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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Tenth Muse is about an Asian female mathematician in the 60s, searching to solve a (fictional) math problem and also unravel the mysteries of her parentage
Chung incorporated the mathematics theme v. well, to the point that I thought that I had learned some things about math (even though I most definitely didn't LOL)
The family history/mystery part.......... is a little less compelling
Large chunks of the book are devoted to the protagonist's relationship with her graduate advisor (yikes), and the way his lack of respect for her work and autonomy undermines her
I am sorry to report that their relationship is very boring
Every time she starts wittering on about Peter, I want to revolt! Forget Peter! What about the math??
The family heritage part is needlessly complex, involving multiple plot twists that serve no particular purpose
At one point, I started thinking that the older Chinese man working on a similar problem to our protagonist, whose brain works in similar ways, might be her father. This would be fairly stupid but also make sense and work out in a sort of fairy-tale fashion
Unfortunately, the real twist is that her DEAD MOTHER was not actually her mother but some random woman her dad fake married to give her an Asian maternal influence, and her bio mother was a MATHEMATICAL GENIUS whose work was stolen by a distant relative before she DIED IN THE HOLOCAUST. Her bio dad is some random Chinese grad student.
And there's no real engagement with the protagonist's Jewish heritage either aside from heaping on some extra tragedy
It's honestly such a shame bc the writing was very good and the themes were so promising! It just all amounted to nothing ):
Chung incorporated the mathematics theme v. well, to the point that I thought that I had learned some things about math (even though I most definitely didn't LOL)
The family history/mystery part.......... is a little less compelling
Large chunks of the book are devoted to the protagonist's relationship with her graduate advisor (yikes), and the way his lack of respect for her work and autonomy undermines her
I am sorry to report that their relationship is very boring
Every time she starts wittering on about Peter, I want to revolt! Forget Peter! What about the math??
The family heritage part is needlessly complex, involving multiple plot twists that serve no particular purpose
At one point, I started thinking that the older Chinese man working on a similar problem to our protagonist, whose brain works in similar ways, might be her father. This would be fairly stupid but also make sense and work out in a sort of fairy-tale fashion
And there's no real engagement with the protagonist's Jewish heritage either aside from heaping on some extra tragedy
It's honestly such a shame bc the writing was very good and the themes were so promising! It just all amounted to nothing ):
I really wanted to like this book and I really DID like the last fourth of it. The story is beautifully written and cohesive. However, the first three quarters were a snoozefest for me.
This is a poignant story of finding oneself and the importance of knowing where we come from. Katherine, a mathematical prodigy, has always found herself set apart, and not in the way we might think. Throughout her life she is on a quest to understand the world around her through math and discover her families buried secrets and where exactly she comes from. Chung wove a beautiful, heart-wrenching tale. Absolutely stunning!
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting
Moderate: Xenophobia
Refers to WWII in Germany and the horrific treatment of Jewish people. There aren't graphic details, but it's talked about quite a bit.
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
There are more layers than it first seems. Just when I was grumbling about nothing happening, all of a sudden everything was happening. Still, it never grabbed me the way I'd have liked.
i thought this book was very well written overall, but what i found distracting was that the voice and dialogue didn't sound like the 1960s, even among progressive academics in the 1960s. did anyone else feel this way?
challenging
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No