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lynnenad's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I sincerely regret wasting my time with this book. There was some interesting Chinese history. The writer has a competent command of the language. There is nothing else good to say. Complete claptrap. Sex. Lust. Juvenile emotions in adult people.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
(I have no notes on this book ... but I've since read another book by this author, and really like her work)
lizziebb's review against another edition
4.0
the main character in this book is really charming and different, and I enjoyed the glimpses of both ancient and modern Chinese culture.
marie_gg's review against another edition
4.0
American woman living in China and working as interpreter--gets involved in an archeological expedition to find Peking Man--great read!
clemmi's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this, although found it lost its momentum at times. But some beautifully crafted parallel stories of love and loss.
marilynsaul's review against another edition
2.0
I had great expectations about this book. What's not to like? A young woman wanting to assimilate in a foreign country because she wants to be part of a "family" - I can relate to that. An archaeologist searching for the remains of the Peking Man? Sounds intriguing even though I know the ending. What I got instead was a privileged American girl (could not by any stretch of the imagination be called a woman because she lacked all nature of maturity), who hates her racist, Congressman father. Oh, no, wait, now she LOVES him - oh yeah, he IS still supporting her, despite her being in her 30s. Without giving anything away, we are treated to long passages of utter angst about her father, passages that I swear the author just copied and inserted every 10 pages or so. Then there's the archaeologist, who is really just an armchair archaeologist, a failure among his peers, who has terrible angst about his son who now lives with the archaeologist's estranged wife. Then there's the Chinese Upper Paleolithic scholar who has no compunction at gouging out bags and bags of lithics from ash seams in trenches or out of cave walls or ceilings - who the hell cares about provenance??? Well, at least he hasn't any angst. Then there's the sweet, mystical Peking-Man-expert, who, you got it, is in terrible angst over his wife who disappeared 22 years ago during the cultural revolution, and who, at the same time is the new love interest of the girl who wants to marry a Chinese man so she will be Chinese. Aaaarrrgh! I gave it one star over "I did not like it" because of the scarce tidbits of Chinese local customs and folklore. Overall, this book was a stunning disappointment.
reasie's review against another edition
4.0
The journey of the Other in an exotic culture is a common theme of fantasy novels, so is the search for a lost artifact. This book combines both of these tropes in a more real, authentic way.
Okay, maybe it's not fair to fantasy novels - after all, this is a novel set in the real world. But still! Mones doesn't pull any punches in her nuanced exploration of an American's view of China, bigotry, and men, in a search simultaneously for a lost human ancestor, meaning, and love. I was gripped. I really couldn't put it down. Every character has his own story - even the corrupt government officials or the street grifter who drift in and out of the narrative.
Okay, maybe it's not fair to fantasy novels - after all, this is a novel set in the real world. But still! Mones doesn't pull any punches in her nuanced exploration of an American's view of China, bigotry, and men, in a search simultaneously for a lost human ancestor, meaning, and love. I was gripped. I really couldn't put it down. Every character has his own story - even the corrupt government officials or the street grifter who drift in and out of the narrative.