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stindex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Sexism, Medical content, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Rape, Misogyny, Blood, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Grief, and Torture
seanml's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
That second to last chapter was difficult to get through. Yu Hua writes despondency quite well. 7/10.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Death, and Medical content
mementofati's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Chronicle of a Blood Merchant follows a family of five for over a decade and how the parents and their three sons deal with personal and social issues in Maoist China, more specifically through the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
The premise interested me the moment I read the blurb on the back of the book and since I’m always trying to read about different cultures, I decided to get the book.
However, as much as I did want to know what happened next after each chapter, it was purely out of curiosity because sadly, the characters felt really flat and the writing style and dialogues were quite weak, which made most of the chapters tiring and feeling too long. I don’t know if some of the story’s tone got lost in translation, but I couldn’t connect to the characters or the story at all, no matter how intrigued I was to see how it was going to end.
The premise interested me the moment I read the blurb on the back of the book and since I’m always trying to read about different cultures, I decided to get the book.
However, as much as I did want to know what happened next after each chapter, it was purely out of curiosity because sadly, the characters felt really flat and the writing style and dialogues were quite weak, which made most of the chapters tiring and feeling too long. I don’t know if some of the story’s tone got lost in translation, but I couldn’t connect to the characters or the story at all, no matter how intrigued I was to see how it was going to end.
Minor: Blood, Rape, and Sexual assault
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