Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

25 reviews

bisexualbookshelf's review

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

In her stunning debut novel, C Pam Zhang delves deep into the heart of intergenerational trauma and the intricate tapestry of immigrant experience against the backdrop of the American West's twilight during the gold rush era. How Much of These Hills Is Gold is a poignant exploration of loss, identity, and the quest for belonging.

The narrative follows Lucy and Sam, two orphaned siblings navigating a harsh and unforgiving landscape in search of a place to call home after the death of their father. Zhang's prose is as raw and unyielding as the wilderness through which Lucy and Sam traverse, echoing the emotional terrain they must navigate.

One of the most striking aspects of Zhang's storytelling is her portrayal of the immigrant experience and the toll it takes on individuals and families. Through Lucy and Sam's journey, she skillfully unpacks the complexities of identity, the struggle for survival, and the sacrifices made in the pursuit of a better life.

Zhang's exploration of masculinity, particularly through the lens of immigrant and marginalized communities, is both nuanced and revelatory. She challenges traditional notions of masculinity, exposing its often violent manifestations while also highlighting its capacity for tenderness and resilience.

The novel's thematic breadth is vast, touching upon issues of environmental justice, colonialism, and the legacy of exploitation that continues to haunt the American landscape. Zhang's prose is imbued with a deep reverence for the land and its mysteries, underscoring the interconnectedness of nature and humanity.

This book is not merely a story; it is a meditation on memory, belonging, and the enduring bonds of family. Zhang's narrative unfolds with the grace of a myth, weaving together Chinese symbolism and reimagined history to create a haunting and unforgettable tale.

How Much of These Hills Is Gold is a masterpiece that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned. It is a work of profound beauty and depth, offering readers a glimpse into characters grappling with the weight of their pasts and the promise of an uncertain future. This is another must-read recommendation for my diverse lit-fic lovers and anyone seeking a poignant exploration of the immigrant experience in America.

📖 Recommend For: Advocates of Environmental Justice, Explorers of Intersectional Identity, Critics of Capitalist Exploitation, Fans of Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.

🔑 Key Themes: Intergenerational Trauma, Immigrant Experience, Gender Identity Exploration, Cultural Displacement, Family Bonds, Environmental Exploitation, Colonial Legacy, the Myth of the American Dream.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, Gore, and Alcoholism

Minor: Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Child death, Bullying, and Animal cruelty

The child death content warning is specifically in regards to a stillbirth.

mighty_lizard_queen's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

A cross of As I Lay Dying and Grapes of Wrath

The book is very good for the first part, but once the father is buried I think it lost its way a little bit. I suppose the father was supposed to be redeemed but I didn't buy it. The ending was also unsatisfying and felt disconnected to the earlier parts of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Deadnaming, Grief, Trafficking, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Bullying, Blood, Outing, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Sexism, Racism, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death of parent, Classism, Physical abuse, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Gun violence

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Violence, Colonisation, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, and Rape

ash_ton's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

read this for LGBTQ+ book club :) it was pretty good! i'm longing for more from the ending though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Death, Hate crime, Addiction, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Violence, Alcoholism, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Child abuse, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, and Physical abuse

Minor: Bullying, Animal death, Child death, Vomit, and Animal cruelty

miscarriage is a stillborn baby

jialianyang's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

A moving, gritty odyssey of two Chinese American children during the gold rush era. They reflect on the question of 'what is home' as they fight in different ways for survival after their parent's death/ losses in a hostile society where everyone wants riches and will do violence to secure it. This story is wild, made with flesh blood and bone, dusty, muddy and captivating as gold and flowers in the hills of California. It is poetry in story, a confessional, an obituary, a wish, a dream. Read only if you are prepared to be haunted by truths and lies, ghosts, gender, beasts human and animal, fear and desire, hope and hopelessness. Nothing is clean in this book, yet there is beauty.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Death, Eating disorder, Blood, Excrement, Racism, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Gun violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

cerilouisereads's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Blood, and Death of parent

lorenag5's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Grief

erinmcav's review

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse and Transphobia

Minor: Sexual assault

mo13's review

emotional sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Death

Moderate: Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Racial slurs

kaneebli's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

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

2.5

very depressing and upsetting historical fiction western that almost ends with a bittersweet, hopeful ending

but at the last second, Lucy decides to sell herself into sexual slavery in order to pay off some wealth-hoarding bastards that Sam stole gold from. and then when she finally gets out of the forced prostitution (after an indeterminate amount of time) Lucy decides to not follow Sam across the ocean after all. and I guess she just stays in the California desert with no friends or family.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Colonisation, Grief, Sexism, Death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Child death, Animal death, Trafficking, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

Minor: Emotional abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Sexual assault, and Genocide