Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Góry śpiewają by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

37 reviews

alexhaydon's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape

nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide, Torture, Vomit

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad 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: Yes

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I learned more about Vietnam's history through this book, a lot of which I didn't know about including the Land Reform during the 1950s. I enjoyed how the author also integrated cultural beliefs, figures of speech/metaphors, and traditions of Vietnamese people throughout the story. It helped me understand the country and the country's history so much more!

I also loved the switching timelines spanning from 1940s to 1980s, and the different POVs between Huong and Dieu Lan! I took turns between the physical book and listening to it on audio, which I think helped me enjoy the book more taking turns. I was able to focus better on the story and changing timelines with the physical book but I loved the audio for the pronunciation of names, places, and the cultural figures of speech. 

The Mountains Sing was an emotional, heartbreaking historical fiction read. Vietnam has been on my bucket list and this book helped me understand the people and their culture, making me want to visit even more if you enjoy: historical fiction, switching POVs, multigenerational stories, or books filled with hope then you may enjoy this one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Rape, Abortion, Abandonment

Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

menomica's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This book is so eye-opening. I learned a lot about the Vietnam War and Vietnam in general. The book is constant tension and tragedy; You see on the ground how people were affected by the events of the war. It’s definitely not for everyone, it’s very dense and at times it drags, and the writing can be a bit stilted, but if you can sit down and allow yourself to feel the emotions of the Tram family, it’s very much worth it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Miscarriage, Slavery, Abortion

samgiraffes's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion

ktrecs's review against another edition

3.5

emotional hopeful informative sad 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

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The scope and breadth of this novel is ambitious, and, I think, perhaps its downfall. In trying to show so much of Viet Nam's history, the narrative jumps through time in an inconsistent way, especially in Grandma Dieu Lan's perspective. In being tailored for a unfamiliar audience, the narration includes jarring moments, especially in the first half of the novel, where the prose digresses into unnecessary historical facts and figures, breaking the stride of the novel's plot and undercutting its heart.  In being written for an English-speaking audience, words in Vietnamese are almost always followed by a shoehorned definition, making the narrative voice feel clunky and inauthentic in places, especially in dialogue. At the beginning, especially in audiobook format, these peculiarities made it difficult for me to become immersed in the story and attached to the characters. It was not at all that the information was there; I am extremely grateful for the context and knowledge, just that I felt that the more non-fiction elements were less thematically successful and articulated with less poise and beauty, than the emotional core of the novel.

But by the 50% mark, I was hooked.  I have trouble DNFing books and books like this are exactly why. Had I decided to set this book aside I'd have missed the growth and nuance in the later half. All throughout, the prose is alternatively lush and crushing, evocative and tender. Each scene is built with such precision and care. Each generation of the Tran family is weaved carefully into the structure of the novel, part epistolary, part oral tradition, stories upon stories, realistic and compelling. As Hương ages and time inexorably moves forward, the tale becomes more intimate somehow. The poetic close of the novel drew its themes together perfectly, leaving us with a vision of hope and peace even throughout the dark events laid out in the past. The intimacy of it brings the personal into the political in an unforgettable way. 

Nguyen Phan Que Mai's voice is clear, profound and powerful, and I will certainly look forward to encountering it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Gore, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Abortion

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement

the_blondebookworm's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Torture, Violence, Abortion