Reviews

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

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izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5/5

This novel was so different. I loved how it went back and forth with the fairytales and main characters.

yuvia's review

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hopeful reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

3.75

A lovely and heartwarming story about the struggles of an immigrant family. The artwork is beautiful and the ending is sweet. I loved how it seamlessly wove the fairytales together with what was going on in Tien and his mother’s lives.

The awful teacher who outted Tien and made him talk to a homophobic priest can choke though.

Content Warnings

genereads2's review against another edition

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4.0

“The space between two shores is the ocean
And being caught in between feels like drowning
And, really, what is the point of tears among so much salt water?”

This quote perfectly encapsulates this book’s motif of the immigrant experience—a longing to communicate and understand, lost identities, and broken families. I loved how this book perfectly weaves multiple narratives; I thought the use of a color scheme was clever. I was hoping for more traditional fairy tales, but Trung makes an argument that stories transcend boundaries, and therefore, the adaptation of western stories perfectly fit this book’s theme.