Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - Four Treasures of the Sky

Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

74 reviews

twirlingpages's review against another edition

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sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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avgastright's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I really did not like this. I recognize that the author wanted to show some of the horrors of life in America for Chinese immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century, and if that was her only goal then she succeeded. With that being said, I think it’s awfully ironic that our main character is aware of the fact that she has a passive role in her own life… and yet the author never does anything about it? Also the whole third-act conflict didn’t make any sense to me.

I’ve been enjoying a lot of the Asian American literature I’ve been reading lately but this one did not hit the mark.

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schnurln's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-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

3.75

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cait's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

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sofiercely's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

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tnociti's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

3.5

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serendipitysbooks's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

Four Treasures of the Sky is a work of historical fiction that feels like an epic. It traverses China and the United States in the late nineteenth century. It’s a mix of historical fiction (with some key plot points being inspired by actual events as well as the more general background being historically accurate), magical realism, and Chinese folklore with a lot of information about calligraphy blended in. Early on we learn that the protagonist Lin Daiyu is named after a tragic Chinese literary heroine. She worries about whether this is an ill omen for her life. By the end of the book it is easy to conclude that it was. Several of the broad plot points - girl trafficked to work in brothel, girl disguising herself as a boy and working in remote town - were familiar to me from other novels. What stood out to me from this book was the character of Daiyu herself especially her resilience and determination, the relationship between her and the ghost of the fictional Daiyu (sounds strange but it works) and the way that impacted her identity, plus the way she used her knowledge of calligraphy to find strength and courage. This is a well-told and well-researched story which highlights some of the xenophobia and racism which impacted the lives of Chinese migrants in the late nineteenth century. It’s definitely a tough read in places- many places- and this is not a story with a happy ending. What’s extra sad is how enduring the anti-Chinese racism has been.

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