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hernamewaslily's review against another edition
3.0
When I first began the book I was bored. I felt that it went on too much without a lot happening. However as I continued to read on it suddenly got a lot better and very interesting. The blurb on my copy of the book wasn't really what the story was about but the book is simply gorgeous and thought provoking.
sarahirene's review against another edition
2.0
TLDR: Better than On Such a Full Sea... But thats a low bar
Edit: I understand more of the symbolism now since we've gone over it in class. I still don't like it as a book but I guess its not as stupid as I initially thought. Its just boring.
DOUBLE EDIT: This book is much better now that I've done EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS. (still keeping it at 2 stars though cause I didn't enjoy it while reading it) It apparently ONLY makes sense if you read it 5 times and nitpick through every word. Especially, I find that his commentary on the immigrant experience as well as the Comfort women is more nuanced and interesting than it seems in an initial reading. If you're willing to put several weeks worth of analysis into the book I would say its perhaps worth the read.
My original review:
So this is my second Chang-Rae Lee book. I have yet to read one of his books by my own volition (both have been for school). I was hopeful going into this one, but have to say I think my dislike of OSAFS likely colored my dislike for this book. Maybe if I read it years ago before I was jaded and angry it would have been one of my favorites. I thought maybe historical fiction was a better genre for him, since my English teacher promised we would like it more... but still I was disappointed.
I am a quarter Asian, and have always found books about Asian Americans, particularly immigrants, appealing. I find books of this genre give me insight into what my family went through. I also have been meaning to learn more about Korean and Chinese "comfort women" (my aunt just read Daughter of Dragons, which she said was very good). I hoped that this book would give me insight into these things.
SPOILER ALERT: IT DIDN'T
Chang-Rae Lee makes no commentary on the immigrant experience (except in passing and strangely, unnoticed by the main character). I realize that he doesn't have to, but he really makes it seem like he's going to and then just... doesn't. It is possible that this was intentional, to draw attention to the fact that Doc Hata does not realize how inappropriate the language directed at him is... but... it doesn't do that well. Same with the depiction of the "comfort women", except it feels even worse here, because their thoughts and feelings are never addressed outside of "she was sad because what was happening to her was bad" which is... not very nuanced or interesting. Much like OSAFS, the argument seemed half baked and almost non existent (as did the plot), but, there was at least something that almost made sense. I didn't have a problem with the non-linear aspect, and in fact enjoy that structure when 80% OF IT ISN'T THE MOST BORING THING I'VE EVER READ. There were characters (most of them actually) who felt completely irrelevant.
This book is stupid, but I've read worse (cough cough on such a full sea cough cough). The main character is unlikable at best and a monster at worst. Chang-Rae Lee is a good writer (in terms of eloquence), but his characters don't speak like human beings. He, quite frankly, does not know how to make people sound like people. I haven't even mentioned Sunny and I frankly don't have the energy right now. Maybe I'll come back and add to this later. Frankly, I'm annoyed that I'll have to discuss this book for several weeks in class and pick it apart. I would have abandoned this if there was a spark notes version but unfortunately for me there was not. I literally didn't read the last 3 pages cause it was literally not important at all. Heres a fun tip, Mr. Lee, PUT THE INTERESTING PARTS OF YOUR BOOK CONSISTENTLY THROUGHOUT. DON'T CONCENTRATE IT ALL INTO THE MIDDLE/END. AND STOP MAKING MOST OF YOUR BOOKS JUST PEOPLE SWIMMING. WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND SWIMMING???
This book doesn't sound like real life, and being that its historical fiction, that was annoying to me. This review might be rambling and jump around inconsistently and not give enough details, but hey so does this book and it was a national bestseller so who cares??
Edit: I understand more of the symbolism now since we've gone over it in class. I still don't like it as a book but I guess its not as stupid as I initially thought. Its just boring.
DOUBLE EDIT: This book is much better now that I've done EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS. (still keeping it at 2 stars though cause I didn't enjoy it while reading it) It apparently ONLY makes sense if you read it 5 times and nitpick through every word. Especially, I find that his commentary on the immigrant experience as well as the Comfort women is more nuanced and interesting than it seems in an initial reading. If you're willing to put several weeks worth of analysis into the book I would say its perhaps worth the read.
My original review:
So this is my second Chang-Rae Lee book. I have yet to read one of his books by my own volition (both have been for school). I was hopeful going into this one, but have to say I think my dislike of OSAFS likely colored my dislike for this book. Maybe if I read it years ago before I was jaded and angry it would have been one of my favorites. I thought maybe historical fiction was a better genre for him, since my English teacher promised we would like it more... but still I was disappointed.
I am a quarter Asian, and have always found books about Asian Americans, particularly immigrants, appealing. I find books of this genre give me insight into what my family went through. I also have been meaning to learn more about Korean and Chinese "comfort women" (my aunt just read Daughter of Dragons, which she said was very good). I hoped that this book would give me insight into these things.
SPOILER ALERT: IT DIDN'T
Chang-Rae Lee makes no commentary on the immigrant experience (except in passing and strangely, unnoticed by the main character). I realize that he doesn't have to, but he really makes it seem like he's going to and then just... doesn't. It is possible that this was intentional, to draw attention to the fact that Doc Hata does not realize how inappropriate the language directed at him is... but... it doesn't do that well. Same with the depiction of the "comfort women", except it feels even worse here, because their thoughts and feelings are never addressed outside of "she was sad because what was happening to her was bad" which is... not very nuanced or interesting. Much like OSAFS, the argument seemed half baked and almost non existent (as did the plot), but, there was at least something that almost made sense. I didn't have a problem with the non-linear aspect, and in fact enjoy that structure when 80% OF IT ISN'T THE MOST BORING THING I'VE EVER READ. There were characters (most of them actually) who felt completely irrelevant.
This book is stupid, but I've read worse (cough cough on such a full sea cough cough). The main character is unlikable at best and a monster at worst. Chang-Rae Lee is a good writer (in terms of eloquence), but his characters don't speak like human beings. He, quite frankly, does not know how to make people sound like people. I haven't even mentioned Sunny and I frankly don't have the energy right now. Maybe I'll come back and add to this later. Frankly, I'm annoyed that I'll have to discuss this book for several weeks in class and pick it apart. I would have abandoned this if there was a spark notes version but unfortunately for me there was not. I literally didn't read the last 3 pages cause it was literally not important at all. Heres a fun tip, Mr. Lee, PUT THE INTERESTING PARTS OF YOUR BOOK CONSISTENTLY THROUGHOUT. DON'T CONCENTRATE IT ALL INTO THE MIDDLE/END. AND STOP MAKING MOST OF YOUR BOOKS JUST PEOPLE SWIMMING. WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND SWIMMING???
This book doesn't sound like real life, and being that its historical fiction, that was annoying to me. This review might be rambling and jump around inconsistently and not give enough details, but hey so does this book and it was a national bestseller so who cares??
mavenbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Sad, but moving. I grew attached to the main character, but also had a hard time fully understanding him, as he had difficulty understanding himself.
rebekkahindbo's review against another edition
3.0
Read for uni. This was extremely interesting. Sometimes, I found it a bit confusing to navigate in because it jumps in time but overall I really liked it and the title suits the book perfectly!
grahamiam's review against another edition
4.0
It took me forever longer than it should have to read this book because it's so overflowing with trauma that it was really difficult to want to read it. This book is overwhelmingly intense. The writing, though, is not as strong as Native Speaker or On Such a Full Sea. The present of the novel, especially the dialogue, is very weak overall, and because the first half of the book is focused on that storyline I would've given this three stars if not for the last hundred pages. The last hundred pages are on another level when it comes to the writing, but the trauma keeps amping up and up to the point where the last few turns had less of an impact than they should due to numbing.
It was very clear what the author was trying to do with the weaving of this novel, though, and it was a very ambitious project.
It was very clear what the author was trying to do with the weaving of this novel, though, and it was a very ambitious project.
katymm's review against another edition
4.0
A Gesture Life is half about a Japanese man of Korean descent living in a small town in America and his experiences there and half about his time as a soldier in the Japanese Army. The former was slow and I struggled to connect with it, but I thought the latter was great.
sproks's review against another edition
4.0
[CW: rape, gendered violence, war, racism]
Notes: the central "love story" is no such thing. The protagonist is a monstrous misogynist of beautifully measured words. I think many people will come away from this book feeling like they've spent time with a quiet, gentle man, but to me it was just a reminder that rapists aren't scary strangers, they are the nice men in our lives, our friends, our family, our pillars of community.
soojin12548's review against another edition
2.0
"So the abiding philosophy is to help a wayward child develop into a productive member of the community, or if ignored, risk allowing someone of essentially decent nature to become an adult whose social interactions are fraught and difficult, or even pathological, criminal."
"beauty is the scantest blessing, and how, despite the appearance of ever-bestowed glory and celebration, it is mostly malice and misery that are retuned to the bearer."
"I am only uncertain of my honoring of [my parents], which I am always failing in. But that is a child's lifelong burden."
"One could say, I suppose, that I was a very young man. Which of course I was. But I bring this up not to excuse myself or to try to mitigate my actions or to confess. Rather, I mean it to stand simply as a fact. I was young and callow, but that youthfulness was also inescapably pure. It was wholehearted, and so native to me."
"beauty is the scantest blessing, and how, despite the appearance of ever-bestowed glory and celebration, it is mostly malice and misery that are retuned to the bearer."
"I am only uncertain of my honoring of [my parents], which I am always failing in. But that is a child's lifelong burden."
"One could say, I suppose, that I was a very young man. Which of course I was. But I bring this up not to excuse myself or to try to mitigate my actions or to confess. Rather, I mean it to stand simply as a fact. I was young and callow, but that youthfulness was also inescapably pure. It was wholehearted, and so native to me."