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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
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
There was something really compelling about this book. It’s a story about a family with three girls in Shanghai, and goes backwards in time. There was were many different perspective shifts between the characters which could have been frustrating or confusing, but it was elegantly done. It made me reflect over the passage of time in my own life, and the mundane moments that make up our days.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
this was an interesting debut to say the least. we follow a wealthy family in future shanghai - eko and leo with their three daughter, yuki, yoko, and kiko, as well as the servants and staff around them.
because of the way the story was told, it honestly felt more like a collection of short stories or passages of certain life-changing events from each character's life put together, making it an incohesive body of writing. there were also times where the structure of the the story - being told backwards starting in 2040 and ending in 2014 - was unsatisfying as i found myself wanting to know more about what happened after the fact instead of what happened before.
but it definitely did its job of unraveling each character and how they individually contributed to the family dynamic. by going through every family member's history, you discover what made them who they are and how their trauma's shaped their beliefs, therefore affecting the way they communicated and handled their relationships with each other.
i did think it was a unique way of storytelling but again, i was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. that's just my personal experience with the book. i definitely still think this is worth checking out if you're interested!
this was an interesting debut to say the least. we follow a wealthy family in future shanghai - eko and leo with their three daughter, yuki, yoko, and kiko, as well as the servants and staff around them.
because of the way the story was told, it honestly felt more like a collection of short stories or passages of certain life-changing events from each character's life put together, making it an incohesive body of writing. there were also times where the structure of the the story - being told backwards starting in 2040 and ending in 2014 - was unsatisfying as i found myself wanting to know more about what happened after the fact instead of what happened before.
but it definitely did its job of unraveling each character and how they individually contributed to the family dynamic. by going through every family member's history, you discover what made them who they are and how their trauma's shaped their beliefs, therefore affecting the way they communicated and handled their relationships with each other.
i did think it was a unique way of storytelling but again, i was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. that's just my personal experience with the book. i definitely still think this is worth checking out if you're interested!
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this story and the depth of character development! I wish it had been more detailed in descriptions of China and Shanghai, but fantastic overall.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this novel begins in shanghai in the not too distant future, and the narrative moves backwards in time through vignettes of the life of a family in shanghai - husband, wife and three daughters. “vignettes” is the key word here, as each window into a different character’s life felt over too soon for me. there was no overarching plot or theme to tie together each chapter, beyond relating to a different family member. the voices of each character weren’t distinct enough for me, save for maybe eko, the wife and mother of the family, who had the most interesting arc (if it can be called that) by far. a short and easy read but could have done *so* much more!
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this. As I knew I would. This is exactly my kind of book. It’s told backwards and shows glimpses of the family from 2040 to 2014 and while some of these characters weren’t on page a lot, I feel like you get a very good sense of them as people.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes