Reviews

I love a family saga, and this one's really good! It reads as a collection of short stories, with each chapter focusing on a different member of the Yang family (and their staff). The "twist" is that Shanghailanders begins in the 2040s, and heads backwards in time as the book goes on. I found the dialogue and scenarios very realistic - the dynamic between the three sisters in particular felt spot-on - and all in all, it's difficult to pick a favourite story between them.

eztree's review

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emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

no_more_shelf_control's review

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Published back on May 7th, I've been picking away at this @spiegelandgrau title, wanting to give it my full attention since I grabbed it on @netgalley.

This multicultural family of a Chinese father and Japanese-French mother, is first introduced in 2040 as the parents are sending their older daughters back to boarding school and college in Boston. It has a tenuous atmosphere, and what follows is a collection of what feels like short stories that go back in time and some go to the periphery of the Yang family to understand them in the "present."

This was indeed, a fascinating format. I did feel like I was trying to make the connections until I just relaxed and let the story unfold as it would. I am sure I missed some of those connections, but I did feel the "aha" moments frequently as a particular trait was explained. Some stories felt very loosely connected, so it was helpful to enter each chapter fresh.

I think if you enjoy loosely connected short stories, this will be a fantastic book that will feel like an organic meeting of the Yang family. This is how we get to know people as the current person is slowly revealed over stories that, in trust, are given over time, reminding me that what we first see is never the whole story.

For me, this book was a bit harder to follow, but as I think back it is growing on me.

moorea's review

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My first time reading a reverse order book (starts in 2040 and goes back to 2018). I enjoyed this but it felt more like vignettes because there were so many different characters for a relatively short book!