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sehenry20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Alcoholism, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Child death, and Racial slurs
thomasdj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence and Mental illness
Minor: Xenophobia
feralbookwife's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Blood, Sexual violence, Cancer, Alcoholism, Abandonment, War, Death, Grief, Colonisation, Abortion, Violence, Torture, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Drug use, and Child death
Moderate: Sexism, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Xenophobia
ok7a's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, War, Xenophobia, Murder, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, and Cancer
Minor: Vomit, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Abortion, and Death of parent
ktrecs's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
But by the 50% mark, I was hooked. I have trouble DNFing books and books like this are exactly why. Had I decided to set this book aside I'd have missed the growth and nuance in the later half. All throughout, the prose is alternatively lush and crushing, evocative and tender. Each scene is built with such precision and care. Each generation of the Tran family is weaved carefully into the structure of the novel, part epistolary, part oral tradition, stories upon stories, realistic and compelling. As Hương ages and time inexorably moves forward, the tale becomes more intimate somehow. The poetic close of the novel drew its themes together perfectly, leaving us with a vision of hope and peace even throughout the dark events laid out in the past. The intimacy of it brings the personal into the political in an unforgettable way.
Nguyen Phan Que Mai's voice is clear, profound and powerful, and I will certainly look forward to encountering it again.
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts