Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
"Secrets. They have so much power, don't they?"
medium-paced
Actual rating: 3.5. I’m still a little conflicted about this book, so bear with me if this review comes off as confusing or mixed in message. Overall, I did enjoy this memoir, but have to admit that it didn’t quite hit me the way I wanted it to. Let’s talk about it.
The Good
- Writing: Qian Julie Wang is a fantastic writer, truly. Her sentences are the kind that lull you into a sense of security before punching you in the gut with a bluntly-spoken truth. I found myself repeatedly re-reading passages just to really let the words sink in because she is just *that* talented. Her descriptions are vivid and do a great job of reflecting what a child her age would have noticed—which helps the reader fully inhabit her childhood self and makes the overall narrative more impactful. I cannot find one complaint with the writing, which is so impressive for a debut author!
- Honesty: I don’t have a ton to say about this because I do want to avoid spoilers, but I really did enjoy the honesty the author approached this material with. She was open about deeply uncomfortable subject matter in a way I never could have been, and I cannot imagine the strength it took to actually relive and write down this time period in her life.
- Childhood-Focus: I really enjoyed just how much of this book is set in Wang’s childhood. I always find the childhood sections of memoirs to be the most interesting, as I think seeing the adult world through the eyes of a young child is engaging and eye-opening in many ways. As such, I loved that Wang chose to put most of the focus on these years and on her experiences as a young child immigrating to and emigrating from the United States. It made the story that much more impactful on an emotional level, and allowed for a level of connection between author and reader that is often difficult to obtain.
The Bad
- Rushed Ending: While I loved how much of the book was focused on her childhood, I found the last section of it to be way too rushed. In the last few chapters, Wang describes moving to Canada, the entire rest of her childhood, moving back to America and why, going to law school and why, and the rest of her adult life up to that point. This is *such* a long span of time to cover and I was left wondering why she didn’t add just a few more chapters to explore this in depth or why she even included this at all when it doesn’t matter too much to the overall arc of the book. The rushed nature of this ending really disrupts the flow of the book and leaves the reader asking “wait, why did you do that again?”—which is really disappointing given that the biggest strength of the childhood portion of the book is that the reader always understand Wang and why she does what she does. This memoir had such strong buildup that reaching the end and finding it so rushed was a bit disappointing and frustrating. Now, this doesn’t necessarily discredit the preceding chapters, but it definitely affected my overall feelings on this work.
- Personal Issues: This is a minor, personal thing that I do not think everyone will have an issue with. I want to make that very clear. This is not a “flaw” in the book itself, but there is a particular subject that is brought up repeatedly that is triggering for me, and thus made it difficult for me to truly enjoy the memoir. I do not think the author did something wrong in including this subject, but it was a bit too much for me to handle and thus, made reading this book a difficult, taxing experience. Again—not the author’s fault!! Just a personal note for potential readers to keep in mind this book is upsetting in ways that are often not resolved or fully addressed, due to the narrator being a child with little-to-no control over her circumstances.
Overall, I did enjoy Beautiful Country, even if aspects of it confused or upset me. I think those interested in this work should definitely pick it up, as it is a truly impactful story that reveals much about the nature of immigration in America. I would definitely read more by Qian Julie Wang, as she is clearly a talented writer with a unique perspective on the world!
The Good
- Writing: Qian Julie Wang is a fantastic writer, truly. Her sentences are the kind that lull you into a sense of security before punching you in the gut with a bluntly-spoken truth. I found myself repeatedly re-reading passages just to really let the words sink in because she is just *that* talented. Her descriptions are vivid and do a great job of reflecting what a child her age would have noticed—which helps the reader fully inhabit her childhood self and makes the overall narrative more impactful. I cannot find one complaint with the writing, which is so impressive for a debut author!
- Honesty: I don’t have a ton to say about this because I do want to avoid spoilers, but I really did enjoy the honesty the author approached this material with. She was open about deeply uncomfortable subject matter in a way I never could have been, and I cannot imagine the strength it took to actually relive and write down this time period in her life.
- Childhood-Focus: I really enjoyed just how much of this book is set in Wang’s childhood. I always find the childhood sections of memoirs to be the most interesting, as I think seeing the adult world through the eyes of a young child is engaging and eye-opening in many ways. As such, I loved that Wang chose to put most of the focus on these years and on her experiences as a young child immigrating to and emigrating from the United States. It made the story that much more impactful on an emotional level, and allowed for a level of connection between author and reader that is often difficult to obtain.
The Bad
- Rushed Ending: While I loved how much of the book was focused on her childhood, I found the last section of it to be way too rushed. In the last few chapters, Wang describes moving to Canada, the entire rest of her childhood, moving back to America and why, going to law school and why, and the rest of her adult life up to that point. This is *such* a long span of time to cover and I was left wondering why she didn’t add just a few more chapters to explore this in depth or why she even included this at all when it doesn’t matter too much to the overall arc of the book. The rushed nature of this ending really disrupts the flow of the book and leaves the reader asking “wait, why did you do that again?”—which is really disappointing given that the biggest strength of the childhood portion of the book is that the reader always understand Wang and why she does what she does. This memoir had such strong buildup that reaching the end and finding it so rushed was a bit disappointing and frustrating. Now, this doesn’t necessarily discredit the preceding chapters, but it definitely affected my overall feelings on this work.
- Personal Issues: This is a minor, personal thing that I do not think everyone will have an issue with. I want to make that very clear. This is not a “flaw” in the book itself, but there is a particular subject that is brought up repeatedly that is triggering for me, and thus made it difficult for me to truly enjoy the memoir. I do not think the author did something wrong in including this subject, but it was a bit too much for me to handle and thus, made reading this book a difficult, taxing experience. Again—not the author’s fault!! Just a personal note for potential readers to keep in mind this book is upsetting in ways that are often not resolved or fully addressed, due to the narrator being a child with little-to-no control over her circumstances.
Overall, I did enjoy Beautiful Country, even if aspects of it confused or upset me. I think those interested in this work should definitely pick it up, as it is a truly impactful story that reveals much about the nature of immigration in America. I would definitely read more by Qian Julie Wang, as she is clearly a talented writer with a unique perspective on the world!
A gripping memoir of the immigrant experience for a Chinese family arriving undocumented to NYC in the 90s.
I listened to the audiobook read by the author. Very well done, great to hear in the author's own voice.
Memoir telling the story of her life from a very young age in China through to her young adult years. The main focus was on her years as a young illegal immigrant in NYC. Heartbreaking to learn about their fear, their malnutrition, their exploitation, and the discrimination. Powerfully done. The story ends with hope.
Memoir telling the story of her life from a very young age in China through to her young adult years. The main focus was on her years as a young illegal immigrant in NYC. Heartbreaking to learn about their fear, their malnutrition, their exploitation, and the discrimination. Powerfully done. The story ends with hope.
This book was so raw and it made me feel things that a book has not made me feel in a long time. Empathy and thankfulness. This is an incredible memoir about Qian and her family's travels to America or "beautiful country" for a better life. What they are greeted with is far from this dream that they had envisioned leaving china. This story was so beautifully written and it had this way of making me feel every possible emotion all in one. I truly could not put this down, one of the best memoirs I've read in the last year!
One of the best books I’ve read in 2021.
Could not put it down
Could not put it down
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring