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bookglutton's review against another edition
3.25
I don’t think I was in the right mood for this, and don’t doubt I will return to it when I am. Lot’s to consider
fcty's review against another edition
5.0
aka. the tales of a lesbian situationship survivor. that shit is lethal!
in all seriousness i wish 1) that i’d read this in university, when i was Lazi’s age and facing similar issues with love, friendship and sexuality (though those issues haven’t changed much since…) and 2) that my chinese was better so I could read this in the original language!! I don’t believe that sentiments are fundamentally untranslatable between languages, and i have massive respect for translation as an art form, but there were many phrases in this book where I knew roughly what it would be in chinese but it comes off slightly clunky in translation. maybe one day i’ll get there… it’s a shame that the translation seems to fail this book but i ended up liking it so much I can’t bring myself to bump down the rating.
really related to this friend group’s struggles with love, toxic relationships, self-acceptance, self-respect and mental illness. i’m not sure how much of this is drawn from qiu miaojin’s life but if even a fraction of the events in the book actually happened my heart aches for her and her friends.
in all seriousness i wish 1) that i’d read this in university, when i was Lazi’s age and facing similar issues with love, friendship and sexuality (though those issues haven’t changed much since…) and 2) that my chinese was better so I could read this in the original language!! I don’t believe that sentiments are fundamentally untranslatable between languages, and i have massive respect for translation as an art form, but there were many phrases in this book where I knew roughly what it would be in chinese but it comes off slightly clunky in translation. maybe one day i’ll get there… it’s a shame that the translation seems to fail this book but i ended up liking it so much I can’t bring myself to bump down the rating.
really related to this friend group’s struggles with love, toxic relationships, self-acceptance, self-respect and mental illness. i’m not sure how much of this is drawn from qiu miaojin’s life but if even a fraction of the events in the book actually happened my heart aches for her and her friends.
samants's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A weird one! I think I liked it?
sweetwitches's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
when ur circle small but ur all crazy!!
in all seriousness i started pride month off strong with this one, thank u to whoever curated the display that this book was a part of @ vromans.
this book had a lot of things i *thought* i didn’t like in books: disjointed, nonlinear, frustrating characters, etc but for whatever reason it all worked for me in this book. honestly this is something only lesbians could write imo. can’t exactly explain it in words rn but all i know is i will diving into more of her work after this.
i’m going to be thinking about this book for a while
in all seriousness i started pride month off strong with this one, thank u to whoever curated the display that this book was a part of @ vromans.
this book had a lot of things i *thought* i didn’t like in books: disjointed, nonlinear, frustrating characters, etc but for whatever reason it all worked for me in this book. honestly this is something only lesbians could write imo. can’t exactly explain it in words rn but all i know is i will diving into more of her work after this.
i’m going to be thinking about this book for a while
notesofacrocodile's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
finished this one on the plane and safe to say, i was impressed by it. such self-destructive characters, all of who are flung into even worse circumstances because of what their queerness entails in a deeply unaccepting society. chiefly constructed with monologues and storytelling rather than any actual plot that unravels in front of us as the reader, it still managed to hold me in till the end.
sinisterbabygirl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
you’re coming back and it’s the end of the world, we’re staring over and i love you darling and i am done, dear
owennnng's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
monovev's review against another edition
3.0
I think I would have connected more with the writing if I had read it in the original language (Chinese). So definitely gonna do a reread sometime later.
elena_revisited's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0