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kmaffett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Rape, War, and Child death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence and Fire/Fire injury
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gore, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Racial slurs, War, Violence, and Vomit
chaitai00's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
linguaphile412's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, War, Gun violence, Grief, Racism, Child death, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs
koyalites's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"This sadness, however thin and thread-bare, is all that remains to connect her to a boy now grown, a man long dead, a life of waiting and a past slowly fading from sight."
Stunning prose and beautifully developed characters and relationships. I love multi-generational stories. Following a character's life from start to end and seeing how their lives impacted the generation that came after them is always such a fascinating thing to read and so hard to get right but I was invested in every character that showed up on the page, especially Meilin and Renshu. The story is bittersweet, there are a lot of what-ifs that went through my head as the story progressed, but the author just kind of tells it like it is, there's no big parade or celebration at the end, sometimes you just have to stick together and push forward. The journey that these characters go through to survive, find peace, and heal in their own ways through reconnections is worth giving this book a try. It is also filled with hope and little kind moments that feel so intimate (I used the word already but I'll use it again).
The writing is just so beautiful, the author has a poetic voice that captures the feeling like you're reading an old tale, fitting for a story with characters exploring, reconnecting with their pasts, and/or having to start over through someone else's lens. I don't know how else to review this book, just check it out. I might start checking out more historical fiction books, I don't know...
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Xenophobia, Violence, and Racism