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liesemn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
jorkes's review against another edition
5.0
This book will hold a special place with me in many years time. Never have I related to as many themes in this book. The sobering story of displaced Tibetans of multi-generations are eloquently told. In me, it has addressed the painstaking reflection of identity, in my own and within the generations of my family, each with their own unique experience.
“For now we must leave. But we will continue to circle this land. In this life and the next. That is our sorrow and our hope”
“For now we must leave. But we will continue to circle this land. In this life and the next. That is our sorrow and our hope”
megane's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
bookswithboo's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
avickysituation's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
april_bm's review
5.0
This book felt like a lesson. It's a lesson of survival. Many parts of it are unrecognizable to me and were a learning experience: the culture of Tibet, Tibetan exiles and their way of life, the history of their land, their journey to Nepal, and their hardships. But so much of it felt familiar too: the life of an immigrant in the West and how exploring a new country isn't the hardest part about immigration, but the distance you put between yourself and your homeland. The questioning of your knowledge and intellect because you are an immigrant, and how small you feel in a place that puts little value to the things you've accomplished, all because these accomplishments you gained were from a country that isn't their own. Any accomplishment outside of the West isn't an accomplishment when you get to the West.
My hearts break and mend for these characters: Lhamo, Tenkyi, Dolma, Samphel. Their parents and uncles--Ashang Migmar. Their friends. Relatives. There's so much being told in this story about the people of Tibet, especially those that are still living stateless, unable to attain a status for themselves as people exiled from their homeland, or as refugees in a new place. How much they hold onto the hope of returning to Tibet, of looking at their exile as temporary. Still, they don't let this hope blind them from reality, or prevent them from building a community outside of their home.
Tsering Yangzom Lama, writes such beautiful and well-rounded characters, full of faults and perfections, love and anger, their failures, their victories, and all that's in between. But she also reminds us that these characters are real people--Tibetan people have endured and lived and survived. Although this book is fiction, their struggle is not.
My hearts break and mend for these characters: Lhamo, Tenkyi, Dolma, Samphel. Their parents and uncles--Ashang Migmar. Their friends. Relatives. There's so much being told in this story about the people of Tibet, especially those that are still living stateless, unable to attain a status for themselves as people exiled from their homeland, or as refugees in a new place. How much they hold onto the hope of returning to Tibet, of looking at their exile as temporary. Still, they don't let this hope blind them from reality, or prevent them from building a community outside of their home.
Tsering Yangzom Lama, writes such beautiful and well-rounded characters, full of faults and perfections, love and anger, their failures, their victories, and all that's in between. But she also reminds us that these characters are real people--Tibetan people have endured and lived and survived. Although this book is fiction, their struggle is not.
kinnimomo's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
paguroidea's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved the writing and insight into the culture of Tibetan people, but there is no way to learn about that without the truth of their suffering- both under monastic feudalism (in some regions previously) and as refugees forced out of their own country. It is not an emotionally easy read by any means. It was well worth reading despite that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Deportation, Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Infidelity
kristinah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
nat3780's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0