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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
i couldn’t possibly write a review for this book that isn’t just me weeping and wailing and scrabbling at the concrete walls. oh what a beautiful thing it is to be seen, and to realize that people have always existed as people
I enjoyed the book immensely. Lily is a character you immediately root for. I cared about her and what happened to her more than most books I read. I loved the setting, America in the 1950s, specifically in China Town.
Lily's fears are greater than most; dealing with realizing she is a lesbian and what that means in her culture and family, and also having to deal with the weight of Chinese Communism hanging over her and having to make sure she was not seen to be a communist.
So why am I giving it just four stars and not five? Personal preference on reading material. I like snappier plots. This kind of story requires a lot more introspection than what I prefer. It is still an amazing book.
Lily's fears are greater than most; dealing with realizing she is a lesbian and what that means in her culture and family, and also having to deal with the weight of Chinese Communism hanging over her and having to make sure she was not seen to be a communist.
So why am I giving it just four stars and not five? Personal preference on reading material. I like snappier plots. This kind of story requires a lot more introspection than what I prefer. It is still an amazing book.
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
I’m confused about the time jumps. What did Judy and Grace’s stories add to the plot? At the end of the book I felt like things were so rushed and then realized I had read 400 pages- they definitely weren’t used as well as they could have been.
I appreciated the history and story for sure, but the plot just moved sooooo slowly I got really bored.
I appreciated the history and story for sure, but the plot just moved sooooo slowly I got really bored.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
No
I love that I simultaneously read and listened to this one and I feel like the narrator lent more to the book than I would have expected.
I knew this book would hit me right in the feels but I thought I was going to escape it when I was through the first third. I was not. I was crying through the last quarter and wanted to curl up with it and not put it down yet.
"She couldn't put into words why she had gathered these photos together, but she could feel it in her bones: a hot and restless urge to look - and, by looking, to know."
Lily is desperate to see herself somewhere and once she finally did, the questions and longing with acceptance and moving forward was so raw and vulnerable and everything I wish I'd read sooner.
“Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to have nothing keeping you attached to the ground?”
The sense of self and discovery from Lilys story throughout was real and raw and honest.
“She’s having a hard time right now because you’re not what she expected. But we’re never what our parents expected. They have to learn that lesson.”- Gut punch.
I knew this book would hit me right in the feels but I thought I was going to escape it when I was through the first third. I was not. I was crying through the last quarter and wanted to curl up with it and not put it down yet.
"She couldn't put into words why she had gathered these photos together, but she could feel it in her bones: a hot and restless urge to look - and, by looking, to know."
Lily is desperate to see herself somewhere and once she finally did, the questions and longing with acceptance and moving forward was so raw and vulnerable and everything I wish I'd read sooner.
“Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to have nothing keeping you attached to the ground?”
The sense of self and discovery from Lilys story throughout was real and raw and honest.
“She’s having a hard time right now because you’re not what she expected. But we’re never what our parents expected. They have to learn that lesson.”- Gut punch.
emotional
sad
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
devastating luv