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deldridgee's review against another edition
3.0
i loved the peking duck story and the los angeles story. the rest i was confused by but i think i’m just too stupid to understand
abbiecondie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sarabaier's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jadejoosten's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
smcallis88's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first experience with Ling Ma, and I was instantly hooked. It’s hard to incorporate unusual uses of punctuation and text without seeming gimmicky, but Ma accomplished it flawlessly. The short stories range from mundane to truly bizarre, yet they are all equally fascinating. At times it felt like I was reading an episode of The Twilight Zone. I don’t believe there was a single character to latch onto, and that was refreshing in its own way. Instead, there are just poignant scenes and sentences that grab you. Over the years I have grown to appreciate the mastery it takes to craft a good short story, and I think Ling Ma is in a league of her own. Not a single story found in Bliss Montage felt incomplete, which is a remarkable feat. I highly recommend this for the literary weirdo.
amyspag's review against another edition
2.0
It was almost impossible to tell the narrators of these stories apart. When the stories started getting interesting, they stopped suddenly.
tany3l's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
The buried alive one was intense but all stories were still enjoyable
theworldisatext's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Tales of bizarre events turn out emotionally relatable in Ling Ma’s collection of short stories. From a woman living with 99 exes and a husband to a woman dealing with an unusual pregnancy complication, Ma’s stories embody both the extreme and everyday.