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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This was recommended to me years ago, and it wasn't until I found a copy that I realized it was a memoir. I'd thought it was fiction. After reading and listening to a professor lecture on the book, it turns out my confusion is justified. Kingston bends genre, alternating sections about her family life growing up in California with Chinese folklore that she fictionally plays a part in. Her publishers have categorized it as fiction and autobiography over the decades since its initial publication.
I'm glad I read this, although it wasn't the easiest thing to read in short spurts at the airport and on planes. It deserved more careful attention.
I'm glad I read this, although it wasn't the easiest thing to read in short spurts at the airport and on planes. It deserved more careful attention.
DNF a 32%
j’avais grave des attentes en commençant ce livre mais le style de narration ne m’a pas du tout plu, j’ai fini par lâcher
j’avais grave des attentes en commençant ce livre mais le style de narration ne m’a pas du tout plu, j’ai fini par lâcher
Partial read for American Lit 1945-present with Dr. Ortega, Spring 2020.
A little confusing, but mainly because I'm not used to a lot of the culture within.
My wife is a quarter Chinese, and there were some aspects that helped me understand her upbringing a bit better.
However, on the whole, this was just not a book that I enjoyed or really understood.
My wife is a quarter Chinese, and there were some aspects that helped me understand her upbringing a bit better.
However, on the whole, this was just not a book that I enjoyed or really understood.
reflective
slow-paced
Intense telling of a life through the eyes of a child. It's sometimes hard to discern between real life and imagination, thereby serving as a reminder of the immense responsibility of child guardians, and the impressionable nature of children. I think the author sums it up perfectly on page 205: "I continue to sort out what's just my childhood, just my imagination, just my family, just the village, just movies, just living."
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Such an original approach to a memoir. I loved the intertwining of Chinese legends with the real lives of the author's family.
I really enjoy how Kingston works through her memories and her struggles to understand her family, her culture, and herself. I'm admittedly still figuring out some themes and what some of the symbols mean, but I like what the book says about finding one's voice and about the strength one can find in loneliness. Furthermore, it's an enlightening look at the experience of immigrants in the US.