Reviews - Shanghailanders | The StoryGraph

337 reviews for:

Shanghailanders

Juli Min

3.5 AVERAGE

lindsayerin's review

3.25

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

lauracatereads's review

3.25

challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

To start of, this is not a bad book. In fact, for a debut novel, Juli Min has a bright future ahead of her. Her words are beautiful, flowy, eloquent, and her story is full, conclusive, well structured. Simply put, this book fell flat for me mainly because it was nothing like I thought it would be. I was thinking Shanghailanders would be more Bangkok Waits for Rain-esque in its backtracking history story telling, but instead it follows a horribly wealthy family through the ups and downs of their horridly sad lives. There are no likable characters in this book; everyone is deeply flawed, with each Yang holding deep secrets from everyone else. I didn’t find myself rooting for anyone in this novel, and it is hard for me, personally, to connect to books where none of the characters are likable.

A standout for this novel, however, is the switching POVs. I have never read a book that has first, second, and third person narration & I thought that was incredible. The other standout for me was the ayi’s story, “The Girl of My Heart.” The ayi’s story was so poignant & real, a stark contrast of lifestyle from the opulence of the Yangs to the quaint life of basically a servant that the nanny lived. While the book is a 3.25 for me, “The Girl of My Heart” was a solid 4.5.

I wish this book had been for me, but that being said I do not regret reading it at all.

megoates's review

2.25

reflective

Plot or Character Driven: Character

a_library_lion's review

5.0

emotional reflective sad 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

i_bee_reading's review

2.0

I received this as a Goodreads giveaway and found it in my mailbox just days after release. Thank you to Spiegel & Grau for the new release and chance to review.
I hate giving this two stars (a Goodreads definition of two stars is IT WAS OK) but that is really how I felt on page 270 as it ended.
The description caught my eye, explaining that the book starts in the year 2040 and rewinds over the pages to 2014.
I loved this tactic in "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" by Gillian McAllister and was very excited to start this.
I think the difference here is the story is not a mystery you are unraveling, but a wealthy Shanghai family's tale of their generations- backwards. I suppose a good comparison is "The Joy Luck Club" because that is what I kept thinking of as I read. Sadly, this isn't as strong as that novel and the characters did not resonate with me.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this while reading! I just don't find myself texting all my book friends about it. It is a debut novel, and I LOVE the way this author writes, the pace and cadence to this was perfect, and I do look forward to seeing what comes next.

youusedtoknowhowtolovemeright's review

3.75

emotional funny reflective slow-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

sadpear's review

5.0

tense medium-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

I found the backwards flowing timeline interesting, like peeling back layers of wallpaper to find the original rooms beneath. The complex family dynamics were fascinating.

sumi_the_polyglot's review

4.75

fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

the_rummy_writer's review

3.5

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lizmart88's review

2.75

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I found this book to be a little strange. I didn't feel emotionally connected or invested in any of the characters. It's told backwards - it starts in 2040 and works backwards over thirty years to show the family and how it changes over time. I wanted a little more time with each of the characters - the younger daughters, we only get one short chapter from their perspective. Some of what felt like should be revelations or big moments got a little lost due to the reverse timeline. I found the end to be a bit forced.

Content Warnings

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