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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
This was an absolutely stunning read. I’m not sure that I understood all of it but that didn’t detract from my experience. This is philosophical and heady without being inaccessible. The way she layers memory, both personal and collective, with history and time was so masterful. Really beautiful read.
I have so much respect for Madeleine Thien and this book, which does the hard work of grappling with ethics, philosophy, history, and human interactions big and small. Some threads are more compelling than others (does she like Hannah best?) and the enunciation of big ideas was maybe too frequent. Overall, I didn't feel much emotional investment in the story but I'm glad I read it and I'd say it's impressive.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
slow-paced
I found the story too meandering and jagged, hard to follow and feel invested in any of the characters. Lacking any plot.
Lina lives with her ailing father in a housing complex called The Sea. She's escaped with three books, one about the poet Du Fu, one Baruch Spinoza and the last Hannah Arendt. Lina reads them over and over, and they become even more interesting when she connects them to a trio that lives behind a secret door.
There's a lot going on in this book. It is beautifully written and weaves historical facts of Du Fu, Spinoza and Arendt along with fictionalized stories of their journeys. There's past, present and the future of humankind considered here.
It is beautifully written; so many sentences can stand alone. For example, at one point Wei says to LIna, "It’s not that a listener forgets, but that the one who survives to tell the story is always addressing a changed world."
I listened to this one on audio. I would recommend with all the moving parts and the deep thinking that accompanies this read that a hard copy would've been better. I think with the next reading. I'm fairly certain I would score higher but I also wonder if it's the story or the listener (and time of year trying to access as an educator) that made me have to re-listen to several sections, in fact start over after getting in several hours
There's a lot going on in this book. It is beautifully written and weaves historical facts of Du Fu, Spinoza and Arendt along with fictionalized stories of their journeys. There's past, present and the future of humankind considered here.
It is beautifully written; so many sentences can stand alone. For example, at one point Wei says to LIna, "It’s not that a listener forgets, but that the one who survives to tell the story is always addressing a changed world."
I listened to this one on audio. I would recommend with all the moving parts and the deep thinking that accompanies this read that a hard copy would've been better. I think with the next reading. I'm fairly certain I would score higher but I also wonder if it's the story or the listener (and time of year trying to access as an educator) that made me have to re-listen to several sections, in fact start over after getting in several hours
