Scan barcode
kruppam's review against another edition
4.0
Harta lumii nevăzute e harta sufletului nostru, al gândurilor și sentimentelor care ne definesc, pe care nu le dezvăluim oricum și oricui. Și cel mai adesea, granițele sunt trasate de oamenii pe care îi iubim cu toată ființa.
theslowreaderr's review
4.0
I am always in awe of Tash Aw's gorgeous writing and his talent for storytelling. An author I will always look out for :)
essjay1's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. A great story of two Indonesian brothers separated in early childhood to different families. Set in 1964 and flashing back to the previous years, I really enjoyed the descriptions of places that I know now, including Jakarta, KL and Bali. Many parallels with Christopher Koch's book, The Year of Living Dangerously. In fact I am sure that some of the characters are based on the same people in both books. I am not sure if it would be so understandable if you did not have a basic understanding of the political events of the time, but perhaps it would.
zandrsn's review against another edition
5.0
Despite really disliking much about one of the main characters.
jelundberg's review against another edition
4.0
A masterful evocation of 1960s Indonesia under the reign of Sukarno. Aw's nonlinear character study of Indonesian teenager Adam, Adam's adopted Dutch father Karl, Karl's old American flame Margaret, and Margaret's Indonesian colleague (and revolutionary) Din weaves an incredible story of instability in the post-colonial country, the connections that all these characters (as well as Adam's brother Johan, long adopted by a Malaysian couple from KL) share, and the power of hope. Powerful, fluid, and sensual.
behsu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
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
3.5
yongen22's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
margaretefg's review against another edition
4.0
So much to marvel at in this book, set mostly in the period just before the overthrow of Sukarno in 1965. The Indonesian brothers at the heart of the story were orphaned (nothing about their birthparents) and then separated, one adopted by a wealthy, dysfunctional couple in Malaysia, the other, younger brother Adam adopted by a Dutch returnee? Karl, who seems incredibly sweet and impossibly idealistic. Margaret Bates, (are her parents supposed to seem like Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson?) once in love with Karl, is now a 40 something long term resident of Jakarta who speaks multiple local languages comfortably. And... There's political turmoil, plotting Communists, a bomb, a beautiful student/propagandist...aging Aussie newsman, ex CIA(?) US Embassy official. Lots of plot twists. And young men trying to figure themselves out with all the added complications of having been adopted. And scenes of rural and urban Indonesia in the 1950s/60s.
anusha_natesh's review against another edition
3.0
The book seemed to move at a slow pace at some places, and I only felt interested towards the end.
cjk646's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0