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floating_shiori's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
Born and raised in Penang, Malaya, between British father and Chinese mother, struggling with the uncertainty where he belongs to. He finds himself through spending time with a Japanese aikido coach and learning aikido and inner strength. but this was the war time and Japanese threat was approaching…
As a Japanese person traveling in Asia permanently, it was nice encounter with this book when I was staying in Penang.
Curious other books of the same author.
As a Japanese person traveling in Asia permanently, it was nice encounter with this book when I was staying in Penang.
Curious other books of the same author.
syh_56's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
Historical fiction about the Pacific theater during World War II. Fifteen-year-old Patrick Hutton is the youngest child of a long-established British family with major industrial holdings in Malaya. His mother, however, was his father’s second wife, and Chinese; and he is shunned by both the Chinese community (for his British background and lifestyle), and by British society (for his Asian heritage). Lonely and adrift, he finds a friend in the Japanese diplomat who rents one of his family’s properties. Endo teaches Patrick the skills of akaido, and Patrick happily shares his love of his island home with this visitor. What he doesn’t realize until it is too late is that Endo is actually a Japanese spy, and that Patrick has unwittingly become complicit in helping the Japanese take over Penang and Malaya.
This is a marvelous book on so many levels. First, the way in which these characters are drawn. They are complex and nuanced, and Eng manages to have the reader empathize with all sides of the story. Secondly, I applaud Eng for choosing a WW2 story that has had little exploration in fiction. I’ve read only two other books that touched on what happened in Malaya – The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Flanagan, and Shute’s A Town Like Alice - and both mostly mentioned the camps. This book really explained how the Japanese were able to take over the peninsula with little or no resistance from the British.
Then there is the atmospheric nature of the book. I’ve been to Penang, and to Kuala Lumpur (the latter twice), but even if I had not experienced these locations Eng’s descriptions would easily have transported me there. I could feel the humidity, smell the cooking, relish in the feel of a sea breeze, hear the soft patter of a shower, the steady drumming of a monsoon, or the cacophony of a marketplace. And Eng’s prose is at times poetic, making me want to slow down and relish his use of language. And there were scenes where I was on the edge of my seat.
This is Eng’s debut novel. I definitely will read more by him.
This is a marvelous book on so many levels. First, the way in which these characters are drawn. They are complex and nuanced, and Eng manages to have the reader empathize with all sides of the story. Secondly, I applaud Eng for choosing a WW2 story that has had little exploration in fiction. I’ve read only two other books that touched on what happened in Malaya – The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Flanagan, and Shute’s A Town Like Alice - and both mostly mentioned the camps. This book really explained how the Japanese were able to take over the peninsula with little or no resistance from the British.
Then there is the atmospheric nature of the book. I’ve been to Penang, and to Kuala Lumpur (the latter twice), but even if I had not experienced these locations Eng’s descriptions would easily have transported me there. I could feel the humidity, smell the cooking, relish in the feel of a sea breeze, hear the soft patter of a shower, the steady drumming of a monsoon, or the cacophony of a marketplace. And Eng’s prose is at times poetic, making me want to slow down and relish his use of language. And there were scenes where I was on the edge of my seat.
This is Eng’s debut novel. I definitely will read more by him.
georgeisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
tivara101's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
2.75
camillelalectrice's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
starrysea98's review against another edition
4.0
Finally, finally finished this monster of a book. It’s not the number of pages that make it daunting but the sheer amount of events happening that occasionally made me put it down to digest what just happened.
The Gift of Rain is exquisitely written, although sometimes I didn’t appreciate the author’s seemingly pretentious language. Phillip is a very interesting character, an outcast yet belonging to two worlds; Chinese and British. His relationship with Endo-san is also very fascinating and messy as it often is among humans. I found the first 200+ pages rather dry but appreciated it after finishing the book because without that gradual, somewhat boring buildup, I wouldn’t have been able to fully sympathise with the characters.
I first picked up this book because it is set in Penang, my own hometown and city of my heart. The author does it justice, mostly because he is also a Penangite! Reading the vivid descriptions of Georgetown, Istana and the other streets, both famous and not made me miss Penang a lot. I don’t know about others but the author was able to bring to life a Penang of times gone by to me.
The Gift of Rain is exquisitely written, although sometimes I didn’t appreciate the author’s seemingly pretentious language. Phillip is a very interesting character, an outcast yet belonging to two worlds; Chinese and British. His relationship with Endo-san is also very fascinating and messy as it often is among humans. I found the first 200+ pages rather dry but appreciated it after finishing the book because without that gradual, somewhat boring buildup, I wouldn’t have been able to fully sympathise with the characters.
I first picked up this book because it is set in Penang, my own hometown and city of my heart. The author does it justice, mostly because he is also a Penangite! Reading the vivid descriptions of Georgetown, Istana and the other streets, both famous and not made me miss Penang a lot. I don’t know about others but the author was able to bring to life a Penang of times gone by to me.
kairwill's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thekacie's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I wanted to like this - the premise was interesting and it could have been a great story. But the dialogue was soooo weak and empty for me. Also the few women that did appear were all really flat characters. It ended up being a disappointing read that I kept hoping would redeem itself but never did.
karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
The Gift of Rain has everything you could want in a story: war and peace; friendship and loss; beauty and hatred; family and love. Most of all, the book is beautifully written,with a wonderful sense of place.