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kaneebli's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child death, Animal death, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
spaghettireads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I’d had my eye on this book for a while, but decided to pick it up after it was long listed for the Giller prize this year. It tells the story of 4 people, 3 of whom are from the same family, through growing up during the cultural revolution in China, and immigrating to America.
I quite enjoyed this reading experience. While I think that the description on the book jacket doesn’t represent very well what you actually get in the book, I was really impressed with the writing. The way that the 4 storylines were interwoven over quite a long period of time and with many different side characters was well done. I felt invested in all of their stories. The way the author writes about music is beautiful, and I think that if you are a music person this is worth a read just for that.
The book description makes it sound like the book is more plot-centred than it is in my opinion. I wish that I hadn’t read the description because it left me expecting something from the book that I didn’t get. However, after more reflection on the book I did really enjoy it for what it was and would recommend it!
I quite enjoyed this reading experience. While I think that the description on the book jacket doesn’t represent very well what you actually get in the book, I was really impressed with the writing. The way that the 4 storylines were interwoven over quite a long period of time and with many different side characters was well done. I felt invested in all of their stories. The way the author writes about music is beautiful, and I think that if you are a music person this is worth a read just for that.
The book description makes it sound like the book is more plot-centred than it is in my opinion. I wish that I hadn’t read the description because it left me expecting something from the book that I didn’t get. However, after more reflection on the book I did really enjoy it for what it was and would recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Abandonment
sjanke2's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I did not know much about the Chinese Cultural Revolution before reading this book, and enjoyed learning about the Maoist regime through this family saga. Rui Feng does a great job foiling out each character's flawed history so that we meet them each with compassion. The ending was so sad!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
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