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paguroidea's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved the writing and insight into the culture of Tibetan people, but there is no way to learn about that without the truth of their suffering- both under monastic feudalism (in some regions previously) and as refugees forced out of their own country. It is not an emotionally easy read by any means. It was well worth reading despite that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Deportation, Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Infidelity
brogan7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This is truly an epic, beginning in Tibet in the 50s, following the exile story of one family.
The first switch to a different timeline and character focus was jarring, but then the story resolves itself, the characters coming to life in all the timelines.
For such a tragic story, it is also full of love and connection.
The first switch to a different timeline and character focus was jarring, but then the story resolves itself, the characters coming to life in all the timelines.
For such a tragic story, it is also full of love and connection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent, Genocide, and War
Minor: Drug use and Alcoholism
lovetlr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Genocide
lauraportalupi's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Grief, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Classism, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Genocide
nini23's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
4.25
...a bleak ancient prophecy: When the iron bird flies and the horses run on wheels, the People of Snows will be scattered like ants across the face of earth.
But the awe I felt was different. The idea alone was staggering. To measure the earth with my body, to know my country with my own skin. It seemed like the only way to fathom such a land. Yet I did not know if I would ever glimpse a meter of Tibet with my own eyes.
...the idea of a hidden valley of peace - whether as Shambhala or beyul - has deep roots in Tibetan culture.
Theirs isn’t the gaze of a mentor upon a student but a fixed asymmetry. They look at me as though I am a child whom they can tolerate at the table as long as I know my place. For years, I’ve sensed this violent but hidden truth—that beyond the welcome smiles of this country lies a vast and impenetrable wall: a national self-regard that insists on a mythic goodness. This is a nation that gives and gives to the less fortunate and asks nothing in return. Nothing, that is, but our grateful acquiescence to their silent expectations.
...a country called Canada entered our dreams. The distances we've traveled. The distances we dream of. For those of us who cannot return home, all the world is a dream.
But how did you survive all these years with this body made of earth? These last sixty years of exile, were they hard on you, as well? Do you miss that land which made your body?
Every line from my childhood, every answer to the question "Who are you" is ready at my lips. We are asylees. We are refugees. The Chinese government took our land and killed our people, 1.2 million souls. Our documents are flimsy—just laminated scraps of common paper, not embossed leather passports like yours—and considered illegitimate by most nations. Please overlook our present degradation. You should have seen us before the invasion, when our country had kings and gods and an unbroken thread of history from a time before time.
"What I do know is that survival is an ugly game, and our objects are all the world really values of our people. Our objects and our ideas. But not us, and not our lives. Whether we’re here for another two hundred years or wiped off the face of the planet, it doesn’t matter to anyone else, not really.”
"People find our culture beautiful," I say. "But not our suffering. No one wants to put that in a glass case. No one wants to own that."
But the awe I felt was different. The idea alone was staggering. To measure the earth with my body, to know my country with my own skin. It seemed like the only way to fathom such a land. Yet I did not know if I would ever glimpse a meter of Tibet with my own eyes.
...the idea of a hidden valley of peace - whether as Shambhala or beyul - has deep roots in Tibetan culture.
Theirs isn’t the gaze of a mentor upon a student but a fixed asymmetry. They look at me as though I am a child whom they can tolerate at the table as long as I know my place. For years, I’ve sensed this violent but hidden truth—that beyond the welcome smiles of this country lies a vast and impenetrable wall: a national self-regard that insists on a mythic goodness. This is a nation that gives and gives to the less fortunate and asks nothing in return. Nothing, that is, but our grateful acquiescence to their silent expectations.
...a country called Canada entered our dreams. The distances we've traveled. The distances we dream of. For those of us who cannot return home, all the world is a dream.
But how did you survive all these years with this body made of earth? These last sixty years of exile, were they hard on you, as well? Do you miss that land which made your body?
Every line from my childhood, every answer to the question "Who are you" is ready at my lips. We are asylees. We are refugees. The Chinese government took our land and killed our people, 1.2 million souls. Our documents are flimsy—just laminated scraps of common paper, not embossed leather passports like yours—and considered illegitimate by most nations. Please overlook our present degradation. You should have seen us before the invasion, when our country had kings and gods and an unbroken thread of history from a time before time.
"What I do know is that survival is an ugly game, and our objects are all the world really values of our people. Our objects and our ideas. But not us, and not our lives. Whether we’re here for another two hundred years or wiped off the face of the planet, it doesn’t matter to anyone else, not really.”
"People find our culture beautiful," I say. "But not our suffering. No one wants to put that in a glass case. No one wants to own that."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide
hollyd19's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This epic follows a family of Tibetan refugees from their flight to Nepal during China’s Cultural Revolution through to Vancouver in 2012. Sisters Lhamo and Tenkyi are young girls when their family is forced to flee violence and cultural erasure. They land in a refugee camp set up in Nepal for the incoming migrants, and the book follows their unfolding lives.
The structure of this novel is creative with sections delineated by relational groupings (daughters, sisters, lovers, etc). The story goes back and forth from the 50s until nearly present day, converging to bring the whole story into focus. The writing is truly exceptional. Several passages bowled be over with poetic, insistent prose determined to scrub away grit from a window and reveal beyond wise, hard-earned truths.
The structure of this novel is creative with sections delineated by relational groupings (daughters, sisters, lovers, etc). The story goes back and forth from the 50s until nearly present day, converging to bring the whole story into focus. The writing is truly exceptional. Several passages bowled be over with poetic, insistent prose determined to scrub away grit from a window and reveal beyond wise, hard-earned truths.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Colonisation, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Genocide, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Alcoholism
Minor: Deportation and Pregnancy
sarah984's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
I thought this book was really well done and managed to showcase a lot of heavy concepts regarding exile, trauma, survival and continuity of culture in a relatively low page count. I enjoyed the multiple points of view as many characters looked at the same situation in entirely different ways. The trajectory and different meanings of the Nameless Saint were my favourite parts of the novel. It meandered a bit in the middle with a sort of melodramatic romance that didn't really feel necessary but overall I loved this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Colonisation, Genocide, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Deportation, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexual content, Suicide, Ableism, Medical content, Vomit, and Racism
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies is a multi generational family story centred on Tibetan family. We meet two sisters, Lhamo and Tenkyi, as they escape with their family and other members of their village in the aftermath of a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Along the way they are orphaned. Various temporary settlements in Nepal become permanent for Lhamo, while Tenkyi manages to secure a scholarship to study in India. Years later she lives in Canada, battling traumatic memories, working as a cleaner, and living with Lhamo’s daughter, Dolma, who is trying to forge a path as a Tibetan studies scholar. A ku, or statue, known as the Nameless Saint is almost a character in its own right, playing an important role in the family’s journey, representing their still strong connection to their land, and also by highlighting the trade, often illegal, in cultural artefacts, a common current manifestation of colonialism, and something that has featured in a couple of my current reads. The condescending and exploitative attitude that western scholars of Tibet exhibited towards Dolma, was one of the scenes that stood out in the story to me. I was also impressed by the nuanced way this book explored the artefact trade, while not shying away from its exploitative nature. Ditto with the impact of the tourism industry and cultural appropriation. This story was told from several points of view which not only let the reader experience the family interactions and dynamics from different angles, but also allowed the author to showcase different ways the experience of being a refugee, unable to return or enter your county can affect people. Although Lhamo, Tenkyi, Dolma and Samphel lived very different lives, Tibet still exerted a strong pull, and remained a crucial influence on all their lives.
I definitely appreciated what I learned about Tibetan culture from this story, but also enjoyed its exploration of family especially the mother-daughter relationships, and the bonds between sisters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Death of parent
eslsilver's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death of parent, and Genocide
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism
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