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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Read for class, one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read. As someone not of Chinese heritage it offered me a little glimpse, like looking into a window, into growing up Chinese in the twentieth century. Maxine Hong Kingston is an amazing writer.
3.5, really. I had a difficult time picking this book up each time. It isn't a light read, by any means. But now, having finished it, I feel like I am richer for the experience. Kind of like a Toni Morrison book, but not as depressing.
Read for school and remember being less that impressed, though I don't remember why.
A personal connection to this book, as something supernatural happened to me while I was reading it.
I reread this for the first time since college and 20 years makes a big difference in the way this book affected me. I always loved the retelling of Fa Mulan, but there is so much more to this book than that. The story of The Unnamed Woman and Moon Lotus I don't remember at all. I'm very glad I reread it.
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This book really surprised me. I had to read it for a school assignment, and my teacher made it out to be some big scary literary monster that I would lose my head to. But I actually really enjoyed this one.
I thought Maxine Hong Kingston's writing style was going to be dense and confusing, but it was shockingly easy to understand, yet fun to read as well. This book is very well thought out and purposeful, and I was not bored once in this book. (Okay, she did go on and on a bit at one part, but I can overlook it in the grand scheme of things).
I absolutely loved how this book was organized. This book is a memoir, yet it's not just a simple recount of her life and childhood. It is an examination of her past, her family's past, and her culture's past. It even feels more like a series of essays or short stories rather than a biography. There are five chapters in this book, and each one of them can stand alone. Each chapter feels concise and unified in one idea she wants to convey, and then you move on to the next chapter and she somehow manages to build upon it without it being redundant. I think I really appreciate that she capped this book at 200 pages. It could have been so easy for her to make it twice as long and include many more details, but then it would have become repetitive and dull. She kept it very fresh by not slowing it down with over-description. I was especially loved Kingston's voice. She is so honest and blatant with her words. I especially loved her explanation of her teenage years. She does not write in a distinguished, educated, high-and-mighty voice; she writes with the brashness of a teenager.
And her topic!! I confess, my knowledge of Chinese history and culture is limited. But this book really opened my eyes and taught me so much. I was thoroughly interested and engaged in her rich culture and history, and I loved hearing about what a Chinese-American immigrant has to say about her parents' culture and generation. I also appreciated how feminist this book is. I rooted for Kingston the whole time, through all her struggles and injustices.
This book just made me feel so good! I mean, there were times where I wanted to cry from a sad part, or my mouth was open wide with shock, but I finished this book feeling really good about it. And I think that is the most important thing.
I thought Maxine Hong Kingston's writing style was going to be dense and confusing, but it was shockingly easy to understand, yet fun to read as well. This book is very well thought out and purposeful, and I was not bored once in this book. (Okay, she did go on and on a bit at one part, but I can overlook it in the grand scheme of things).
I absolutely loved how this book was organized. This book is a memoir, yet it's not just a simple recount of her life and childhood. It is an examination of her past, her family's past, and her culture's past. It even feels more like a series of essays or short stories rather than a biography. There are five chapters in this book, and each one of them can stand alone. Each chapter feels concise and unified in one idea she wants to convey, and then you move on to the next chapter and she somehow manages to build upon it without it being redundant. I think I really appreciate that she capped this book at 200 pages. It could have been so easy for her to make it twice as long and include many more details, but then it would have become repetitive and dull. She kept it very fresh by not slowing it down with over-description. I was especially loved Kingston's voice. She is so honest and blatant with her words. I especially loved her explanation of her teenage years. She does not write in a distinguished, educated, high-and-mighty voice; she writes with the brashness of a teenager.
And her topic!! I confess, my knowledge of Chinese history and culture is limited. But this book really opened my eyes and taught me so much. I was thoroughly interested and engaged in her rich culture and history, and I loved hearing about what a Chinese-American immigrant has to say about her parents' culture and generation. I also appreciated how feminist this book is. I rooted for Kingston the whole time, through all her struggles and injustices.
This book just made me feel so good! I mean, there were times where I wanted to cry from a sad part, or my mouth was open wide with shock, but I finished this book feeling really good about it. And I think that is the most important thing.