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mauryneiberg18's review against another edition
5.0
An interesting collection of connected short stories centered in Bangkok. The futuristic ones did not speak to me as much as those set in the 1970s and somewhat later.
valjohnson's review
4.0
Took a while to get into the chronology and character jumps, but was very moving. Lovely Thai imagery and references to Thai customs. Each section circles around themes of loss and sadness (at least for me) but the writing itself is beautiful.
coldprintcoffee's review
5.0
From the reviews, many people don't like the structure of the "loose" intertwining of stories. I don't feel that way, so this review may not be for you, either. I'm a huge fan of these types of books and my firm belief is that people have a low tolerance for being confused or kept from certain details - that they feel entitled to the entire picture at once in a novel. We could have a thorough discussion on that, if you'd like. Recently I read "The Overstory" by Richard Powers, and while it took time to read, it gave me the impression of hiking up a mountain, gathering details here and there, having to reread because there was something I missed in the sentence that meant something else, a puzzle piece fitted in later on. Bangkok Wakes to Rain lulls me; it's sitting in a cable car while the wind sways it back and forth, rocks it while you fall asleep. It's meandering in a city that's foreign and doesn't belong to you, and you're stepping around the edges trying to find an opening of it. I felt like I was in these places - damp, vivid, colorful, claustrophobic at points. The idea of a thread, a person's story, weaving across others, across time, I have no problem admitting it's extremely romantic to me and has a quality about it that's almost like being swaddled in a weird nostalgic you weren't alive for.
Another book evoked to mind was "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee. The ideas of families, and different combinations and types of them, the difficulties and hardships and also the bright memories - Bangkok did this extremely well, depicting a variety of types of relationships and not seeming to make untoward commentary at any of them. Rather, they were seen as they were, each emotion held up to the light in context of the bond. Most of the characters begged to be known further, read about more, and I bonded with them quickly; I think the delicate parts of personality and the human experience were completely relatable. The narrative was so comfortable I'd like to purchase a copy so I can run my hands over it, trying to find the dampness and dew, trying to hear the ringing sound of people's protests, and read it for a second time to uncover more.
Another book evoked to mind was "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee. The ideas of families, and different combinations and types of them, the difficulties and hardships and also the bright memories - Bangkok did this extremely well, depicting a variety of types of relationships and not seeming to make untoward commentary at any of them. Rather, they were seen as they were, each emotion held up to the light in context of the bond. Most of the characters begged to be known further, read about more, and I bonded with them quickly; I think the delicate parts of personality and the human experience were completely relatable. The narrative was so comfortable I'd like to purchase a copy so I can run my hands over it, trying to find the dampness and dew, trying to hear the ringing sound of people's protests, and read it for a second time to uncover more.
hanntastic's review
3.0
Global Read 179 Thailand
This was certainly impressive and extremely atmospheric but I felt a little too unmoored reading it. It kind of felt like a messier cloud atlas. There wasn't a lot to anchor me in time which is hard when it is jumping around so much. There were also way too many characters. Some of the stories, like Nee & Nok's were so much more important that it seemed pointless to have to read about Phineas or a chapter half told from the point of view of an animal.
This was certainly impressive and extremely atmospheric but I felt a little too unmoored reading it. It kind of felt like a messier cloud atlas. There wasn't a lot to anchor me in time which is hard when it is jumping around so much. There were also way too many characters. Some of the stories, like Nee & Nok's were so much more important that it seemed pointless to have to read about Phineas or a chapter half told from the point of view of an animal.
msmagoo502's review
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I must admit I was distracted while reading this book and found myself getting confused I wasn't sure when we were switching from one storyline to another I wish I had been more clear but I did like it enough that I will be rereading this in the future I love the characters and following them through I also love a sense of place becoming a character as well. Maybe save this read for when you have undivided attention to share with it
rosielazar1's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
booklicityyyy's review
5.0
thai historical fiction to sci fi reimagining of bangkok’s future. the book switches between so many different characters in the thai diaspora in thailand and abroad/time periods that at first i was disoriented, before realizing all the characters were connected in some way. MIND BLOWN when i realized that and how history repeats itself. also had interesting commentary on colonialism, tourism and white foreigner male/thai female dynamics
lsaligmander's review
4.0
I rarely rate a book higher than it’s good reads average, but I actually liked this one. The author’s vivid descriptions make you feel like you are in the place he is describing. I also loved the way the novel zoomed past the present and into the future just as seamlessly as it engaged with the past. I am giving this four and not five stars because sometimes it felt that the individual stories went on tangents that were too far from the core storyline to be interesting. I also wish that the connections between the different chapters had become clearer earlier in the book, because I almost gave up on it in the beginning when I thought it was just random stories from different time periods.
niallharrison's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.0
paracosm's review against another edition
2.0
By now I've read enough short story collections to figure out that I don't like this particular format; which is a set of scenes from different characters' POV that are interconnected in some way, and basically no plot.
I like shorts stories with an interesting premise, that have a contained beginning, middle and end. And this book simply wasn't that, which is entirely on me.
I spent most of the book bored, waiting for it to end. I didn't care for any of the characters, which was made worse by the fact they kept coming back. The one savings grace this book has is the writing style, it was quite lovely.
I like shorts stories with an interesting premise, that have a contained beginning, middle and end. And this book simply wasn't that, which is entirely on me.
I spent most of the book bored, waiting for it to end. I didn't care for any of the characters, which was made worse by the fact they kept coming back. The one savings grace this book has is the writing style, it was quite lovely.