Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Vijf levens by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

15 reviews

areen's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense

5.0

I always love when a book teaches me about history through the lense of fictional characters, spanning the course of their lives. but more than that I love when authors can write them in a way that feels like they are writing from memory, like it's actually their experience. 

I literally have nothing but good things to say about this book. It is so so powerful and the fact that the author wrote it during the pandemic when all the Asian hate crime was rampant makes this even more powerful to me. she really showed us how so little has changed in america.

the writing is phenomenal. so full of depth and meaning. not a single paragraph wasted. and the incorporation of calligraphy and chinese words to tell the story? I can't praise it enough. absolutely obsessed.

when Lin Daiyu said at the end "you will never forget me." yes!!! I think she'll live inside me forever (iykyk 👀). I really need everyone to read it, but please check tws first!

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softbun's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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anaiira's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

What a tragic but beautifully written story. It's so obviously well researched and thought through. In a long string of tragedies, Daiyu stands as a beacon of resilience, as someone who deserves much better than she got, as someone who struggled to learn, to grow, to transform, not just because of the unceasing tide of adversity against her but to overcome as best she can, to make her life one that is meaningful and whole for her.

I thought the book was full of gorgeous lines and descriptions, from beginning to end. Even the way that the author describes the ocean, "the cotton roar of the beach... the sea breeze one exhale around us" or the way she describes the relationship of Daiyu's parents "the tides gently pushing them towards each other... an imperative from the water". I appreciate that the author includes trafitional stories, after all, in 4000 years of history, there are stories aplenty to include, but she also chose to retell a small personal one, about a grasshopper that the main character inadvertently tore apart, about how it was a lesson to be more gentle with the world, to do better, that not all the beauty of the world needs to be plucked and held in the hand, sometimes it is good to let it go.

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regans's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

3.75


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dianavdavidson_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

5.0


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tcrivera12's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense

4.0


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thelittle_seokmin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense slow-paced
  • 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

4.25


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pyronautphea's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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thisiskitcat's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0


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cait's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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