Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Four Treasures of the Sky

Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

40 reviews

staceyjunemsw's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

This is such a sad book - beautifully written but a tragic truth to be acknowledged.

Content Warnings

rebcamuse's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Four Treasures of the Sky is a heartbreaking story of Daiyu, a young Chinese girl who longs to be a calligraphist, but who encounters the worst of humanity, very far from home. There are moments of extreme beauty, particularly when Daiyu calls upon the lessons of calligraphy to face obstacles: "The inkstone asks for destruction before creation--you must first destroy yourself, grind yourself into a paste, before becoming a work of art." (307) Zhang illuminates Daiyu's "coming of age" within a tragedy, but the saving grace is Daiyu's own growth as a person. It is an important narrative that reflects the experience of far too many Chinese immigrants in the United States, and unearths a history that has been too often squelched.

Content Warnings

martinjen98's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

mollz12's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

This book was intense the whole way through. I don’t want to give the ending away but it is not happy. The character tries over and over again to succeed.
I loved this book and yet was so torn to not want to read the ending. It was hard to see someone just be beaten down. It’s a beautiful read and the author really studied what happened to Chinese Immigrants and Slaves back in the 1800’s. What a sad world they lived in and as white people continue to make people of color suffer in.

Content Warnings