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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
redlerred's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, Suicide, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse
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
myworldtoread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide
mirgsg's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Miscarriage
decembermagpie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: War and Death
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
marta_rpcosta'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
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Miscarriage, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Misogyny
honeymoonleo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Infertility, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Death, Pregnancy, and Misogyny