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jonwood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like this book at times suffer from having a poor translation, as there are some segments that just seem unintentionally funny or nonsensical in context that leaves me wondering if the translation was maybe a bit too literal at times, for instance when the doctors as "You want the big one or little one", I would not immediately think that was a question about saving the mom or a baby . So, due to not knowing if some of my issues are due to a translation or not, I feel unfair to judge. The book does have a broad scope, encompassing a lot of Chinese history and how it impacted the lives of the main character and his family. The beginning sets up Fugui to fall from his own hubris before becoming a mediation on grief and suffering that I found moving by the end.
Graphic: Sexism, Medical content, Gun violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Death, and Sexual violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Pregnancy
muravyevaa's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Now, it's important to mention I watched the movie before reading the book (funny enough, both were a part of my movie and literature classes), so I felt like I was prepared. Oh, how wrong I was. It's a very sad book, extremely sad. At a certain point, it crashes you and the more you think about the characters harder it becomes to hold tears. I read in another review that I have a lot to say about class and that was very much on the spot. It also shows extreme character development (meaning, Fugui) under brutal life events.
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, and Excrement
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