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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
just couldn’t get into this one. i got about 60 pages in and rebecca’s chapters were borderline unreadable. the prologue was so stunningly written i was sure it was going to be an instant 4 or 5 star but then it just immediately lost steam. and jasmines first chapters were so repetitive, her characterization felt so random, and it such a stylistic departure from the prologue that i was already not eager to stick it out. and then rebecca’s chapters were so uninteresting and poorly written that the plot was the only reason to stick it out. which is unfortunate, because the plot sounds super interesting and i’d like to see it treated with the finesse of the prologue!
Quick read, interesting story. Seemed to have a more developed beginning than ending .
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
The Leftover Woman follows two woman. One is Jasmine Yang who runs away from an abusive husband and her homeland to a new life in the states. She starts her life as a paperless immigrant working at an underground strip club.
The other woman is Rebecca Whitney, a white privileged wealthy woman married to a handsome intelligent professor with an adopted Chinese daughter and live in nanny.
Though both did display a bit of self centeredness they dominated with strength and perseverance. They have such different lives but soon their worlds intersect. Jean Kwok gives layers to this story not just as a family drama but also as a mystery thriller. It is done really well.
One of my favorite quotes in the story:
“….I made the mistake of losing you once. I won’t do that again. When you love the house, you must love the crows on the roof as well.”
It is a novel of culture, motherhood and class. Thought-provoking. Character and plot driven. Raw emotion. Fast paced. An eye opener on the one child China policy.
Eager to read what’s next for Jean Kwok!
4 stars! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I’d heard a lot about this book before I picked it up, so perhaps it was the hype, but I was disappointed. While I was interested in all the themes, I found the characters thin and the plot very engineered to highlight the important issues of the day. The fact that I think those issues important as well only made me more disappointed that Kwok couldn’t make them feel meaningful in fiction. Besides being an issues novel, there are threads of a thriller/mystery, as well as a bit of romance. In theory, I enjoy when literary fiction can deliver all of that, but if the writing isn’t up to the task, the mix feels awkward.
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book! It's told from the perspectives of two women and their lives collide in a huge way. I learned a lot about Chinese culture while also getting very pulled into the ups and downs and mysteries along the way. I will say I liked the Jasmine perspective more than the Rebecca one. Not a perfect story, but very very entertaining and kept me engaged.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
read for book club - good story. Was pulling for the main character, Jasmine.