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mandkips's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Suicide
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Xenophobia
Minor: Police brutality
randomuser's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Stalking
Minor: Police brutality
goldenluck's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
This book gets as low a rating as it does simply because I expected something else and this isn't my cup of tea. Anthologies or short story collections are really not my thing, so while I ordinarily would not have picked this up and won't be rereading it anytime soon, I'm glad I read this. The stories felt real and ethereal at the same time, both grounded and far away. I studied Chinese language and peripherally culture for five years as a teen, and this brought a new, much harsher perspective to what actual China and its people are like. It's one of those books that, after completion, makes you close it and then you sit there pondering about life for hours on end. I see China in a new light - not bad, not good, just new.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Violence, and Xenophobia
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This was an interesting collection of short stories focused on the everyday life of China (though there were two stories that did not completely take place in the country). What I particularly liked about Land of Big Numbers is that Chen reveals a kind of universality in experiencing all kinds of emotions and the general messiness of life. Furthermore, Chen explores through her characters and settings what it’s like to live in modern-day China.
The writing is restrained and eloquent, for a lack of a better description. What I mean by this is that Chen asks for the reader to read between the lines; to be suspended in what is reality in China and not what media depicts (in other words, the beauty and horror of society isn’t all that different from everywhere else); to sit in the tragic and beautiful mess that humans make of themselves.
Each story is quite unique, and they are all diverse in tone and approach. However, like most other collections of short stories, I was drawn to certain stories more than others. My favorites were: “Lulu,” “New Fruit,” “Field Notes on a Marriage,” “Shanghai Murmur” (though I’ll say this was because the descriptions of the city reminded me of my time there), and “Gubeikou Spirit.”
Note: I received an ARC through a giveaway.
Note: I received an ARC through a giveaway.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cancer and Police brutality
fiainkvinna's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death
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