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jeanetterenee's review against another edition
It took me over a week to read the first 90 pages of this book. I plugged along because I didn't have a good reason to quit....except that I was not enjoying it. When I recognize the quality of an author's prose, I feel compelled to keep trying even if the book is difficult for me to read. I don't mean difficult in the sense that I can't understand the writing, but difficult because the story is not compelling.
After 90 pages, I realized I was forcing myself to continue, calculating in my head that if I read one chapter per day I could finish it by the library due date. Most of the characters seem flat and affectless to me, forcing themselves to lead drab, solitary lives, and apparently thinking they're superior because they don't need other people. So, I'm letting this one go, and it feels good.
After 90 pages, I realized I was forcing myself to continue, calculating in my head that if I read one chapter per day I could finish it by the library due date. Most of the characters seem flat and affectless to me, forcing themselves to lead drab, solitary lives, and apparently thinking they're superior because they don't need other people. So, I'm letting this one go, and it feels good.
athoughtfulrecord's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
sarahjsnider's review against another edition
4.0
This was on the cusp between 3 and 4 stars. I found it engaging and, once I got familiar with the characters and their histories, I thought their struggles with the past were relatable without being overly sympathetic (is that good? It's intriguing, anyway). Also, I stayed with my friend's family in their Beijing hutong apartment for a few days this summer, and although a great deal has changed since the book's events in 1989, I could see a glimpse of what the characters' home was like, particularly Moran's affection for Beijing.
ania's review against another edition
3.0
Relentlessly bleak and depressing. I'm not one for trigger warnings but this one could've used an advisory note.
ksparks's review against another edition
2.0
I found this to be a profoundly unpleasant novel, although well-written. The characters are unlikeable to the point of being sociopathic. It is a slow paced and psychological book, written by someone with a very jaundiced eye to all humanity. i suppose I kept reading, wondering if the characters would ever redeem themselves--they did not.
veronical's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bucket's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating, character-driven narrative about the impact of a mysterious event in adolescence on three people. The event slowly becomes more clear as we get to know the three characters and see how their personalities and priorities were forever altered by the experience.
Bounces between perspectives and also all over the place in time - but incredibly smoothly and effectively. Never once was I lost, and information and scenes seemed to come right when they should.
Can't wait to read more by Yiyun Li!
Bounces between perspectives and also all over the place in time - but incredibly smoothly and effectively. Never once was I lost, and information and scenes seemed to come right when they should.
Can't wait to read more by Yiyun Li!
matillda's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
8little_paws's review against another edition
4.0
Such gorgeous writing! An introspective story of four teens growing up in Beijing and what happens when one of the four is poisoned. The other three carry the emotional effects of that for decades to come.