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pwig's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
whosthehereticnow's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars: we love a radical, proletarian Asian American author who experiments with craft and anti-imperialism
alessandro_ajm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aiddvo's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
tayloryams's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sentientsea's review
4.0
very grateful to kaya press for putting this and other books by the remarkably interesting chinese-american author and revolutionary activist h.t. tsiang back into print and introducing many readers to him in the process. so much about this short novel is extraordinary, such as the way irreverence and sarcasm seamlessly flows into earnest emotion and then back again, the cheerful and creative breakages of the fourth wall, the clarity and prescient commentary that tsiang consistently provides about the time period he was living in. of course, it's very important as a historical artifact but i think it would be a mistake to look at this story in only one way because there is far more to examine beyond the fact of its existence. there's much to like about this novel and much that could be a rewarding subject for critique but ultimately, i found that tsiang's style, politics, and storytelling combine to draw you firmly into his universe and leave you at last with a great deal to think about.
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