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bookedandbusy's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
5.0
This was an incredible collection of short stories. I loved how each one had a deeper meaning, and I loved the message behind them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Abortion, and War
Minor: Child death, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
frmvivian's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
really enjoyed it - a must-read again
The different vibes each story gives is very interesting and i enjoy chang's writing a lot
The different vibes each story gives is very interesting and i enjoy chang's writing a lot
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Abandonment
belava's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Abortion
lovelymisanthrope's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I selected this as one of my Book of the Month picks, and I thought it would be a great read to kick off 2024.
"Tomb Sweeping" is a collection of short stories that explores relationships, both relationships we have with ourselves, and relationships we have with other people. Each story is insightful, eye-opening, and reflective, which allows the reader to reflect on how their own relationships may be impacted by their behavior.
My favorite, and what I thought was the most memorable short story, was: "To Get Rich is Glorious". In this short story we get to see the life of Hang Chun Fu, or FuFu for short. Fufu lived a modest life, but she always aspired for more, and she was given the opportunity to do so when she was approached about organizing some Mahjah games. She does not believe she is doing anything wrong, and she does not believe she will get caught, all she sees is the opportunity to finally afford herself the lifestyle she has always aspired for.
I think this story in particular is so interesting because FuFu highlights how easy it can be to make one wrong step and it impact the rest of your life. She did not murder anyone, or do anything severely criminal, but she facilitated in the participation in gambling, which is a crime. I think this is a cautionary tale about learning to love what you have and being content with the life you have built, even if you cannot keep up with your neighbors and their designer handbag collection.
Each of these stories captivated me and forced me to reflect on my own life. I highly recommend this collection, and I look forward to reading more from Alexandra Chang in the future.
"Tomb Sweeping" is a collection of short stories that explores relationships, both relationships we have with ourselves, and relationships we have with other people. Each story is insightful, eye-opening, and reflective, which allows the reader to reflect on how their own relationships may be impacted by their behavior.
My favorite, and what I thought was the most memorable short story, was: "To Get Rich is Glorious". In this short story we get to see the life of Hang Chun Fu, or FuFu for short. Fufu lived a modest life, but she always aspired for more, and she was given the opportunity to do so when she was approached about organizing some Mahjah games. She does not believe she is doing anything wrong, and she does not believe she will get caught, all she sees is the opportunity to finally afford herself the lifestyle she has always aspired for.
I think this story in particular is so interesting because FuFu highlights how easy it can be to make one wrong step and it impact the rest of your life. She did not murder anyone, or do anything severely criminal, but she facilitated in the participation in gambling, which is a crime. I think this is a cautionary tale about learning to love what you have and being content with the life you have built, even if you cannot keep up with your neighbors and their designer handbag collection.
Each of these stories captivated me and forced me to reflect on my own life. I highly recommend this collection, and I look forward to reading more from Alexandra Chang in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death
hoppskotch's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Death, Genocide, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and War
bekkah_co's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
When this book was presented to me, it was described as a short story collection that didn't fall into the pitfalls most collections fall into (some are too short, others too long, the blend together, some feel uncompleted, etc.). Unfortunately, after completing Tomb Sweeper I found it falling into this pattern. Some stories, like "Flies" carried on for ages while stories like "Cat Personalities" were much to short. The pace of the stories was all over the place and negatively impacted the flow from one narrative to the next. The author, Alexandra Chang, took a significant amount of time to work on this (nine years, according to the dust cover), and I wish that the time she spent would have helped tighten this collection further into cohesive themes.
If I had to select commonalities that were present throughout the fifteen stories, it would be the following:
- Asian (specifically Chinese)-American experiences
- Chinese experiences
- severe melancholy / anxiety
As I read, all of the stories started to blur together. This person didn't have money, this person was dissatisfied with their life, their parents are divorced, etc. I don't think there was a single short story in this that stood out as particularly unique from the rest in the collection.
The one saving grace of this book was the craftmanship. Chang's writing, stylistically, was a treat. I was able to breeze through the text without feeling like I was missing any pertinent details. I believe if I would have encountered each of these short stories individually, I may have enjoyed them more. Perhaps that's my fault for reading the collection all in one go.
When I began reading, I was optimistic. "Unknown by Unknown" by far was my favorite. It was a good way to begin the collection, but the suspense built within its own pages did not pay off. It was misleading to the rest of the contents in the book. I will say, I did nearly DNF the book with the ending of "Phenotype" because what the hell.
If I had to select commonalities that were present throughout the fifteen stories, it would be the following:
- Asian (specifically Chinese)-American experiences
- Chinese experiences
- severe melancholy / anxiety
As I read, all of the stories started to blur together. This person didn't have money, this person was dissatisfied with their life, their parents are divorced, etc. I don't think there was a single short story in this that stood out as particularly unique from the rest in the collection.
The one saving grace of this book was the craftmanship. Chang's writing, stylistically, was a treat. I was able to breeze through the text without feeling like I was missing any pertinent details. I believe if I would have encountered each of these short stories individually, I may have enjoyed them more. Perhaps that's my fault for reading the collection all in one go.
When I began reading, I was optimistic. "Unknown by Unknown" by far was my favorite. It was a good way to begin the collection, but the suspense built within its own pages did not pay off. It was misleading to the rest of the contents in the book. I will say, I did nearly DNF the book with the ending of "Phenotype" because what the hell.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Abortion and War
nashaytreads's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Side note: I am typically not a short story reader so that has likely colored my experience of reading this.
While the writing was creative and beautiful, and the story ideas themselves are creative, it often felt like they ended abruptly. I felt like as soon as we’d get to an interesting part or the crest of the story it’s just…end.
Li Fan was by far my favorite story. Phenotype had me questioning and wondering the most. The stories seem like mostly a collection of every day experiences of Asian characters, sometimes bordering on fantastical but I didn’t see a central theme necessarily.
Overall, if you enjoy short stories I’d recommend it. If not, it might not be the book for you. The cover though? Top tier.
While the writing was creative and beautiful, and the story ideas themselves are creative, it often felt like they ended abruptly. I felt like as soon as we’d get to an interesting part or the crest of the story it’s just…end.
Li Fan was by far my favorite story. Phenotype had me questioning and wondering the most. The stories seem like mostly a collection of every day experiences of Asian characters, sometimes bordering on fantastical but I didn’t see a central theme necessarily.
Overall, if you enjoy short stories I’d recommend it. If not, it might not be the book for you. The cover though? Top tier.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Cursing, and Adult/minor relationship
elizabeth_lepore's review
reflective
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Death
Moderate: War, Addiction, Chronic illness, and Abortion
ukponge's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Death, and Death of parent
devynreadsnovels's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Abortion, Addiction, Misogyny, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Chronic illness, Classism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicide, Infertility, Racism, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Abandonment
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