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margaretefg's review against another edition
3.0
Multiple narrators, none of whom seems very reliable tell versions of the same story of Johnny Lim who somehow manages to survive, thrive through the Japanese occupation of Malaysia. There's a completely improbable but fascinating deserted island survival story that's both central and almost separate... I'm still pondering.
siria's review against another edition
3.0
The Harmony Silk Factory starts out very well, and Aw's crisp prose made the first of the book's three sections hum along. I was really intrigued by its setting, about which I know little—Malaysia during and after the Second World War. I was alternately engrossed and enraged by it—the book is a page turner, but I had predicted the denouement before I'd met half of the characters and there are some very clichéd elements here. I found the second section melodramatic, and the protagonist of the third section I didn't believe in as a real person. As a first novel, this really is very good, but I enjoyed Harmony Silk Factory more for the promise Aw shows as a developing writer than for the book as a self-contained entity.
marilynsaul's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, but not what I expected. In fact, it's a week since I finished it and I seem to have forgotten what it was about (not a good sign). I remember I was glad when I had finished it - perhaps a bit too tedious (and apparently, in retrospect) it didn't catch my interest. Oh, I DO remember thinking it was written in the style of "An Instance of the Fingerpost", which I loved, in that one was treated to the different perspectives of an event (or in this case, a period in time), but it was not effective. And there was no resolution to the father/son dilemma presented.
neen_mai's review against another edition
2.0
Quite a good read. I think Tash Aw wrote this for non-Malaysian readers in mind. For us Malaysians, some of the things in the book do not make sense. Maybe because it is a Fiction, Mr. Aw didn't pay that much attention to details.
Still, I am looking forward to his other books. He is a reasonably good story teller.
Still, I am looking forward to his other books. He is a reasonably good story teller.
annieg's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The cover quote if unputdownable is true - genuinely had no idea where this was going, enjoyed it but still not sure how I feel about it
hashtag_alison's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this book. It’s the story of a certain man told from the perspective of three different people in his life who knew him in vastly different ways. Except that it’s not.
I love stories that play with perspective and the idea of the unreliable narrator and this book does it well. I want to read it again immediately and reprocess it as I go with everyone’s view point in mind. This book will be a really good reread and I recommend it.
I love stories that play with perspective and the idea of the unreliable narrator and this book does it well. I want to read it again immediately and reprocess it as I go with everyone’s view point in mind. This book will be a really good reread and I recommend it.
anna2256_'s review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
joannielee27's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
sean67's review against another edition
2.0
I tried with this one but I found it a real struggle and could n0t get into it.
ifthebook's review against another edition
2.0
Decidedly okay. It always felt like something was about to happen, but nothing really ever did. And there seemed to be a real lack of focus. In the end, I didn't really see what the point was, except that maybe people's perceptions are always going to be flawed. But, really, I didn't need to read this whole book to know that. So, eh. I won't be reading it again. I did love Peter, though.
Oh, and there were a couple references to how Johnny was the only one who thought that the Japanese would invade, which I thought was interesting. Conversations that I've had with people who were alive at the time have always included some sort of statement about how everyone knew the Japanese would invade (to a certain extent). Not that I'm arguing with it--I thought this was an interesting twist on things.
Oh, and there were a couple references to how Johnny was the only one who thought that the Japanese would invade, which I thought was interesting. Conversations that I've had with people who were alive at the time have always included some sort of statement about how everyone knew the Japanese would invade (to a certain extent). Not that I'm arguing with it--I thought this was an interesting twist on things.