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msmarlena's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sassyspoon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ladylizardxvii's review against another edition
5.0
What an intriguing vision of the future, not just for China, but for everyone. I think my favorite part of the story was how it wasn't too terribly long, but it was told from four different points of view. What's more, two of those POVs were in first person and two were in third person. Highly recommend for anyone interested in a near-future dystopia that might be nearer than you think.
11corvus11's review against another edition
Im giving up on this one. Im very bored even though there are very interesting ideas in the blurb.
gorophobe's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
one of those slower-to-start, “we have to display everyone’s flaws in order to have them change by the end of the book” type of character-driven story. i’m a firm believer it should have been longer to fully accommodate the plot (mild ending to say the least) and leave the reader satisfied.
however, due to the premise of the book itself – a commentary on china’s one child policy, overpopulation of men, and family structure – there was no realistic chance of reform or revolution by the end of the book.
unfortunately this means that the most interesting character gets thrown to the side after barely exploring the intricacies of the more hidden sides of society. a lot of chapters towards the end i found myself wanting to hear from this character instead of the others.hann’s character could have been explored so much further. i wish that he had not been abandoned for some broke and homeless gimmick without even an excerpt to hear his thoughts/plans at the end of it all.
if nothing else, a good read.
however, due to the premise of the book itself – a commentary on china’s one child policy, overpopulation of men, and family structure – there was no realistic chance of reform or revolution by the end of the book.
unfortunately this means that the most interesting character gets thrown to the side after barely exploring the intricacies of the more hidden sides of society. a lot of chapters towards the end i found myself wanting to hear from this character instead of the others.
if nothing else, a good read.
stlorca's review against another edition
4.0
An Excess Male is drawn vividly and sharply, with nary a foot put wrong in the storytelling. Each of the characters has a distinctive “voice”; the author doesn’t give in to stereotype and instead gives the reader a reason to relate to the main characters. I particularly liked the author’s patchwork solution to the aggression of young males—let’s face it, millions of twentysomething dudes without a hope of female companionship would make a formidable army of terrorists if some charismatic sociopath came along—and it certainly seems like something the Chinese government would implement.
I didn’t really care for one character’s casual dismissal of marrying a foreign-born Korean or Vietnamese woman; she describes it as “marrying a sign-language wife”. It seems to me you would take it where you can find it. Other than that, it’s bold and solid start to finish.
I didn’t really care for one character’s casual dismissal of marrying a foreign-born Korean or Vietnamese woman; she describes it as “marrying a sign-language wife”. It seems to me you would take it where you can find it. Other than that, it’s bold and solid start to finish.
dljmsw's review against another edition
2.0
I may need to create a DNF shelf, as this may be my third for 2019. I'm definitely not a fan of dystopian, science fiction, futuristic novels and this was a very slow start for me. I made it through about half for my book club discussion tonight. After the discussion, I'm calling it quits. Not for me.
robinorozco's review against another edition
4.0
While in the thick of it, I found this story to be terrifying, amazing, crazy, and kept me guessing how it would end. I needed to keep reading. The characters I both enjoyed and despised, needless to say I was convinced this was going to be my favorite book of the year. However, the ending of this book left me for want. It flopped at the end, it was dry and made the rest of the greatness in this novel, much less great. If I were to rate the first 3/4 of the book, i would give it 5 stars, no questions asked. The last 1/4th, 2-3 stars, maybe even one. So I settle on 4, but really give it 3.5-4.
ammbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Ms King’s novel about a society which opts for a form of polyandry as a solution to a shortage of women was interesting. I was intrigued by her world in which though one would think that the shortage would empower women it seemed to have made little difference other than saddling women with more than one husband at a time.