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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Polly is an undocumented immigrant living in New York City. The mother of a 6-year-old boy, she struggles to make ends meet by working for meager wages at a mediocre nail salon. Then one day, she simply disappears. This is one of the most touching (and fairly convoluted) family stories I’ve run across. It would make a fantastic book club read. Wonderful book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I feel kind of bad saying that this book fell flat for me, but it definitely did. I'll definitely say that the parts narrated by Peilan were sad and dark and riveting, but unfortunately the other 75% was clumsy and slow. The characters were poorly developed; it felt like everyone was a carbon copy of an imperfect but well-meaning person just doing their best. I've read better narratives about identity and immigration. And the "just be yourself, to hell with the American dream!" narrative is trite. I wanted to love it!!
I enjoyed The Leavers, an immigrant’s story, very much. I think this was particularly poignant because it captured so many ways that collateral damage occurs around immigration: children sent back and forth between countries, crushing debt to fixers as part of one’s basic existence, shutting oneself off from basic human emotional experiences for fear of connecting and then being ripped apart, even the pain of WASP parents who truly want to do right by their adopted children. How hard it is to truly heal from these traumas, and how people soldier on. It is a first novel, and it is a bit uneven, but it is not just any old immigrant experience novel, and I savored it.
The Leavers was so good. Heartwrenching and gut wrenching from beginning to end.
It will also make anyone who loves New York City feel incredibly nostalgic.
It will also make anyone who loves New York City feel incredibly nostalgic.
It took me forever to finish this book. It was written well but don't see anything extra ordinary about it.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i had no idea how this book could possibly come to a neat ending, but the conclusion was so, so satisfying
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
An undocumented immigrant arrives in NY, pregnant and indebt to smugglers. The story succeeds both in terms of the immigrant experience and as an exploration of what it means to be a mother.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes