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oneardentstudybuddy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jbowman19's review
3.75
A winding chronicle of loss and memory, pieced together amidst the long shadow of the Cultural Revolution, that ebbs and flows. Some really lovely passages here although the execution sometimes feels a bit off (possibly due to the translation?).
imkebelt's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
roomforastory's review
3.0
"If the gods deal you a terrible hand, all you can do is play it as best you can."
"This may be the most complicated thing about being human: acknowledging our mistakes doesn’t mean drawing a line under them; as long as we’re still drawing breath, we’ll keep facing new tests, and we’ll have moments of weakness."
Two estranged friends, Li Jiaqi and Cheng Gong, reunite and recount the story of their families from the 1960s to 1980s, trying to uncover the mysteries behind a crime that connects their two families.
The plot is slow and maybe a bit too methodical, but the character development is strong though I still don't think I had a clear sense of either Jiaqi or Gong, other than they are both desperate to understand their past and connect in some way to their parents and grandparents who are mostly distant and cold towards them.
Three stars for some poignant quotes and because I stayed interested enough to finish it, though it did take me a long time! I might like this one better on a second read, though I don't think I'll ever get around to it.
"This may be the most complicated thing about being human: acknowledging our mistakes doesn’t mean drawing a line under them; as long as we’re still drawing breath, we’ll keep facing new tests, and we’ll have moments of weakness."
Two estranged friends, Li Jiaqi and Cheng Gong, reunite and recount the story of their families from the 1960s to 1980s, trying to uncover the mysteries behind a crime that connects their two families.
The plot is slow and maybe a bit too methodical, but the character development is strong though I still don't think I had a clear sense of either Jiaqi or Gong, other than they are both desperate to understand their past and connect in some way to their parents and grandparents who are mostly distant and cold towards them.
Three stars for some poignant quotes and because I stayed interested enough to finish it, though it did take me a long time! I might like this one better on a second read, though I don't think I'll ever get around to it.
mschwartz444's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
katiez624's review against another edition
4.0
This book SPOKE to me in a way I was not anticipating. I am very curious about my parents' experiences during the Cultural Revolution, questions that I haven't known how to ask. This book depicts that time period and generation in an evocative way, providing me with a lot of clarity and insight about how my life may have looked had I grown up and stayed in China.
The translation is superb. The writing is eloquent and descriptive, conveying the setting and context extremely well, never clunky or awkward. The story is told from the perspectives of Li Jiaqi and Cheng Gong, two childhood friends with their own complicated family histories and relationships. Zhang's ability to capture the voice of adolescents is impressive. Their yearnings for familial affection and approval and the disappointments they experience are palpable and genuine to that phase of life. Both characters endure tremendous amounts of instability and abandonment, due to problematic parental figures. And both characters are deeply intrigued by their family histories, which intertwine at pivotal moments.
The stories they tell about their families are compelling and uniquely representative of this tumultuous time period in China's history, interpreted from a more current perspective. The shifting POVs are meant to simulate a conversation, but it comes across as two disparate storytellings to a third party, with some overlap but very little interaction. The narratives are similar enough and told nonlinearly that it can be difficult to follow and distinguish. Each of their stories is winding and unexpected, never able to anticipate what will happen next. The brutality of the Cultural Revolution and the impact it has had on future generations is felt acutely.
I wish there was more interaction between the two main protagonists, rather than just adjacent storytellings.
Thanks to NetGalley and World Editions for my ARC.
The translation is superb. The writing is eloquent and descriptive, conveying the setting and context extremely well, never clunky or awkward. The story is told from the perspectives of Li Jiaqi and Cheng Gong, two childhood friends with their own complicated family histories and relationships. Zhang's ability to capture the voice of adolescents is impressive. Their yearnings for familial affection and approval and the disappointments they experience are palpable and genuine to that phase of life. Both characters endure tremendous amounts of instability and abandonment, due to problematic parental figures. And both characters are deeply intrigued by their family histories, which intertwine at pivotal moments.
The stories they tell about their families are compelling and uniquely representative of this tumultuous time period in China's history, interpreted from a more current perspective. The shifting POVs are meant to simulate a conversation, but it comes across as two disparate storytellings to a third party, with some overlap but very little interaction. The narratives are similar enough and told nonlinearly that it can be difficult to follow and distinguish. Each of their stories is winding and unexpected, never able to anticipate what will happen next. The brutality of the Cultural Revolution and the impact it has had on future generations is felt acutely.
I wish there was more interaction between the two main protagonists, rather than just adjacent storytellings.
Spoiler
I also found the ending to be quite unsatisfying. Nothing was resolved, and it seemed rather abrupt.Thanks to NetGalley and World Editions for my ARC.
mihrcat's review
3.0
overall good, i enjoyed the characterization and being able to see how everyone interacted in some way. but it did meander a bit and at times i almost stopped reading bc it wasn’t quite catching me. the lack of quotation marks in some sections were annoying and i personally found that sometimes truisms were sprinkled in the book rather awkwardly, only for the sake of sounding deep/ introspective.
re_saxy's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0