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lanid's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
- 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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Bullying and Domestic abuse
gemmabenglish's review
5.0
it should be too on the nose (and maybe it is) yet it’s so deeply felt and beautiful that i find i don’t care
cate_zh's review
I stopped reading because it just wasn't interesting. Too much waffle obscuring any storyline by this point in the book
abroadwell's review
4.0
I enjoyed this, but kept picking up something else, so it took me a long time to finish it.
Chang-rae Lee is very evidently a terrific writer at the paragraph level, hitting it out of the park. But over the longer run, I don't find the plots sufficiently engaging to keep me coming back.
This is, no doubt, my problem and not his! But although I enjoyed the book, it was a struggle to finish it. [18 days -- about twice as long as usual for me]
Chang-rae Lee is very evidently a terrific writer at the paragraph level, hitting it out of the park. But over the longer run, I don't find the plots sufficiently engaging to keep me coming back.
This is, no doubt, my problem and not his! But although I enjoyed the book, it was a struggle to finish it. [18 days -- about twice as long as usual for me]
claire_melanie's review
2.0
I liked and disliked this book in equal measure but the OTT ending tipped it towards the negative. Give it a miss
evanscat's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
averyt's review
reflective
slow-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? Yes
3.75
frogjeanine's review
3.0
part political thriller, part deep delve into what it means to be Asian in the US