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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amy really shines in the complexity of her familial relationships, her worldbuilding is beautiful and her writing immersive, and particularly the more traumatic stuff that occurs is written expertly. I always appreciate that she embodies the frustration of immigrants not being able to convey their personalities and stories fluently in English, and having Kwan be a kind of 'bumbling idiot' type of character in English, and a beautiful story-teller in Chinese, really illustrates that. Also just love Kwan. I did find it interesting, especially Kwan's ghost story and how it came together.
I had two main issues with this book;
1. The narration was confusing, and although I liked the story of Kwan's past life, it felt unfinished - it felt too fantastical and out-of-time to be historical fiction, the characters felt bland, and I found it difficult to connect to the 'deep' relationship Nunumu seemed to have with Miss Banner... honestly I was a bit baffled as to why they were reincarnated together.
2. Olivia kind of sucks as a protagonist. Where I can appreciate a realistic and flawed character, too often she came across as spoiled, cruel and genuinely just an asshole. I didn't find myself rooting for her at any point and her relationship with Simon didn't feel like 'star-crossed soulmates', but more like 'they should've gone through with the divorce' - their relationship was literally built on a hideous manipulation, lies, and presumed homewrecking.
I think some disappointment comes from this having to follow up 'The Kitchen God's Wife', which is one of my favorite books of all time, and because both books share similar structures and themes it was difficult to not compare the two, and ultimately I found 'The Hundred Secret Senses' lacked some of the authenticity and emotional impact of TKGW.
I had two main issues with this book;
1. The narration was confusing, and although I liked the story of Kwan's past life, it felt unfinished - it felt too fantastical and out-of-time to be historical fiction, the characters felt bland, and I found it difficult to connect to the 'deep' relationship Nunumu seemed to have with Miss Banner... honestly I was a bit baffled as to why they were reincarnated together.
2. Olivia kind of sucks as a protagonist. Where I can appreciate a realistic and flawed character, too often she came across as spoiled, cruel and genuinely just an asshole. I didn't find myself rooting for her at any point and her relationship with Simon didn't feel like 'star-crossed soulmates', but more like 'they should've gone through with the divorce' - their relationship was literally built on a hideous manipulation, lies, and presumed homewrecking.
I think some disappointment comes from this having to follow up 'The Kitchen God's Wife', which is one of my favorite books of all time, and because both books share similar structures and themes it was difficult to not compare the two, and ultimately I found 'The Hundred Secret Senses' lacked some of the authenticity and emotional impact of TKGW.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent
Although Tan doesn’t always immerse me as deeply in scene as I would like, she always does a heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful portrayal of the deep bonds between Chinese American women. I thoroughly appreciated her take on the afterlife and the speculative element of this book. Part of this story is a contemporary account of a half Chinese woman and her tumultuous relationships with her half sister and her husband, trying to navigate and rediscover her family’s roots. Roots that span continents and lifetimes all the way back to the 1860s. The past lives of Olivia, her sister and her husband are narrated as stories told to Olivia by her sister Kwan, who is able to talk to ghosts and forever connected to the world of Yin. Kwan’s distinct voice and way of thinking makes this novel such a treat. I think of this a little as The Joy Luck Club meets Cloud Atlas, which is high praise indeed.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A good story. A little hard to follow along at the beginning in audiobook form. If I had been reading a paperback, I probably would have flipped back and forth a few times to clarify some things.