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the_cat_on_a_bookcase's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a parallel story between Jasmine Yang, an immigrant from China who's looking for her birth daughter, and Rebecca Whitney, a wealthy editor who seems to have the perfect family. This was my book club read for March and was a stretch read for me since it's out of my normal go-to genres. There were some really interesting elements such as family bonds, interracial/international adoption, hidden bias, white privilege, and immigration. I'd suggest reading trigger warnings for this book prior to reading since this is often listed as a suspense novel. There was a large part of the novel that did not feel as suspenseful to me which would have made me probably label this more of a drama. The audio aspect of the book was alright, though not one of my favorites. It had alternating female narrators which I find more distracting. This one was entertaining and ultimately just okay for me since some of the themes felt a little lost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual content
machenn's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Death, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Racism
jennabeck13's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
About 275 pages
The Leftover Woman tells the story of Jasmine’s journey in NYC as she runs from her controlling husband, Wen, in China. While Jasmine has put up with Wen for years, when she discovers he lied and told her that her daughter died at birth, while in reality, their daughter is alive and well in the US, Jasmine knows it is time to go. Jasmine is determined to reunite with her daughter no matter the cost. But while Jasmine seeks to put her family back together, Rebecca’s family and career are falling apart. Following a scandal, Rebecca is on thin ice at work which is why she needs to land what is predicted to be the book of the year. Rebecca plans to connect with the author using her husband and daughter as leverage. However, she hasn't been prioritizing them lately, leading her daughter to favor her nanny and her husband to resent her a bit. While Rebecca and Jasmine are dealing with very different motherhood dilemmas, they end up on a crash course toward one another.
This was a beautifully done story that tackled several important topics including motherhood, racism, classism, abusive relationships, immigration, fetishization, and female empowerment. I enjoyed figuring out how the characters in Rebecca and Jasmine’s stories connected as the story progressed and seeing how both evolved as women. It also had a level of suspense we don’t normally see in contemporary fiction that I liked. My only complaints are there were a few places where I had trouble following the timelines and that Kwok left us with some loose ends.
Favorite Quote: “No one knew better than I that while your mind might disappear, the body must endure.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Deportation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Racism, and Sexism
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