy sex club is an act of sexual empowerment or one of survival. In the end, I've concluded that all these things can be true simultaneously, though I'm unsold on whether adoption is really saving a child's life in these particular circumstances (I'm still pretty upset about the AP stories that came out earlier in the year about how Korean children were either kidnapped and/or trafficked while their parents were told their babies had died during delivery).
Jasmine was a nice surprise - her character development used the stereotypes we have of Asian women against us by letting us think she is the embodiment of those stereotypes - weak and meek, both sexually impotent and conservative, an object to be traded and possessed as part of the patriarchy, desperate, fearful, and invisible to the western world she's trying to survive in. Don't be fooled! Every new layer of her character reveals a deeper and more complex, steelier, and more cunning a person than you might have expected.
The storyline is the same in that sense - it zigs and zags in unexpected directions, and with each redirect, it becomes more fun to unravel.
PS, trivia fact: Beautiful Country is the literal translation from Mandarin of the United States.
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This wasn’t quite the thriller I was expecting, though I did enjoy it. I would say a more accurate description of this book is a contemporary family drama with a mystery woven throughout. It only felt like a thriller at the very, very end.
•
My favorite thing about this story is the stark contrast between the two main characters, Jasmine and Rebecca. Jasmine is a Chinese immigrant working as a nanny and trying to make ends meet. Her main goal is to reconnect with her daughter who has been adopted by Rebecca and her husband. Rebecca works in publishing and is a member of New York’s elite class. We witness her struggle to navigate both. It’s very easy to like and root for Jasmine. While Rebecca is harder to like, her choices and ignorance highlight issues of systemic racism, microaggressions, and privilege. Through both of these perspectives the reader explores themes of survival and motherhood.
•
This book offers a glimpse at some of the ramifications of the one child policy in China. While it doesn’t go into too much depth, it’s a unique backdrop to the story.
•
There are also some storylines that aren’t complete. While this doesn’t always bother me, there were some details I felt should have either been resolved or omitted.
•
Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!
•
My favorite thing about this story is the stark contrast between the two main characters, Jasmine and Rebecca. Jasmine is a Chinese immigrant working as a nanny and trying to make ends meet. Her main goal is to reconnect with her daughter who has been adopted by Rebecca and her husband. Rebecca works in publishing and is a member of New York’s elite class. We witness her struggle to navigate both. It’s very easy to like and root for Jasmine. While Rebecca is harder to like, her choices and ignorance highlight issues of systemic racism, microaggressions, and privilege. Through both of these perspectives the reader explores themes of survival and motherhood.
•
This book offers a glimpse at some of the ramifications of the one child policy in China. While it doesn’t go into too much depth, it’s a unique backdrop to the story.
•
There are also some storylines that aren’t complete. While this doesn’t always bother me, there were some details I felt should have either been resolved or omitted.
•
Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racism
Love a good family drama!!! If you go into it knowing it's a drama and not a mystery/thriller, I think it better aligns with the delivery. Docking a star because there were some plot lines I feel like didn't make sense (aka Rebecca just being okay with Lucy at the end????) I also feel like the romance plot was insta-love and not really needed.