Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Góry śpiewają by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

40 reviews

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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: Yes

So beautifully written and so sad.. an absolute must read if you’re a fan of historical fiction, or want to learn more about the Vietnam War! 

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional informative reflective 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: Complicated

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

If time allowed, I would have read The Mountain Sings in one sitting. It was tough and heartbreaking to read, but Nguyễn wrote such a powerful story featuring strong women who, despite all the struggles they have faced, continued to push forward. I admittedly don’t know much about Vietnam’s history, so this book was not only an engaging story for me but an opportunity to learn as well. There was an intimacy and a complex love for the country and its people that Nguyễn explored through themes on family and compassion, but also war and grief.

One thing that took a little bit of getting used to was the jumping back and forth between time. It was disconcerting at first, but it started making more sense as you learned more about the Trần family.

Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed The Mountain Sings, finding that I needed to reflect on the themes I mentioned earlier. It’s clear that one thing that Nguyễn wants the reader to understand is the devastating effects of conflict, making you think about ongoing conflict today. 

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Lyrical and enchanting, The Mountains Sing tells the history of a whole country through the tale of two generations of women. A must read! Quê' Mai details a large part of the atrocities committed during the Vietnam war with painstaking care, covering everything from PTSD to the devastating impact of chemical warfare. At the same time, this story is filled with love, hope and compassion. The language is just beautiful and you can really tell that the author also writes poetry. The only issue I had with the book was that the pacing was a little off at times. The resolution came too quick, which undermined the build up that the two different time lines were supposed to set up. I think the book could have benefited from a few extra chapters, especially in Diêu Lan's perspective. My rating would be 4.5 stars if possible but will round up because I still really enjoyed it.

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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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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-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: No

Heute, am 10.10.2021, ist das Buch "Der Gesang der Berge" von Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai erschienen! Das Buch wurde von Claudia Feldmann übersetzt. Lieben Dank an meine wunderbare lokale Buchhandlung @hollundknoll , die mir ein Vorableseexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt hat. Das ist ein Buch, das wirklich schwere Kost ist und mich immer wieder an meine Familie hat denken lassen.
⚠️[CN: Abtreibung, Agent Orange, Bomben, Blut, Gewalt, Hungersnot, (Vietnam)Krieg, PTSD, sexualisierte Gewalt, Tod (u. a. Familienmitglieder)]

Meine Eltern wurden in Vietnam geboren und sind dort aufgewachsen, weshalb das Buch mir sehr nahe ging. Denn es handelt vom Krieg in Vietnam, wie Krieg Familien auseinanderreißt und Leid mit sich bringt. In diesem Buch bekommen wir die Geschichte einer Familie erzählt. Die Protagonistin Hương ist ein junges Mädchen und lebt mit ihrer Großmama, Diệu Lan, zusammen. Ihr Vater ist in den Krieg gezogen und ihre Mutter ist hinterher, um ihn wiederzufinden.

Wir erleben mit, wie Hương aufwächst und durch die Geschichten, die ihre Großmama erzählt, lernen auch wir, wie sich Vietnam über die Jahre verändert hat. Fremde Besatzung, Krieg, Landesreform, Hungersnot. Es ist sehr viel Leid, das diese Familie erlebt, und ich musste mehrmals das Buch zur Seite legen, weil es richtig wehgetan hat, das zu lesen. Gleichzeitig bin ich so froh, dass immer mehr vietnamesische Geschichten ihren Weg in den deutschen Buchmarkt finden.

Die Kapitel, die von Hươngs Gegenwart handelten, sind meist voller Hoffnung und besonders gegen Ende des Buches war es einfach nur schön. Während die Kapitel aus der Perspektive von Diệu Lan herzzerreißend waren. Sie musste mit ihren kleinen Kindern fliehen und sich durchkämpfen, um dem Tod zu entkommen. Diese Kapitel sind geprägt von Verzweiflung und Schmerz.

Es ist aber total schön über die Beziehung zwischen Hương und ihrer Großmama zu lesen. Sie hatten für lange Zeit nur einander und trotz all dem Leid, das sie beide erfahren haben, sind sie voller Liebe füreinander, für die Familie. Sie machen einander Mut und geben die Hoffnung nicht auf alle anderen Familienmitglieder eines Tages wiederzusehen.

Etwas, das ich schade fand: Auf S. 85 wird "Rasse" verwendet, ohne dass der Begriff dekonstruiert wird. Der deutsche Begriff ist nicht mit "race" gleichzusetzen. Das war's aber auch schon. Ich kann das Buch nur empfehlen, aber schaut euch nochmal die CN an und macht euch darauf gefasst, dass es wirklich brutal ist. Mich hat es emotional total mitgenommen, aber ich verstehe nun auch besser, wieso meine Eltern mir immer nur bruchstückhaft von ihrer Vergangenheit erzählen.

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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

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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