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celtic_oracle's review
3.0
Fred Wah's stories of his childhood growing up as the son of a "Canadian-born Chinese-Scots-Irishman raised in China" and a Swedish-born Canadian from Swift Current. Wah's father ran the Diamond Grill, and it provides the setting for most of the vignettes in the book.
Fred Wah is a poet, and often incorporates prose poetry into his vignettes - sometimes the device works, and sometimes it ends up detracting from the story. Either way, this is a quick and enjoyable read that deals with questions of race and identity, as well as the simple things that make life worthwhile - like good food.
Fred Wah is a poet, and often incorporates prose poetry into his vignettes - sometimes the device works, and sometimes it ends up detracting from the story. Either way, this is a quick and enjoyable read that deals with questions of race and identity, as well as the simple things that make life worthwhile - like good food.
katekree's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? No
3.0
sochamilk's review against another edition
4.0
i understood like 20% of this book but that 20% was amazing
sonyaamaa's review against another edition
5.0
there’s so much i can say, but i’ll definitely keep more of fred wah
zanedeyoung's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.5
rachelsweeney's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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? It's complicated
2.5
dessa's review against another edition
4.0
Back at the novels for comps, and this one was a good way to get back into it. Witty, sharp, tragic so deeply that you almost can’t see it running underneath the surface of the glittering water. Suggested companion reading: Kogawa’s Obasan, Thúy’s Ru.
rebecca_nielsen's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
chukg's review against another edition
5.0
Very well done, mostly autobiographical/family history. Lots of excellent detail about growing up in a small town BC restaurant as a racially mixed kid/teen, not very much about his adulthood but includes his parents and a bit about his grandparents -- it skips in time a lot. Very short chapters, some of them are almost like stream of consciousness poetry.
careinthelibrary's review
4.0
A true piece of Canadian classic literature. The story was second to the fantastic writing by Fred Wah, a true poet for the ages. Part poem, biography, recipe book, history lesson, protest, Diamond Grill demands to be heard