You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Really enjoyed the writing style of this book. I saw it described as “sparse” and didn’t know what that meant and now i do. Plenty of words but not a single extra. Plenty of emotion but not too much explaining. This was much more about the immigrant experience than COVID 19, and I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I’d like more mark though.
I tried repeatedly to download this book on NetGalley, after having been given access to it and all I got to read was the front and end matter. There was no actual book. I contacted NetGalley a few times, and the customer service person reacted like I was an idiot. Obviously, despite having downloaded and opened quite a few books before this one, I had no idea what I was doing. So I waited until the book became available at my library and borrowed it.
That's where the real trouble started. I'll admit, I'm a little bit of a prescriptivist despite having gone through a Ferlinghetti period as a teen, but that's poetry. I like punctuation. I LOVE punctuation. I NEED punctuation when characters are talking. Are they talking? Are they thinking? Don't look for it in this book. Not a pair of quotes around dialogue to be found. Needless to say, I barely made it 10 pages in and the book was returned. I don't understand why flout convention this way. Is it edgy? Clever? No, it's lazy writing and editing and frustrating. Put a warning label on the book so I know to avoid it next time.
Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. And to the author, if you have another book in you, use conversational punctuation, please!
That's where the real trouble started. I'll admit, I'm a little bit of a prescriptivist despite having gone through a Ferlinghetti period as a teen, but that's poetry. I like punctuation. I LOVE punctuation. I NEED punctuation when characters are talking. Are they talking? Are they thinking? Don't look for it in this book. Not a pair of quotes around dialogue to be found. Needless to say, I barely made it 10 pages in and the book was returned. I don't understand why flout convention this way. Is it edgy? Clever? No, it's lazy writing and editing and frustrating. Put a warning label on the book so I know to avoid it next time.
Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. And to the author, if you have another book in you, use conversational punctuation, please!
Though not noted in the text, it's pretty apparent that Joan is somewhere on the spectrum. Raised by Chinese parents, Joan and her brother are expected to excel academically, then professionally, and then personally. Joan did very well, graduating from Harvard, then went to medical school, becoming an intensive care doctor. But personally, she's hit a few snags. She lives alone in an unadorned New York City apartment. She chose to work in intensive care because the machines tell her all she needs to know (the ecmo machine is her favorite). She doesn't get jokes, and she rarely gets innuendos. But an insistent neighbor forces Joan to open up (literally, as in her apartment). When Joan's father dies in China, she flies over there for a weekend, then goes back to work on Monday. Her work forces her to take a bereavement leave. Not knowing what else to do, Joan begins to reach out to her mother, who is caught in the US at the beginning of the pandemic. Joan now has time to reflect on her relationship with her parents, how growing up Chinese in the US affected her, and how she feels being Chinese during a time of hatred and suspicion (when the pandemic was called the Chinese Flu). A good read.
Joan is the narrator throughout this novel, sharing her thoughts on everything, including the loss of her father, the dynamics within her immediate family, and her work as attending physician in a New York ICU. The story takes place over the months leading up to the first weeks of the COVID pandemic. While she never says so explicitly, I suspect Joan is on some level, neurodivergent. A brilliant physician and scientist, she is challenged by most social norms. Her inner dialogue is at times funny, but the humour seems to be unintentional on Joan’s part, which makes it simply brilliant writing by Weike Wang.
4.5 An unexpectedly good read. Joan is probably neurodiverse but she is fine everyone else keeps telling her how to live though. It also brings in cultural issues from immigration to the how COVID affected the lives of Chinese people. Loved it.
A wonderful story highlighting a strong female character who is perfectly imperfect.
I really enjoyed the story of Joan and the struggles she goes through as a Chines American doctor in the world today. She knows what she wants and hyper focuses on it until someone or something comes along and stirs things up a bit. Her relationship with her parents was fun to follow as different cultures and expectations clash, leaving Joan to navigate life in her own unique way.
The one gripe I have with this book was the dry writing style. I found it very matter of fact and to the point. Not really the kind of world building and story telling that I enjoy.
All in all, this was a wonderful read. I can see why Weike Wang has so many great reviews for this book already.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina
I really enjoyed the story of Joan and the struggles she goes through as a Chines American doctor in the world today. She knows what she wants and hyper focuses on it until someone or something comes along and stirs things up a bit. Her relationship with her parents was fun to follow as different cultures and expectations clash, leaving Joan to navigate life in her own unique way.
The one gripe I have with this book was the dry writing style. I found it very matter of fact and to the point. Not really the kind of world building and story telling that I enjoy.
All in all, this was a wonderful read. I can see why Weike Wang has so many great reviews for this book already.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina
I loved spending time with Joan. I love Wang’s books (Chemistry being her first) and her voice is very unique. I loved this story. And it is so, so funny.
Maybe 4.5? Spare & precise, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get into this. But In the end I loved Joan, and I suspect I’ll be thinking about her for awhile.