Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

57 reviews

jemg99's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A beautiful and moving history of Vietnam told by a grandmother and her granddaughter. This is an astonishing feat of a book that encompasses so much of Vietnam’s recent history, while keeping a beating heart of love and hope amidst the atrocities laid out in their story. I really felt as though I became a part of the Tran family and their history. I think this novel particularly struck a chord as I began reading it on my trip to Vietnam. It was an informative and soulful book that enriched my visit. I would highly recommend, particularly if you are interested in Vietnamese history or are planning a holiday there. But, ultimately, this book should be essential reading for all. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, War, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, Murder, Death, and Addiction

rachel101's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Violence, and War

isleofwoman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring relaxing 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, Death, Murder, and Cancer

Moderate: Abortion, Rape, and Miscarriage

michimiya's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Blood, War, Murder, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, and Abandonment

Minor: Vomit, Terminal illness, Suicide, and Rape

sehenry20's review against another edition

challenging sad tense slow-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Alcoholism, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Child death, and Racial slurs

savvylit's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

The Mountains Sing is a story of resilience and boundless familial love. In 1975, we follow Huong and her grandmother Dieu Lan as they try to survive bombing and its aftermath in Hanoi. In 1955, we follow Dieu Lan through her early village life in Northern Vietnam in the face of the immense cruelty of the Communist government. Dieu Lan's life in both eras is almost unimaginably difficult. Yet she manages to cleverly and bravely persevere despite all challenges. More than anything, the driving force of Dieu Lan's strength - and this whole novel - is devotion. Devotion to her family is what consistently sustains Dieu Lan on even her darkest days.

What truly makes this novel shine is the personal tone of the entire story. Huong's recollections feel diaristic and Dieu Lan's story is entirely addressed to Huong. When Nguyen reveals in the acknowledgments that The Mountains Sing was directly inspired by the lives of her family members and friends' families, it came as no surprise to me.

The Mountains Sing is the first book that prolific author Nguyen Phan Que Mai ever wrote in English, her second language. I have seen a handful of criticism of this novel that states that the writing is too simple or repetitive. First of all, I challenge those reviewers to consider writing an entire narrative in a second language. Second of all, I think that the bittersweet beauty and strength of this story overrides any supposed less-sophisticated diction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, War, Sexual violence, Murder, Grief, Death, Violence, and Death of parent

b_harrington's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-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? No

5.0

Loved it. So sad, so emotional, but it was also beautifully written and still hopeful/ uplifting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, War, Violence, Genocide, Misogyny, Abortion, Death, Rape, Grief, Colonisation, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, and Torture

jacq92s's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of the most incredible books that I've ever read. 

Que Mai's intuitive style of writing made me feel truly part of Huong, her grandmother's and their family's world of Viet Nam, as they experienced first-hand the exceptional trauma of the Great Hunger, Land Reform and the Vietnam war.

Everything from their visceral emotions and heartache arising from these cruel conflicts, to their moments of appreciation of nature, familial closeness and belonging - I truly felt like I journeyed along with them. 

Que Mai also skilfully wove in how the family, sooner or later, had to wrestle with the realities of clashing ideologies, affiliations and temperaments, from where the conflicts had originated. The nuances of this played out through the novel, illustrating the complex, uphill battle towards reconciliation and the preciousness of peace, especially for families.

From a personal perspective, the novel both enriched my knowledge of Vietnamese culture and history (which was shamefully minimal before!), and caused me to consider some of the subtle maxims in my own culture, with its socialist undertones.

Quotes
"Squatting on the ground, I wrote for an uncle I'd been robbed of, who was leaf pushed away from its tree, but at its last moment still struggled to fall back to its roots. I wrote for Grandma, who'd hoped for the fire of war to be extinguished, only for its embers to keep burning her. I wrote for my uncles, my aunt, and my parents, who were helpless in the fight of brother against brother, and whose war went on, regardless of whether they were alive, or dead."

"I used to believe that blood will tell, but blood evolves and can change, too. Young people can't be blamed for what their ancestors did"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Physical abuse, and Grief

moniipeters's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Abortion, Ableism, Addiction, Blood, Grief, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Child death, Gore, Kidnapping, and War

greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a spectacular book. Its lyrical and breathtaking and sweeping in scope. It taught me I know nothing about the Viet Nam war. It's got all of the depth and sprawl of books like 'Pachinko' and 'Peach Blossom Spring' and the epic staying power of novels like 'Homegoing' and 'Infinite Country' and everything Khaled Hosseini has ever written. It was riveting and searing. 

It could also be frustrating; despite how much I loved the book, I often felt like the characters were almost too naïve deliberately so the author could use them as a mouthpiece for philosophical arguments; i.e. Huong being 15 and not understanding what rape is so that the book can make the argument that no one should be shamed for violence inflicted upon them. There were other instances of this that tested believability, but for me it didn't drag down the impact of the novel. I'd recommend this to anyone and it will have a permanent place on my bookshelf and rotation of revered books. 

I will say that I almost, almost knocked this down one star because I thought it was so unbelievably stupid that Tam's grandfather was Wicked Ghost. That was too much for me, too 'connected', and even though it resolved well, I hated it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Cancer, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, and War