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emergencily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- really interesting to read about the experiences of chinese miners & railroad workers who came to North America
- themes of being the "perpetual foreigner," the threatening "yellow peril," of being written out of the history for so long despite the blood and sweat that went into building key early infrastructure for "western civilization" to "tame" the frontiers. black indigenous and chinese labourers in the mines and railroads were underpaid and exploited and multiple exclusionary legislation were passed
- really liked how much the book talked about the natural world and how important it is to respect our connection to the lands we live on and how the land is a part of us too. how wrong it is that we exploit and extract all the resources until nothing is left. the emphasis on wildness & nature in this book is very special
- interesting look at the connections & relationship btwn chinese migrant labourers & indigenous peoples of america; at times contentious, at times in proximity
- themes of gender nonconformity & transness
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault
ember_amber's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Trafficking, and Transphobia
mairead_parade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault
mandy_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
erniedresser's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault
tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
jourdanicus's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Rape
schenkepanky's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Gun violence, Gore, and Death
allison_reads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I initially found this via NYT. I remember the write-up mentioning something along the lines of 'adult Little House on the Prarie with Asian-Americans because the author realized Laura Ingalls Wilder's parents wouldn't let Laura play with her'.
This is such a great debut from C Pam Zhang. She really has the perfect balance of poetry and prose in her writing that takes you on a journey and pulls out the emotions that she wants. She also has this knack of hiding just enough from the reader that it causes them to think something else and then she pulls it back to the reality of the story. That element of her writing is so great since it reflects some other themes that pop-up during the novel. The main characters were amazing too. They were easy to sympathize with, distinct from each other, real, and acted as vehicles that helped propel the story.
I would recommend anyone pick this up!
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault