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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
dark
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Suicide, Abortion, Death of parent, Colonisation
didnt really find it engaging enough to keep going, the way the two stories are told are not my thing
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I, like many, read The Women and felt its lack - lack of a viewpoint that wasn't so very American. I was directed to read this so I could learn of life in Vietnam from a Vietnamese perspective, and I'm so glad I did. Spanning generations, it covers life through Land Reform, communism, and the war. The grandmother of the story endured so much, but kept her positivity and resilience in the face of horrific circumstances that would have left me curled up by the side of the road crying. I love her. Really great alternative to The Women. I look forward to reading Dust Child by this author.
Oh my… what a heartbreaking and beautiful book. I was bawling on an airplane as I finished. I knew very little about Vietnam’s history before reading this & I learned a lot with this story - Especially since there are 2 POVs with their own timelines. One of my favorite parts was how she included Vietnamese proverbs throughout. For being Nguyễn’s first English novel, this is so impressive. It’s a dialogue heavy book (which I normally don’t enjoy) and I found those parts to be a bit choppy, but the story is so powerfully done that I’m going with a 4!
“Somehow I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.”
“Somehow I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.”
informative
inspiring
sad
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No