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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
emotional
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
THE MANGO BRIDE by Marivi Soliven was one of the Reading Women podcast discussion book picks for May as part of their focus on Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I haven’t read much literature focusing on that region of the world, so this sounded like a great book to pick up.
The book focuses on two women from the Philippines. Amparo has had a privileged upbringing in a family with money and staff. Beverly has been raised by her aunt in relative poverty after her single mother’s death and she must work to help support herself. Taking very different routes both women wind up in California seeking freedom and a better life. There, Amparo and Beverly find their lives interweaving in unexpected ways.
This was a beautiful book and I felt like it conveyed a lot about life in the Philippines. The author’s descriptions of the food will leave you hungry and her descriptions of the culture’s customs and celebrations give this novel a strong sense of place.
The men in the story are cast in a much more negative light. The local men are caught up in family appearances and making a living. Men from the U.S. come to seek the perfect subservient “mango bride” to take home more as a servant than a true life partner. While the female characters are well developed, both imperfect and relatable, I would say that the male characters are a less developed.
This book was heart-breaking and beautiful and I’m glad that I was encouraged to pick it up as it is probably not one I would have otherwise read on my own. This also fulfilled my #aroundtheyearin52books
The book focuses on two women from the Philippines. Amparo has had a privileged upbringing in a family with money and staff. Beverly has been raised by her aunt in relative poverty after her single mother’s death and she must work to help support herself. Taking very different routes both women wind up in California seeking freedom and a better life. There, Amparo and Beverly find their lives interweaving in unexpected ways.
This was a beautiful book and I felt like it conveyed a lot about life in the Philippines. The author’s descriptions of the food will leave you hungry and her descriptions of the culture’s customs and celebrations give this novel a strong sense of place.
The men in the story are cast in a much more negative light. The local men are caught up in family appearances and making a living. Men from the U.S. come to seek the perfect subservient “mango bride” to take home more as a servant than a true life partner. While the female characters are well developed, both imperfect and relatable, I would say that the male characters are a less developed.
This book was heart-breaking and beautiful and I’m glad that I was encouraged to pick it up as it is probably not one I would have otherwise read on my own. This also fulfilled my #aroundtheyearin52books
Novel about the interrelated parallel lives of two Filipina women both in their hometown of Manila, where one is a member of a wealthy society family and the other an impoverished waitress, and in Oakland, California, to which they both immigrate. Very melodramatic, with heavily foreshadowed plot twists full of improbable coincidences. However, it was a page-turner, and interesting to read more about Filipino culture, which I knew little about.
I learned a lot about Filipino culture while enjoying this engaging story about two women who move from Manila to the Bay Area, each for less-than-wonderful reasons.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Trafficking, Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Pregnancy, Colonisation
I kinda had an idea what would happen with the characters but then there's a sudden twsit of things. Nice read.
dark
reflective
sad
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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abortion
The Mango Bride won the Philippine’s version of the Pulitzer Prize and won many awards for its writing on issues surrounding women and I see why.
This book has the most beautiful descriptions and characters but also is packed with suspense and heartache. The ending is so well thought out I cannot stop thinking about it.
The main characters Beverly and Amparo are both from Manila in the Philippines
This book has the most beautiful descriptions and characters but also is packed with suspense and heartache. The ending is so well thought out I cannot stop thinking about it.
The main characters Beverly and Amparo are both from Manila in the Philippines