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palinaar's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
alinalan's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mangogo's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Exquisitely written, masterfully told through parallel narratives of mother and daughter. Sometimes the language is excessively colorful, and the story starts slow, but it rolls into a gripping, addictive, moving story. I hated the characters I was meant to hate and loved the ones I was meant to love, but Wharton ensures all her characters are imperfect and human to some degree. Themes of family, truth, love, identity, and resilience, a tale of unraveling an intricate, complicated past. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read Wharton’s next work. If it weren’t for the profanity, I think I’d give it 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Grief
misojo0053's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
essjay1's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed the dual timeline and the Hong Kong setting.
sharkybookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
1966, Sook-Yin is exiled from Hong Kong to London by her family; 1997, her daughter Lily is unexpectedly named in a stranger’s will and embarks on a trip to Hong Kong to find out more…
From the very first sentence I knew I was going to struggle with the writing - it is painfully overwritten. And I mean paaaaaainfully. Not every sentence or description needs a simile - it felt as if the author wanted to include every witty description she’s ever thought of over the course of her whole life, and there was just no need for that. I’d have seriously considered DNFing if it wasn’t a Book Club book.
The story also wasn’t quite what I was expecting from the title and blurb. Stories about navigating identity when you’re from more than one culture are like catnip to me, but this theme ended up being rather secondary. Instead the story alluded to and then heavily focussed on too many mysteries all at once - the mum’s life, the mum’s death, the mysterious incident at Cambridge six years prior. Not everything needs to be a mystery to move the plot along or keep the reader engaged.
It’s a shame because the setting of Hong Kong at Handover was fairly interesting (though written with a little too much hindsight I think), and this story idea really did have potential. But the very strong debut feel to it, especially the writing, was too much for me.
A painfully overwritten story of trying to piece together one’s identity amidst a trove of family secrets.
cjreads's review
4.0
I just wish the chapters were longer -- switching from 1 character to another happened too fast. The title alone earns an extra 1/2 star.
shosihansen's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book was great but I can't get over how evil and malicious some of the characters were.
The redemption of the sister was so unbelievable, in the sense that I totally did not agree with her forgiveness. What she did was terrible.
vicki22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5