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raaahella's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Awkward as anything. I did not like the book. Though I like that it was set in Indonesia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, Racism, Classism, and Gaslighting
tahsintries's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Minor: Eating disorder
amiegold's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In The Majesties, Tiffany Tsao opens with a bold and vivid scene portraying a mass poisoning of an entire wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family, over 300 people. Gwendalyn, the sister of the poisoner and the only survivor, lies in a coma trying to understand why her sister and best friend, Estella, would have done such a thing. What follows is not so much of a thriller as a peeling back of layer upon layer of family secrets, each more disturbing than the one before. We travel back through Gwendalyn's memories and throughout the world searching for the answer to 'why did she do it?'. Though the beginning and the end read like a psychological thriller, the middle reads more like a wealthy family drama, perfect for armchair travelers like myself.
I loved this book and I absolutely adore Tsaos writing style. As with 'The Remains of the Day', it is quite slow paced and you begin to wonder how much you can really trust the main characters observations and opinions. If you read it slowly, you can see the parallels between sisterhood and dual worlds, between the beautiful insects she preserves and the daughters themselves, constantly on display, yet trapped and held immobile. Tsao expertly addresses issues such as racial stereotyping in different countries and gender inequality. I am sure I will reread in the future!
I loved this book and I absolutely adore Tsaos writing style. As with 'The Remains of the Day', it is quite slow paced and you begin to wonder how much you can really trust the main characters observations and opinions. If you read it slowly, you can see the parallels between sisterhood and dual worlds, between the beautiful insects she preserves and the daughters themselves, constantly on display, yet trapped and held immobile. Tsao expertly addresses issues such as racial stereotyping in different countries and gender inequality. I am sure I will reread in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexism and Racism
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
re: the ending: ??? i mean, sure? it was a big twist that contradicted the entire narrative yet simultaneously (imo) amounted to nothing of significance; it just fell flat. the prose, oh boy. it's how i write when trying to sound smart in essays, unnecessarily florid. it had a promising concept, i was hooked just from the blurb, but it didn't live up and the entire time i wasn't all that interested.
cover design review: ★★★☆☆. intriguing at first glance, i like the yellow background and the texture and shadows of the paint strokes within the face, but other than that it's eh. this is not representative of the book i just read
cover design review: ★★★☆☆. intriguing at first glance, i like the yellow background and the texture and shadows of the paint strokes within the face, but other than that it's eh. this is not representative of the book i just read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Car accident, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Addiction, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Racism
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Infertility, Abortion, Blood, Cancer, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Dementia, Terminal illness, and Vomit
re: animal cruelty and death: it's insects if that makes a differencelenaricharz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Racism
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, and Eating disorder
yunsq's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism and Drug use
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When Gwendolyn's sister, Estrella, comitted mass murder, Gwendolyn became the sole survivor, resulting in her facing a disorder of consciousness. Though aware yet not able to reach wakefulness, Gwen begun to turn to the past to understand why Estrella did what she did as she was stuck comatose in bed.
Observational in her narration, Gwen was astute & had a propensity for speaking in analogies. Though often eloquent, the narration tended to meander at the beginning, making the story's direction unclear so it did feel unnecessarily verbose then, though it improved a quarter of the way through as more context were introduced.
Tsao addressed racial issues associated with being Chinese (a minority group) in Indonesia: dealing with prejudices & mistrust from the majority, considered to be a pendatang (an outsider). As a Malaysian, the dynamic was unfortunately, all too familiar; a remnant of the colonial strategy of divide-and-conquer persisted in our post-colonial society. I liked how Tsao depicted the consequence of our failure to address this, on the losses incurred if we continue to uphold this mentality.
The nuances of the depiction was critical. Though the racist system is attrocious, Tsao explored how economic class interacted with such system. Gwendolyn & Estrella both helmed from a rich background, hence, they were protected from the brunt of a racist system, easily finding sanctuary & opportunities elsewhere; something a non-rich Chinese Indonesians did not have the privilege to do.
At its core, The Majesties touched upon how the rich & powerful exploited racial sentiment to distract the "commoners" from the root cause of the issue: neoliberalism & feudalism. And through Gwendolyn & Estrella, Tsao showed how such realization beset them.
But before that, The Majesties depicted how they profited off & contributed to the oppressive system despite them calling out the racism they experienced. Basically, the racism experienced by the poor cannot be compared to the racism experienced by the rich. And the class difference was an act of oppression on its own.
The seemingly ephemeral categorization of ethnicity that depended primarily on physical features were also shown through Jono. Through him, we'd seen how arbitrary ethnic identity could be. Jono was a Javanese Muslim man (a pribumi, i.e. majority), whose appearance was that of a stereotypical Chinese, faced prejudice & discrimination that were shaped by ethnocentrism. In other words, he was discriminated by his own community for they thought he was Chinese, while the Chinese distrusted him when they found out he was pribumi. All the while, he was exploited & left struggling in poverty, shaped by an incompetent & corrupt government. Critically, Jono was a descendent of a Chinese yet his Chinese heritage was erased, his pribumi identity took precedence, likely due to the supposed privileges that identity ought to bring. Again, this aspect was so painfully familiar to me as a Malay Malaysian, I felt that this book could be a source of reflection for us as well.
The Majesties was brutal in its honest depictions of the interplay between race & class. Focused primarily on Gwendolyn & Estrella's experiences, Tsao did well to include nuances into the complex interactions, making astute observations & doing so in an eloquent manner. Fair warning, for those who expect the story to focus primarily on the crime might be disappointed; the element of mystery was not on the discovery of crimes & motives, it was more on what might've driven a person to criminality with heavy emphasis on morality.
Regardless, Tsao's work will be a great source for reflection & contemplation for many SEAians. A highly recommended read, especially for those interested to engage in a critical read on sociopolitics in a fictional work.
Observational in her narration, Gwen was astute & had a propensity for speaking in analogies. Though often eloquent, the narration tended to meander at the beginning, making the story's direction unclear so it did feel unnecessarily verbose then, though it improved a quarter of the way through as more context were introduced.
Tsao addressed racial issues associated with being Chinese (a minority group) in Indonesia: dealing with prejudices & mistrust from the majority, considered to be a pendatang (an outsider). As a Malaysian, the dynamic was unfortunately, all too familiar; a remnant of the colonial strategy of divide-and-conquer persisted in our post-colonial society. I liked how Tsao depicted the consequence of our failure to address this, on the losses incurred if we continue to uphold this mentality.
The nuances of the depiction was critical. Though the racist system is attrocious, Tsao explored how economic class interacted with such system. Gwendolyn & Estrella both helmed from a rich background, hence, they were protected from the brunt of a racist system, easily finding sanctuary & opportunities elsewhere; something a non-rich Chinese Indonesians did not have the privilege to do.
At its core, The Majesties touched upon how the rich & powerful exploited racial sentiment to distract the "commoners" from the root cause of the issue: neoliberalism & feudalism. And through Gwendolyn & Estrella, Tsao showed how such realization beset them.
But before that, The Majesties depicted how they profited off & contributed to the oppressive system despite them calling out the racism they experienced. Basically, the racism experienced by the poor cannot be compared to the racism experienced by the rich. And the class difference was an act of oppression on its own.
The seemingly ephemeral categorization of ethnicity that depended primarily on physical features were also shown through
The Majesties was brutal in its honest depictions of the interplay between race & class. Focused primarily on Gwendolyn & Estrella's experiences, Tsao did well to include nuances into the complex interactions, making astute observations & doing so in an eloquent manner. Fair warning, for those who expect the story to focus primarily on the crime might be disappointed; the element of mystery was not on the discovery of crimes & motives, it was more on what might've driven a person to criminality with heavy emphasis on morality.
Regardless, Tsao's work will be a great source for reflection & contemplation for many SEAians. A highly recommended read, especially for those interested to engage in a critical read on sociopolitics in a fictional work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, and Eating disorder
kikicochrane's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There's no doubt that Tsao is a talented writer, and her use of descriptive words does transport you to the scenes that Gwendolyn is recounting as she lays comatose in a hospital bed.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is a slow burn and the lack of enjoying the characters for their personalities does make it feel longer than the book actually is. I agree with the other reviewer that the publisher did a disservice for this being categorized as a thriller rather than a family mystery saga.
Overall I enjoyed this read, the story came together at the end and the reason why Estella murdered her entire family became clear. I especially liked how Tsao was able to weave the story behind Bagatelle throughout the story.
Content Warning: Themes of domestic abuse primarily psychological and emotional are strong themes in this novel.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is a slow burn and the lack of enjoying the characters for their personalities does make it feel longer than the book actually is. I agree with the other reviewer that the publisher did a disservice for this being categorized as a thriller rather than a family mystery saga.
Overall I enjoyed this read, the story came together at the end and the reason why Estella murdered her entire family became clear. I especially liked how Tsao was able to weave the story behind Bagatelle throughout the story.
Content Warning: Themes of domestic abuse primarily psychological and emotional are strong themes in this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder, Infertility, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Racism
pennym_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Drug abuse
sophiesticatedselections's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Medical content, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence
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