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steveatwaywords's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
But I'm afraid that neither of these historical premises (foot-binding and other suffering by Chinese and Japanese women for the sake of beauty nor the language of nu shu) are nearly sufficient to sustain a good novel. I found myself frustrated at two levels:
First, the characters and their own growth itself: we might hope to see the development of their ideas, of their relationship, of their understanding of their own condition, etc. But these fundamentals to storytelling take a far backseat to outside events (many beyond their experience or understanding) which impact their fortunes. What political drama which exists within the female community itself is also resolved through time and death, not through the actions or understandings of our protagonists. In other words, our characters are long-suffering from start to finish. And yes, this might be "historically accurate," but this is not a history; it's a novel. The final conflict/complication around the secret language (the sustained conceit for the story) arises from such a simply elementary misunderstanding as to be unreasonably ignorant even from this white male reader's immediate response. Is <i>this</i> really what we have been building towards?
My second concern is a bit different, and I admit that I believe reading writers like James Clavell (Shogun) and Arthur Golden (Memoirs of a Geisha) is problematic. I kept asking myself not just why I was reading this (it came recommended), but why it was written. It's a bit like writing about an idealistic sheriff in the mythological American Old West and saying, "I wrote a story of the United States!" Truly, are there no other stories to write of China than of this world of silks and tea? If we want to stay with historical fiction of China, are there no other eras of classes from which to draw across its thousands of years of history? Reading this felt oddly voyeuristic, so focused through this single misaligned peephole into a vast and complex culture.
It's true that I have also been recently reading contemporary writers from China, and so perhaps the comparison isn't entirely fair. But there it is, a comparison. There are far better choices into literary China, and I don't see what this book in that light has to offer.
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Grief, Classism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Child death, Confinement, Suicide, Pregnancy, War, Rape, Misogyny, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, and Medical trauma
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Cancer, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Vomit, War, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Blood, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Excrement and Sexual content
allydee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Suicide, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Drug use
bookworm356's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, War, Grief, Eating disorder, Child death, Classism, Miscarriage, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Infertility, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicide
phantomgecko's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kind of reminded me of Atonement by Ian McEwan. Y'know, protagonist makes a mistake to the detriment of a loved one that haunts them the rest of their life. This affected me more emotionally, but that's due to any number of circumstances.
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Body horror, Classism, Death, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness
cait's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Vomit, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Cancer, Child abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Physical abuse, War, Death, Sexism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Child death, Chronic illness, Infertility, and Injury/Injury detail
_n40m1_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Death, Child death, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Classism, Pregnancy, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
strawbibble's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Ableism, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Abandonment, Body shaming, Cancer, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, and Infertility
mergwenthur's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i read the journey of lily through her childhood to her old age and viewed her relationship with snow flower and how both of them developed individually and as same-olds.
set in mid-1800s i read as lily and snow flower dealt with things such as footbindings, tragedies, love, death, marriage and children.
cultural and society traditions were adapted and the challenges lily and snow flower went through were eye opening.
it was a beautiful yet tragic story which leaves you with so many emotions
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, War, Violence, Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Body horror, Child death, and Classism
johannslauren15's review
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Death, Infertility, and Miscarriage