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embattista13's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
There's really nice imagery and moments where descriptions of what's going on are very well written—poetically. But it didn't take up too much of the book which I personally appreciated.
The ending surprised me a bit, there wasn't any earlier foreshadowing to it occurring and the author just explained it away by basically saying: "actually, they remembered that xyz happened so it makes sense that the ending happened". But those xyz never actually occurred in the book... Furthermore, I wanted to see a more significant impact of the forbidden books impacting the characters, but it didn't come across like there was.
Overall, not my most interesting read, but still a story to appreciate. You'll enjoy it if you like stories that don't have a plot-driven goal and rather just detail stories of the day-to-day.
The ending surprised me a bit, there wasn't any earlier foreshadowing to it occurring and the author just explained it away by basically saying: "actually, they remembered that xyz happened so it makes sense that the ending happened". But those xyz never actually occurred in the book... Furthermore, I wanted to see a more significant impact of the forbidden books impacting the characters, but it didn't come across like there was.
Overall, not my most interesting read, but still a story to appreciate. You'll enjoy it if you like stories that don't have a plot-driven goal and rather just detail stories of the day-to-day.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
hello_lovely13's review
emotional
reflective
medium-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, and Abortion
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Death, Torture, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content
Licenickeyrc's review
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion
whisper88's review
reflective
sad
tense
- 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? It's complicated
3.25
A one-gulp must read, esp. for students with little to no knowledge (aka the whole western hemisphere) of China's cultural revolution.
Growing up in rural Minnesota means that what little diversity taught in school has nothing to do with anything of or related to the Asian continent. (I do mean that literally- as far as we knew both World Wars were solely with Germany -.-) And heaven forbid the topic of "Sex" should ever be mentioned- much less abortion...
If you were raised in a similar society I recommend finding some kind of online discussion page to really dive deep into the nuances of this book. It may be small but is packed with literary themes like censorship, education, and casteism. The beauty of this book is that even with little to no knowledge of the setting the reader can relate to the coming of age romance and the blissful escapism books can provide.
Growing up in rural Minnesota means that what little diversity taught in school has nothing to do with anything of or related to the Asian continent. (I do mean that literally- as far as we knew both World Wars were solely with Germany -.-) And heaven forbid the topic of "Sex" should ever be mentioned- much less abortion...
If you were raised in a similar society I recommend finding some kind of online discussion page to really dive deep into the nuances of this book. It may be small but is packed with literary themes like censorship, education, and casteism. The beauty of this book is that even with little to no knowledge of the setting the reader can relate to the coming of age romance and the blissful escapism books can provide.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Sexual content
onadatewithdestiny's review
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Vomit
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