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samwein's review
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Racism
Moderate: Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence
kananineko's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Misogyny, Dysphoria, Grief, Trafficking, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Deadnaming, and Outing
lylawells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- The characters speak Mandarin. This makes virtually no sense for the time period: the language spoken by most Chinese people during the Californian gold rush was Cantonese. Even the title itself is an allusion to the Cantonese term for America that early Chinese immigrants would have used: "Gold Mountain." This isn't complex Chinese history... it's Wikipedia simple. I find it strange that this book, purportedly a testament to the experiences of the first Cantonese-speaking people in America... can't even seem to honor that. What I'm asking is: who is this book for? People who don't know the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin? That feels to me an immediate disservice to a very real history
- Speaking of very real history, C Pam Zhang lets us forget it's exactly that. With non-specific language and descriptors, this book feels dreamy, fable-like... sorry, but it's not effective in historical fiction. Hell, the parts are split up into time periods marked XX65 or XX43... we know that XX is 18... so why doesn't Zhang tell us? It's a useless aesthetic choice that detracts from so much history.
But you'll notice I gave it three stars! I didn't hate it! I thought it was a beautiful exploration of gender in the "wild west," a poignant story of siblings, and a tonally immaculate Western (despite the floaty language). I just feel it fails to be the historical fiction Zhang was attempting.
Moderate: Body horror
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Blood, and Death of parent
erikawynn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Death, Body horror, Transphobia, Racism, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
sarah984's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Trafficking, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death
Minor: Cannibalism, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Transphobia, and Rape