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gabmc's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book and it was quite different from Mankell's Wallander series. The book opens with a horrible mass murder where every inhabitant of a small village in the north of Sweden has been killed. Judge Birgitta Roslin hears about it on the news and realises that it's the town her (foster) grandparents come from. She needs to take leave because of very high blood pressure but instead of resting, decides to investigate. She finds some diaries in her grandparents' house and then a lone red ribbon at one murder scene. She realises that the ribbon comes from a lamp in a Chinese restaurant in the nearby town where she's staying. She talks to the hotel owner in the town and he produces a photo of a possible suspect.
The story actually starts in 1863 in China where three brothers are forced to flee their homes after their parents die. The brothers are shanghaied to work on the railway in America under a very brutal Swedish foreman.
Ultimately it's a story of revenge, politics and family.
The story actually starts in 1863 in China where three brothers are forced to flee their homes after their parents die. The brothers are shanghaied to work on the railway in America under a very brutal Swedish foreman.
Ultimately it's a story of revenge, politics and family.
thebookstackattack's review against another edition
Just not in a good headspace to read about all the detailed deaths and attempted rape of an 80 year old
mokaty's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a little disappointed there was no mystery aspect to this book. It's my fault that I didn't check the genre beforehand. There was no grand reveal or anything like that because this is a crime novel and not a mystery detective that I thought it was.
This is definitely a character-driven story. They were well developed, their mindsets and views of the world were explored as well. The pacing is slow, especially in the first part of the book. Someone who likes plot-driven stories could say this book is boring and dragged out. For me personally, it was weird reading about the character's lives while the mass murder was pushed to the side.
I looooved reading about the three brothers, their story was my favorite part of the entire book. The emotions, the experiences, the terror these brothers had to go through were the most interesting thing to read about.
I think I could've enjoyed this book a lot more if I had more knowledge and context about politics, history, and general life experiences. I couldn't relate to the main character at all, her struggles were foreign to me. Also, using the mass murder to introduce characters was very weird and not my cup of tea.
This is definitely a character-driven story. They were well developed, their mindsets and views of the world were explored as well. The pacing is slow, especially in the first part of the book. Someone who likes plot-driven stories could say this book is boring and dragged out. For me personally, it was weird reading about the character's lives while the mass murder was pushed to the side.
I looooved reading about the three brothers, their story was my favorite part of the entire book. The emotions, the experiences, the terror these brothers had to go through were the most interesting thing to read about.
I think I could've enjoyed this book a lot more if I had more knowledge and context about politics, history, and general life experiences. I couldn't relate to the main character at all, her struggles were foreign to me. Also, using the mass murder to introduce characters was very weird and not my cup of tea.
jstone3553's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nuscheda's review against another edition
3.0
Worthwhile but would have benefited from a more aggressive edit. Love the BR character, though.
8qqimc8q's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've read of late. The story meanders through so many characters and time periods you're not quite sure until very close to the end where it may be heading and if any of it comes together.
emna507's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
sgs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
2.0
Super graphic, too slow paced, and not that great of a twist.
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the motive for the original murders was ridiculous. I also found many of the characters to be one-dimensional. This novel is the second stand-alone I have read by Mankell, but unusually for me (because I often tire of series mysteries), I have preferred the Wallander novels. Both stand-alone novels are set partially in Africa, where Mankell lives part of the year. This novel is an improvement on the other one, which I thought was poorly written and extremely depressing, but it still has major flaws.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-man-from-beijing/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-man-from-beijing/