You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Shit that was sad. But it's such an important read for antiwar sentiment and really puts you in the perspective of someone whose life is affected by war, both during and after a war ends. During war, those who suffer the most are just regular people trying to live their lives.
This novel is so beautiful and you really do feel the pain the characters go through.
I was listening to the audiobook at work and was trying so hard to not call my eyes out lol!
Definitely recommend!
This novel is so beautiful and you really do feel the pain the characters go through.
I was listening to the audiobook at work and was trying so hard to not call my eyes out lol!
Definitely recommend!
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Mountains Sing
Author: Nguyen Phan Que Mai (I can’t do the accent marks to properly spell their name, so sorry!)
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Vietnamese Main Family!
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 16+ (war, violence, slight gore, family conflict)
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: With the epic sweep of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing and the lyrical beauty of Vaddey Ratner’s In the Shadow of the Banyan, The Mountains Sing tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Trần family, set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War. Trần Diệu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Nội, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Hồ Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that tore not just her beloved country, but her family apart.
Vivid, gripping, and steeped in the language and traditions of Việt Nam, The Mountains Sing brings to life the human costs of this conflict from the point of view of the Vietnamese people themselves, while showing us the true power of kindness and hope.
The Mountains Sing is celebrated Vietnamese poet Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s first novel in English.
Review: I thought this book was very well written and almost lyrical in how it was written. The book is a multi-generational book (kind of like Roots) where this family weaves their story together. It’s a wonderful tale that describes the absolute horrors, but absolute strength of people in war time.
However, I did feel like the characters didn’t connect with me. I’m not sure if it was because we were just forced into each character or if it was just the slow pacing that didn’t make me connect with the book, but I kind of want to reread it to try and connect with them again.
Verdict: Definitely recommend!
Book: The Mountains Sing
Author: Nguyen Phan Que Mai (I can’t do the accent marks to properly spell their name, so sorry!)
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Vietnamese Main Family!
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 16+ (war, violence, slight gore, family conflict)
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: With the epic sweep of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing and the lyrical beauty of Vaddey Ratner’s In the Shadow of the Banyan, The Mountains Sing tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Trần family, set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War. Trần Diệu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Nội, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Hồ Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that tore not just her beloved country, but her family apart.
Vivid, gripping, and steeped in the language and traditions of Việt Nam, The Mountains Sing brings to life the human costs of this conflict from the point of view of the Vietnamese people themselves, while showing us the true power of kindness and hope.
The Mountains Sing is celebrated Vietnamese poet Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s first novel in English.
Review: I thought this book was very well written and almost lyrical in how it was written. The book is a multi-generational book (kind of like Roots) where this family weaves their story together. It’s a wonderful tale that describes the absolute horrors, but absolute strength of people in war time.
However, I did feel like the characters didn’t connect with me. I’m not sure if it was because we were just forced into each character or if it was just the slow pacing that didn’t make me connect with the book, but I kind of want to reread it to try and connect with them again.
Verdict: Definitely recommend!
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this moving novel that gives an insight into the pain that people in Vietnam went through in the 20th century.
The story is told in alternating chapters through the eyes of the matriarch Grandma Dieu Lan, and her granddaughter Huong.
“Grandma” recalls her childhood and fleeing with her 5 children into the jungle, poverty-stricken, after the Land Reform forced them from their home.
Huong as a teenager sees her aunts and uncles come back from the Vietnam war as the family tries to carry on and find a life after the effects of war. They search for forgiveness with those who wronged them and themselves.
The story made me fall in love with the Tran family and my heart ached for them as they felt with their hardships.
The story is told in alternating chapters through the eyes of the matriarch Grandma Dieu Lan, and her granddaughter Huong.
“Grandma” recalls her childhood and fleeing with her 5 children into the jungle, poverty-stricken, after the Land Reform forced them from their home.
Huong as a teenager sees her aunts and uncles come back from the Vietnam war as the family tries to carry on and find a life after the effects of war. They search for forgiveness with those who wronged them and themselves.
The story made me fall in love with the Tran family and my heart ached for them as they felt with their hardships.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
This family takes hit after hit after hit, but the writing is so good and you just gotta know what grandma is gonna do next
Puede que para algunas personas resulte obvio pero para mí leerme esta novela es darme cuenta de lo poco que sé de algunos conflictos y especialmente que la historia que sé está americanizada.
El canto de las montañas nos muestra la historia de dos mujeres increíblemente fuertes que son familia: abuela y nieta. Cada una en su época y con eventos que impactaron sobre Vietnam y fueron MUY importantes como la reforma agraria, la guerra de vietnam, etc.
Y aunque ambas viven conflictos distintos el resumen es el mismo: ninguna guerra es buena. Todos sufren sobre todo el pueblo y la gente de a pie, ya que no solo son llamados al frente sino que sufren la pérdida de familiares, la incertidumbre, etc.
La historia de la nieta trata sobre la guerra de Vietnam y como ve desaparecer a los miembros de su familia, como experimenta la existencia de dos bandos y como tiene que enfrentarse a dilemas que ningún niño debería hacer.
Un libro desgarrador con una prosa impecable que te hace reflexionar sobre varios temas a la vez que te permite conocer a dos protagonistas increíblemente fuertes.
El canto de las montañas nos muestra la historia de dos mujeres increíblemente fuertes que son familia: abuela y nieta. Cada una en su época y con eventos que impactaron sobre Vietnam y fueron MUY importantes como la reforma agraria, la guerra de vietnam, etc.
Y aunque ambas viven conflictos distintos el resumen es el mismo: ninguna guerra es buena. Todos sufren sobre todo el pueblo y la gente de a pie, ya que no solo son llamados al frente sino que sufren la pérdida de familiares, la incertidumbre, etc.
La historia de la nieta trata sobre la guerra de Vietnam y como ve desaparecer a los miembros de su familia, como experimenta la existencia de dos bandos y como tiene que enfrentarse a dilemas que ningún niño debería hacer.
Un libro desgarrador con una prosa impecable que te hace reflexionar sobre varios temas a la vez que te permite conocer a dos protagonistas increíblemente fuertes.