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febrfebrfebr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hazel_oat's review against another edition
1.0
this was thoroughly unpleasant to read. every other page i was thinking “why don’t i put this down already?” but for some reason i continued. glad i didn’t spend any money on this one.
grayssuh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lizawall's review against another edition
5.0
omg I loved this so much, I can't believe I never wrote a review for it! I feel like Jenny Zhang is a water sign, and I just tried to google her birthday to find out but I couldn't find her sign just the fact that she is basically the exact same age as me, which honestly I would have guessed she was younger bc her writing has a real youthful spirit, but also it makes sense she would be pretty much exactly my contemporary bc this writing really evoked my childhood beyond imagining. Like literally I forgot for 25+ years what it felt like to be a child and then these stories brought it all back. I keep thinking about how wet they are, and Sour Heart seems like an appropriate title in a sense of like sour candy, like sour patch kids or something just so mouth-watering. And omg I remembered this podcast I love, Why Are People Into That had an interview with her called Why Are People Into Fluids and please just listen it's so good: https://medium.com/the-establishment/why-are-people-into-fluids-b996a48d9ea1.
kshiner's review against another edition
Noped out because I really just disliked the stories and characters. Out of the 4 stories I listened to, I only liked one. Mostly the characters were insufferable and the stories uncomfortable.
katellison's review against another edition
5.0
do you love "unlikeable" characters? nasty protagonists? cunty lil bitch narrators who are 10 years old?
if yes, Sour Heart provides
Zhang puts the cruelty of children on display and examines the pain of cruel children with generosity and humor
the adult characters think they've been invited to an awards ceremony but are actually attending a generational trauma-themed roast
v funny, v heartbreaking. loses some momentum in the second half - it's damn hard to maintain the electricity of the first couple stories. the anchor story, "We Love You Crispina" is 5+ stars, as is the following, "The Empty the Empty the Empty"
if yes, Sour Heart provides
Zhang puts the cruelty of children on display and examines the pain of cruel children with generosity and humor
the adult characters think they've been invited to an awards ceremony but are actually attending a generational trauma-themed roast
v funny, v heartbreaking. loses some momentum in the second half - it's damn hard to maintain the electricity of the first couple stories. the anchor story, "We Love You Crispina" is 5+ stars, as is the following, "The Empty the Empty the Empty"
yikesbmg's review against another edition
4.0
Vibrant short stories with characters that are both suffocating and fascinating. Felt like I was IN this book. Had to put it down because sometimes the characters were just a bit too much (not in terms of exaggerated, unrealistic qualities but rather, intense and demanding personalities). The way Chinese-American was both central and ordinary in this book was pretty remarkable.
Ive been waiting to read this book since it came out. I’d recommend to others, especially anyone interested in interesting women/girls as main characters.
Ive been waiting to read this book since it came out. I’d recommend to others, especially anyone interested in interesting women/girls as main characters.