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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
I won the audio-book version of this in a Goodreads giveaway. Alas, I didn't realize I was signing up for an audio-book (I can't do any media format other than actual printed paper and the occasional ebook in extreme circumstances, i.e. on extended trips). Naively I hadn't caught up to the 21st century, it never crossed my mind to do this before, but now I make certain to check the format of giveaways I enter.
I tried to listen to this, but I couldn't (but that's not on the book, it's on me). Since the author/publisher was kind enough to send me a copy, I ended up soon after with the library copy so I fulfill my duty to read/review.
A Map of Betrayal presents some fascinating history; the story revolves around a 20th century Chinese spy working within the US government (while much of it is narrated by our spy's daughter, years later), and, in the process of exploring Chinese history and US-China relations, also addresses the "new immigrant" question - as an immigrant myself, I appreciated this aspect.
But, as a novel, A Map of Betrayal fell flat for me, for its reeking explicitness. I like my fiction subtle, mysterious, intangible, a bit bizarre, witty, open-ended. I do not at all enjoy being bashed over the head with an author's pronouncements, I do not believe anything is really "straightforward" (even the simplest thing is so complex when placed in proper context), and I'm also not a fan of anti-intellectualism. Ha Jin seems to hold ambiguity in contempt, and continuously makes pronouncements like this one: "They [grad students] mistook verbosity for eloquence and ambiguity for beauty, worshipping the evasive and fuzzy while looking down on lucidity and straightforwardness." Ugh.
Still, I appreciate learning (stuff, anything), so for what this book teaches re: Chinese-American relations, I give it a 3.
I tried to listen to this, but I couldn't (but that's not on the book, it's on me). Since the author/publisher was kind enough to send me a copy, I ended up soon after with the library copy so I fulfill my duty to read/review.
A Map of Betrayal presents some fascinating history; the story revolves around a 20th century Chinese spy working within the US government (while much of it is narrated by our spy's daughter, years later), and, in the process of exploring Chinese history and US-China relations, also addresses the "new immigrant" question - as an immigrant myself, I appreciated this aspect.
But, as a novel, A Map of Betrayal fell flat for me, for its reeking explicitness. I like my fiction subtle, mysterious, intangible, a bit bizarre, witty, open-ended. I do not at all enjoy being bashed over the head with an author's pronouncements, I do not believe anything is really "straightforward" (even the simplest thing is so complex when placed in proper context), and I'm also not a fan of anti-intellectualism. Ha Jin seems to hold ambiguity in contempt, and continuously makes pronouncements like this one: "They [grad students] mistook verbosity for eloquence and ambiguity for beauty, worshipping the evasive and fuzzy while looking down on lucidity and straightforwardness." Ugh.
Still, I appreciate learning (stuff, anything), so for what this book teaches re: Chinese-American relations, I give it a 3.
I really wanted to love this book but I couldn’t finish it! I liked the idea and I loved the storyline but it was hard for me to read the chapters written from Lilian’s perspective. I just don’t know if I like the way the author writes from a woman’s perspective. It was hard for me to read those chapters and, in my opinion, didn’t feel like a 50 something year old accomplished woman would be having these thoughts and internal dialogue focusing so much on appearance of others and the way people eat. It didn’t feel real to me, and for me it detracted from the main plot. I enjoyed the chapters written from Gary’s perspective though.
Flat spy novel chronicling a daughter's attempt to understand her father who lived in the US but was a double agent for China, leaving behind a family there. Daughter travels to China to interview relatives who knew him. Dull prose, uninteresting characters and stilted plotting kill what could have been a good idea. not Jin's best by.a long shot.
I loved Ha Jin's novel War Trash, but I was only so-so on this one. It's the story of a Chinese spy who spends the last half of the 20th century in the U.S. taking an American wife and working at the CIA. It's also the story of his daughter, who in present day, is trying to learn the truth about her father and the rest of his family — her father had a whole other family back in China before he came to the U.S. It's a short, brisk novel that I thought actually read more like an outline for a novel than a novel itself. What's here is intriguing, but it just felt too slight.
It's good. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of China and the Chinese people, as well as the historical references. It's kind of a bare book, in a way. It's got heavy subject matter, yet it is light reading. I liked it.
I forgot that it can be hit or miss with Ha Jin for me. And this one, while not a "miss" isn't really a "hit" either. I'm sort of into the story, but not enough that I feel like finishing the book. It's an interesting premise, but the writing is kind of boring. I'm not really sure why. Oh well.
I was really excited to read this book and I was underwhelmed. Starting the book knowing how it ends always puts a bit of a kink in enjoying it. I enjoyed learning more about the history and culture in China, the influence of Mao and Communism in general. I also really enjoyed his daughter's experiences growing up in America. I skipped 3-4 parts in the book that were too sexual, and I was disappointed that they were in the book.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It started out ok. Then I kept reading and was not getting intrigued as much as I had hoped. In fact, I can not remember much of what I did read up until the point that I put the book down. I thought it was just me and I was not in the right mood for this book so I walked away from it for a while. I came back to it and tried it again. Nope it was not really me. It was the book. While I did see promise in it. The book just felt stiff. It does not have a lot of moving, action parts. Which I would expect from a spy story. The author more just was writing a story about the history of China. Which was fascinating but to a point. Plus, neither past or present was exciting. None of the characters were memorable.