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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I recall reading an excerpt from this in high school. The memory of its intensity lead me to seek it out again.
Myths, legends, and ghosts entwine with daily life in Kingston's The Warrior Woman. By reimagining her family history and painful childhood through the lens of Chinese legends, Kingston captures the intense familial and filial ties as well as the weight of culture and history. Sometimes those bonds buoy her characters up and other times they sink people to the bottom of the well.
Myths, legends, and ghosts entwine with daily life in Kingston's The Warrior Woman. By reimagining her family history and painful childhood through the lens of Chinese legends, Kingston captures the intense familial and filial ties as well as the weight of culture and history. Sometimes those bonds buoy her characters up and other times they sink people to the bottom of the well.
I really loved this book. It felt so personal (as memoirs ought to be) and truly intimate. The way Kingston weaves her experiences with those of her immigrant family is truly masterful. It was easy to read while still being engaging. Would recommend to anyone wanting to get a glimpse into the Chinese-American experience, and the uncomfortable space of culture-blending.
The book was very different than what I thought it would be like. It was very much like reading half Chinese jumbled folklore and half the story of a young girl and her struggle with identity and understanding two very different cultures. It's not something I would have picked up on my own to read but I found value in the story none the less. I'm not sure if i'd recommend this to anyone, mostly because I wouldn't know who to recommend it to.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
I don't even know what to do with this book. Parts of it are so engaging and well-written, but the whole book is strung together awkwardly, like a bad first draft. It's not terribly accurate to call it a memoir, as it's as much (if not more) fiction than fact, and even the true stories are as often from her mother's perspective as her own. And those stories appear to be completely fabricated because they're based on incidents her mother wouldn't tell her anything about. It's bizarre to have a vivid, detailed story about her mother and her aunt (which she did not witness and therefore essentially invented), followed by a story that is actually from her own life where she keeps saying, "I can't remember why we did this..." or "maybe I'm misremembering this..." Why write a made-up story about your mother so confidently and then be so hesitant when sharing a story about your own life?
The book jumps around from present to past and transitions strangely between topics, and the author doesn't know how to write endings. There's a whole story about her aunt confronting her uncle about deserting her and remarrying, and then it ends with Kingston's mother telling her children never to let their father remarry, followed by, "Brave Orchid’s daughters decided fiercely that they would never let men be unfaithful to them. All her children made up their minds to major in science or mathematics." And the chapter ends! It's so weird.
It's a shame that this book isn't better, because Kingston is clearly a gifted writer in many ways, such as in the lengthy fictional story she goes into about getting trained by some old people to become a warrior. I would read a novel by her, but as a memoir, this book is just a mess.
The book jumps around from present to past and transitions strangely between topics, and the author doesn't know how to write endings. There's a whole story about her aunt confronting her uncle about deserting her and remarrying, and then it ends with Kingston's mother telling her children never to let their father remarry, followed by, "Brave Orchid’s daughters decided fiercely that they would never let men be unfaithful to them. All her children made up their minds to major in science or mathematics." And the chapter ends! It's so weird.
It's a shame that this book isn't better, because Kingston is clearly a gifted writer in many ways, such as in the lengthy fictional story she goes into about getting trained by some old people to become a warrior. I would read a novel by her, but as a memoir, this book is just a mess.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
i really enjoyed this book! mysterious, sad, and darkly funny. i feel as though i don’t have enough historical and cultural knowledge to fully appreciate the woman warrior, but the way she portrays the hurts of growing up still got me with a jab.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced