Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

763 reviews

barbarella85's review

fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, and Cultural appropriation

gandalf_a's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Grief, Bullying, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Confinement, Racial slurs, Classism, Cursing, Alcohol, and Colonisation

marissasa's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is the definition of unlikable main character, to the point of being a horrible, racist, narcissist, entitled, crazy, dumpster fire of a character. The premise is interesting and hooked me because it genuinely could be something that happens in real life given the state of the traditional publishing industry and all the book twitter and booktok drama that happens nowadays. While it was fun to read along and cringe and gasp at how the narrator continuously gets herself into deeper and deeper shit, I do wish there was deeper social commentary and more objective points on how Athena wasn't a perfect person nor a good person at times. Since we only get to hear about her flaws through the biased eyes of the main character, some of the nuance about Athena being a very privileged, pretentious, rich kid with connections at the same time as being a well-loved talented author giving much needed representation in the industry is lost. I also don't think the book needed to be as long as it was, it did drag in some parts where the main character was trying to figure out to write next or was being paranoid. Overall, this felt like watching ugly drama that you can't look away from unfold so you end up staying for the whole thing with popcorn in hand.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Alcohol, and Bullying

luisagerdsmeyer's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Racism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

shesreadingagain_'s review against another edition

challenging reflective fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Death, and Gaslighting

meeeshell's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Rape

Moderate: Death of parent

purplemuskogee's review against another edition

dark lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I had wanted to read this book since it came out, and I am so pleased it did not disappoint. Rebecca F. Kuang is incredibly skilled at weaving many, many themes - cultural appropriation, representation, plagiarism, friendship, internet trolling, cancel culture, intellectual property, the publishing industry, theft... - without making the book feel too cluttered or trying too hard, which is sometimes a risk with books that feel very anchored to their era. This one is definitely anchored - the themes, the Twitter messages, the fear of being cancelled - but it felt light, compelling, engaging. I loved the characters being all unlikeable, including the victim of the story, beautiful and talented writer Athena, a vampire who steals everyone's traumatic experiences to turn them into her next bestseller; and I liked its commentary on cultural appropriation and intellectual property: when is inspiration plagiarism? (Probably when you have to steal a manuscript from a flat where your friend just died). Many authors of the past are incredibly problematic and it is brushed aside - we still love Virginia Woolf despite the antisemitism, we still read Poe despite the child marriage. Authors nowadays being online and reachable more easily means they are somewhat more accountable - it is also "easier" to ignore past authors' problematic stances when they were usually government policy, although I am not convinced that makes them excusable. 
I loved this novel, and I loved its themes and tone, and I am so glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Toxic friendship

rbz39's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

😮‍💨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Rape

pantslint's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm a sucker for books with unreliable narrators and unlikable protagonists, and Yellowface is a fun combination of both. I think June's characterization was done well—this bitch is capital-R Racist—though sometimes I felt that Kuang made her likability (or lack thereof) so obvious to readers.

Like, June felt so cartoonishly racist at times and I couldn't do anything but just laugh at how much of a hater she is. I mean, c'mon.

Justifying her plagiarism as "reparations" (Ch. 3)? Her rant about how the Chinese characters all have the same last names (Ch. 4)? The "heartwarming illustration of Chinese virtue and honesty" narrative she inserts, about the Chinese laborers gifting money to a poor French family (Ch. 4)? Being surprised at every Asian person's "good English?" Describing Chinese food as "pungent" over and over again?

There's so much more; I feel like I'm writing out Luther's 95 Theses at this point.

I'm sure Kuang writes June so obviously gross because white readers have feel like they're separate from her June, right? This text is so meta. I wonder what kind of things Kuang had to concede and exaggerate to get something like this published.

I have thoughts on Athena too... though I think I'll explore it another time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

jenniferbowman's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Cursing, Gaslighting, Vomit, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Violence, Alcohol, Classism, Sexual assault, and Stalking

Minor: Genocide, War, Medical content, Classism, Abortion, Abandonment, Ableism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm