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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this eARC.
3.5 stars!
A sparkling debut which shows ample potential from Min to create vivid characters with rich internal and external narratives. This novel possesses a unique plot structure as it follows a family of three daughters from 2040 back to 2018, starting at the advent of their adulthood and ending at the wedding of their parents. By tracking back, the reader is effectively filling in the gaps as to what characters are referencing and why their behaviours, opinions and beliefs led to the first chapters iterations of them. Set against the backdrop of the increasing threat of climate change, and yet simultaneously the boom of technology and property in Shanghai, it casts an intriguing forecast for how our behaviours will alter and yet, perhaps most striking, is how slow the threat encroaches and how naturally the characters seem to adapt to its threats.
Ambitious in construction, at times, the novel almost reads best as a collection of short stories built around the same characters as, in moving back, one never finds out what happened next. Indeed, the entire book is preoccupied with discovering how the past informs the present and the future rather than providing clarity or resolution to the opening chapters. You see the foundations of the issues raised in 2040, you grow to empathise more with the behaviours shown, and yet the conclusion is never reached because we only move backwards.
While there are fun threads to pull on, for example why the youngest daughter resents the middle sister for 'Lucy', there are some narratives which feel unnecessary to the family's arc. Indeed, I thoroughly enjoyed the examination of the lives of the family's live-in nanny, and a train worker who was once married to Leo, the patriarch's less successful friend and colleague, and they were a powerful mediation on the class and financial structures in Shanghai, however, they did not feel fully necessary to the overarching narrative of the book.
The most intriguing part of this novel was that of the family dynamics and the individual personalities. The repeated hints at marital discord that spiral out and out as you travel further back in time, and the complex sisterly relationships, were fascinating, however, as you are travelling back in time, while you do get to see some of their formation, many questions are left unanswered or only vaguely hinted at. With that said, this book is incredibly ambitious, both far reaching in its scope and yet incredibly intimate in its exploration of a specific family, and, while I think sometimes it lacks in pay-off, the rich depictions of this family, and the engaging exploration of class, family, and how our pasts inform our present are well worth a read.
3.5 stars!
A sparkling debut which shows ample potential from Min to create vivid characters with rich internal and external narratives. This novel possesses a unique plot structure as it follows a family of three daughters from 2040 back to 2018, starting at the advent of their adulthood and ending at the wedding of their parents. By tracking back, the reader is effectively filling in the gaps as to what characters are referencing and why their behaviours, opinions and beliefs led to the first chapters iterations of them. Set against the backdrop of the increasing threat of climate change, and yet simultaneously the boom of technology and property in Shanghai, it casts an intriguing forecast for how our behaviours will alter and yet, perhaps most striking, is how slow the threat encroaches and how naturally the characters seem to adapt to its threats.
Ambitious in construction, at times, the novel almost reads best as a collection of short stories built around the same characters as, in moving back, one never finds out what happened next. Indeed, the entire book is preoccupied with discovering how the past informs the present and the future rather than providing clarity or resolution to the opening chapters. You see the foundations of the issues raised in 2040, you grow to empathise more with the behaviours shown, and yet the conclusion is never reached because we only move backwards.
While there are fun threads to pull on, for example why the youngest daughter resents the middle sister for 'Lucy', there are some narratives which feel unnecessary to the family's arc. Indeed, I thoroughly enjoyed the examination of the lives of the family's live-in nanny, and a train worker who was once married to Leo, the patriarch's less successful friend and colleague, and they were a powerful mediation on the class and financial structures in Shanghai, however, they did not feel fully necessary to the overarching narrative of the book.
The most intriguing part of this novel was that of the family dynamics and the individual personalities. The repeated hints at marital discord that spiral out and out as you travel further back in time, and the complex sisterly relationships, were fascinating, however, as you are travelling back in time, while you do get to see some of their formation, many questions are left unanswered or only vaguely hinted at. With that said, this book is incredibly ambitious, both far reaching in its scope and yet incredibly intimate in its exploration of a specific family, and, while I think sometimes it lacks in pay-off, the rich depictions of this family, and the engaging exploration of class, family, and how our pasts inform our present are well worth a read.
Juli Min is the kind of writer I’d read books by and give 5 stars. Just not this one.
2.5 stars?
Shanghailanders is about a family living in Shanghai. Rich and powerful. Who are they? How did they become to be? We meet them in the future and trace them back to the past
It was very interesting in premise, a story that goes backwards instead of forward. but I still ended up succumbing to boredom instead. there was no incentive, nothing to keep the reader going on. nothing to find out, nothing to be revealed. eventually, the interest is lost. I understand plotless books, books that look at characters and not events, but even in these there’s an element that keeps us wanting to go on. sometimes the element is just a connection to the character even.
Shanghailanders is a character study, no doubt. a really good one actually. we are looking at what the lives of these characters are, but we are also introduced to what they hoped for their life to be, how they have reached and failed to reach these expectations.
i love the different characters, the peek into their lives and stories. i love the writing. It’s just that I didn’t have time to connect to any of them as I wished. We get only about one chapter of each daughter’s pov. One of each house worker. A little bit more of each parent. I enjoyed these short POVs really, I think the daughter’s lives would’ve been very interesting to dive into. The workers too had unique chapters, a driver that participates in secret car races for example. I wanted more. I believe it would’ve been the strength point of the book.
I did appreciate having more of Eko, the mother, at least. I loved her POV too.
The charm fizzles out and towards the end I was skimming through, having gotten no revelation or closure through any of the characters. I think I might have missed a point the writer wanted to make here?
One thing that stayed on mind was how all the family’s POVs are in third person except the workers, which were in first/second POV. I saw a reader suggest in their review that this might have been the writer’s way of suggesting that, even if we can get close, most ordinary people like us will only ever end up on the outskirts of such power and grandeur. workers under higher authority. I’m not sure if this is what was actually intended, but i find it smart and interesting so points for that
That being said, Juli Min’s ideas and descriptions and characterization have captured my attention. I hope her next project is one that manages to keep it, because I feel like there’s a high chance I’ll absolutely love something she writes.
2.5 stars?
Shanghailanders is about a family living in Shanghai. Rich and powerful. Who are they? How did they become to be? We meet them in the future and trace them back to the past
It was very interesting in premise, a story that goes backwards instead of forward. but I still ended up succumbing to boredom instead. there was no incentive, nothing to keep the reader going on. nothing to find out, nothing to be revealed. eventually, the interest is lost. I understand plotless books, books that look at characters and not events, but even in these there’s an element that keeps us wanting to go on. sometimes the element is just a connection to the character even.
Shanghailanders is a character study, no doubt. a really good one actually. we are looking at what the lives of these characters are, but we are also introduced to what they hoped for their life to be, how they have reached and failed to reach these expectations.
i love the different characters, the peek into their lives and stories. i love the writing. It’s just that I didn’t have time to connect to any of them as I wished. We get only about one chapter of each daughter’s pov. One of each house worker. A little bit more of each parent. I enjoyed these short POVs really, I think the daughter’s lives would’ve been very interesting to dive into. The workers too had unique chapters, a driver that participates in secret car races for example. I wanted more. I believe it would’ve been the strength point of the book.
I did appreciate having more of Eko, the mother, at least. I loved her POV too.
The charm fizzles out and towards the end I was skimming through, having gotten no revelation or closure through any of the characters. I think I might have missed a point the writer wanted to make here?
One thing that stayed on mind was how all the family’s POVs are in third person except the workers, which were in first/second POV. I saw a reader suggest in their review that this might have been the writer’s way of suggesting that, even if we can get close, most ordinary people like us will only ever end up on the outskirts of such power and grandeur. workers under higher authority. I’m not sure if this is what was actually intended, but i find it smart and interesting so points for that
That being said, Juli Min’s ideas and descriptions and characterization have captured my attention. I hope her next project is one that manages to keep it, because I feel like there’s a high chance I’ll absolutely love something she writes.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-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
This book is unlike every other book I've read. It goes backwards in time from 2040, with every chapter shifting perspectives between members of an incredibly wealthy Shanghai family, and with occasional perspectives from other people who interact with them. I found all the vignettes compelling, even though, as many reviewers have pointed out, the structure of the book makes it relatively plot-less and leaves you with way more questions than answers. The snapshots in time help explain why all the characters act they do, and the ruminations on wealth, family, and love are impactful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content
Minor: Infidelity
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is a meandering, languid book, but the vignettes are such that I didn't mind the pacing. Some reviewers complain that nothing happens, and while I wanted to learn more about each character I didn't really need more action--the internality of the characters is interesting enough. I also found the conceit of backward storytelling (from 2040 to 2014) intriguing.
This is a meandering, languid book, but the vignettes are such that I didn't mind the pacing. Some reviewers complain that nothing happens, and while I wanted to learn more about each character I didn't really need more action--the internality of the characters is interesting enough. I also found the conceit of backward storytelling (from 2040 to 2014) intriguing.
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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