Reviews

Sotto la pioggia by Pitchaya Sudbanthad

msmagoo502's review against another edition

hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I must admit I was distracted while reading this book and found myself getting confused I wasn't sure when we were switching from one storyline to another I wish I had been more clear but I did like it enough that I will be rereading this in the future I love the characters and following them through I also love a sense of place becoming a character as well. Maybe save this read for when you have undivided attention to share with it

rosielazar1's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

booklicityyyy's review against another edition

5.0

thai historical fiction to sci fi reimagining of bangkok’s future. the book switches between so many different characters in the thai diaspora in thailand and abroad/time periods that at first i was disoriented, before realizing all the characters were connected in some way. MIND BLOWN when i realized that and how history repeats itself. also had interesting commentary on colonialism, tourism and white foreigner male/thai female dynamics

lsaligmander's review against another edition

4.0

I rarely rate a book higher than it’s good reads average, but I actually liked this one. The author’s vivid descriptions make you feel like you are in the place he is describing. I also loved the way the novel zoomed past the present and into the future just as seamlessly as it engaged with the past. I am giving this four and not five stars because sometimes it felt that the individual stories went on tangents that were too far from the core storyline to be interesting. I also wish that the connections between the different chapters had become clearer earlier in the book, because I almost gave up on it in the beginning when I thought it was just random stories from different time periods.

niallharrison's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

paracosm's review against another edition

2.0

By now I've read enough short story collections to figure out that I don't like this particular format; which is a set of scenes from different characters' POV that are interconnected in some way, and basically no plot.

I like shorts stories with an interesting premise, that have a contained beginning, middle and end. And this book simply wasn't that, which is entirely on me.

I spent most of the book bored, waiting for it to end. I didn't care for any of the characters, which was made worse by the fact they kept coming back. The one savings grace this book has is the writing style, it was quite lovely.

madiriye's review against another edition

3.0

Finally finished this! It took me about halfway through the book to start being entertained. It was difficult to follow at some points and boring at other points, but overall I’m glad I read it. I thought the concept of showing Bangkok’s past, present, and future was kind of fascinating.

kotabee's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

heathssm's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

amysou0204's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Very difficult to read and get into. This book spans over many decades and looks at the lives of many different characters but the stories are not in chronological order and it is very difficult to try to remember all the characters' names to know who the chapter is about. The book was very confusing and while some of the story lines were interesting and would have made for a much better book had it focused on just those better story lines, other ones were lacking and a bit unnecessary in my opinion and could have been omitted for a smoother, more fluent read.