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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
The book very good, witty, and believable. Joan must be on the Spectrum, but that was never mentioned. It is okay to be on the Spectrum, but I think it should have been mentioned since she did go to therapists and counselors.
I liked the book as I was reading it, especially the little bits explaining the stories of the Chinese characters. Joan was an interesting main character, somewhat neither likeable nor dislikeable. I didn’t like the abrupt ending though. It left the story feeling a bit unresolved which was an unfortunate way to finish an otherwise good book.
Joan is totally okay. I loved this different perspective story. I had my expectations and it just took its own path and I loved it. It was a good way to put myself in someone else's shoes and understand a different way of thinking and being.
Was excited to start this book and it kept my interest throughout. Kept anticipating a big moment but there wasn’t much of an arc. The beauty of this book is in its witty subtlety and lovable main character. Does anyone know if she’s okay?
Jiu-an (Joan) is singularly focused on her career. She is an ivy-league graduate who has no hobbies or interests outside of her job as an ICU attending physician. One life-changing event happens after another, forcing her to examine her priorities and relationships. People who likely have her best interest in mind all have things they want to change about her. This book is about the weight of those opinions and if they are indeed what’s best for Joan/Jiu-an.
Joan is Okay reminds me of [b:Convenience Store Woman|38357895|Convenience Store Woman|Sayaka Murata|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523623053l/38357895._SY75_.jpg|51852264] in its exploration of othering and societal expectations for women through a memorable main character. Fans of the latter would also enjoy this. It’s also about identity, grief, and home.
Learned at the end of this novel, in the ‘About the Author’ section, that Weike Wang earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry and her doctorate in public health from Harvard. Would be curious to know how much of this novel is autobiographical.
A couple of my favorite quotes:
“Was it harder to be a woman? Or an immigrant? Or a Chinese person outside of China? And why did being a good any of the above require you to edit yourself down so you could become someone else?”
“So, othering, did that term apply to me and was it what I’d internalized? Whenever I heard news of deportation or the line that people must enter the legal way, fear of my own removal would start to reflux. Then I had to remind myself that I was born here, that this land was as much mine as it was theirs. But were these facts written on my face? Was my being born here and my parents’ legal arrival carved into our facial features or the color of our skin? And even if I hadn’t been born here, had I been one of those kids brought over by her parents at age two, five, twelve, then naturalized, what made them and their families any less American if they were the most American of all things – fresh off the boat, in search of better days?”
Many thanks to Random House, NetGalley, and Dr. Wang for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Jiu-an (Joan) is singularly focused on her career. She is an ivy-league graduate who has no hobbies or interests outside of her job as an ICU attending physician. One life-changing event happens after another, forcing her to examine her priorities and relationships. People who likely have her best interest in mind all have things they want to change about her. This book is about the weight of those opinions and if they are indeed what’s best for Joan/Jiu-an.
Joan is Okay reminds me of [b:Convenience Store Woman|38357895|Convenience Store Woman|Sayaka Murata|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523623053l/38357895._SY75_.jpg|51852264] in its exploration of othering and societal expectations for women through a memorable main character. Fans of the latter would also enjoy this. It’s also about identity, grief, and home.
Learned at the end of this novel, in the ‘About the Author’ section, that Weike Wang earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry and her doctorate in public health from Harvard. Would be curious to know how much of this novel is autobiographical.
A couple of my favorite quotes:
“Was it harder to be a woman? Or an immigrant? Or a Chinese person outside of China? And why did being a good any of the above require you to edit yourself down so you could become someone else?”
“So, othering, did that term apply to me and was it what I’d internalized? Whenever I heard news of deportation or the line that people must enter the legal way, fear of my own removal would start to reflux. Then I had to remind myself that I was born here, that this land was as much mine as it was theirs. But were these facts written on my face? Was my being born here and my parents’ legal arrival carved into our facial features or the color of our skin? And even if I hadn’t been born here, had I been one of those kids brought over by her parents at age two, five, twelve, then naturalized, what made them and their families any less American if they were the most American of all things – fresh off the boat, in search of better days?”
Many thanks to Random House, NetGalley, and Dr. Wang for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Joan is okay, easy to relate to, sometimes hard to figure. She is a thirty-six-year-old Chinese American workaholic doctor who loves her career. She appears fairly satisfied until the death of her father initiates shifts in her life. Her family closes in and pressures her to restructure herself: she should find a husband, be a mother, be more stylish in her appearance, and either demand more compensation from her job or open her own practice in a safer neighborhood. Everyone pushes a personality makeover. Joan had been comfortable with her low visibility at her apartment building but now a well-meaning neighbor badgers her into changing her lifestyle. Despite her stellar work performance, both her supervisor at the hospital and the HR department insist she takes more time off. Even the doorman at her apartment building feels the need to modify Joan, whether it is fixing her up romantically with the new tenant or correcting her posture before he will operate the elevator.
Joan was okay! Joan was happy... she thought she was. Now she is questioning her position in the world. Should she be rearranging her interactions with her family? How has she been boxed in by Chinese American stereotypes and social limitations? She had even concealed her ability to speak Chinese from coworkers in order to avoid any judgment that may cause. Joan is a complex character, maintaining her humor and wit even as she struggles to balance her self definition against the vision others have for her.
We feel an ominous rumble building as the coming pandemic begins to manipulate this story's direction. As a Chinese American doctor living in New York City so much is uncertain as the story winds up. We are invested in Joan and need to see how she is going to fare now. We need to know that Joan is okay. I will be right there if Weike Wang shares more Joan.
I am grateful to Random House and NetGalley for providing the Joan ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"I wanna think it's gonna be alright
It's just a little soon to say"--Jackson Browne
Joan was okay! Joan was happy... she thought she was. Now she is questioning her position in the world. Should she be rearranging her interactions with her family? How has she been boxed in by Chinese American stereotypes and social limitations? She had even concealed her ability to speak Chinese from coworkers in order to avoid any judgment that may cause. Joan is a complex character, maintaining her humor and wit even as she struggles to balance her self definition against the vision others have for her.
We feel an ominous rumble building as the coming pandemic begins to manipulate this story's direction. As a Chinese American doctor living in New York City so much is uncertain as the story winds up. We are invested in Joan and need to see how she is going to fare now. We need to know that Joan is okay. I will be right there if Weike Wang shares more Joan.
I am grateful to Random House and NetGalley for providing the Joan ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"I wanna think it's gonna be alright
It's just a little soon to say"--Jackson Browne
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is fiction that is so brilliant, so realistic, so deeply personal that it is incredible to think that the characters are not actual living, breathing human beings. Weike Wang’s first novel, Chemistry, was phenomenal, and this one may be even better.
I want to say that Weike Wang is one of the world’s best young writers, but that’s not quite right: she is one of the world’s best writers, regardless of age.
I want to say that Weike Wang is one of the world’s best young writers, but that’s not quite right: she is one of the world’s best writers, regardless of age.