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n0niim's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book! I loved the story and it's beautifully written. It's been quite a while since I've read a book where I kept wanting to mark passages. Go read this if you haven't yet!
merianniina's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
esnupi's review against another edition
5.0
I feel any comment I could make would be too superficial. Sometimes, the feeling of a book lingers once you've shut it. This is one of those.
amjammi's review against another edition
4.0
Best when listening to Glenn Gould's recordings of the Goldberg Variations.
s__tu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
coffeemybook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Can’t resonate with the music aspect of the book (Bach etc) but definitely a good read for those who can.
lara_aadelis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I find it hard to rate this book. It’s an undeniable emotional story, yet jumbled around so much I had a hard time following the track of this story. Might be, I will rate this book higher as time moves on, but for now I am mostly left confused.
dellaposta's review against another edition
5.0
I found this epic novel following two families over several generations in 20th century China to be challenging, beautiful, and moving. Music, language, memory, and the reverberations of time and history are at the novel's thematic core. The narrative loops back and forth; chapters count up and then down; lost voices and old notes return like musical refrains with beautiful and haunting effect. The greatest strength of the novel is the detail with which Thien constructs her characters and seamlessly traces the relationships between their complex inner lives and the era of political and social upheaval they inhabit.