Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up expecting science fiction, but I think literary fiction is a more apt description of the genre.
This book was slow-paced and meandering, and often the language was beautiful in a way that made me take a breath. I felt very much outside the story though; while it was gorgeous writing, I wouldn’t have said that I felt a deep connection to the plot. It felt more like a series of dialogues than a story. I was still surprisingly connected to the characters. If you had asked whether I felt very emotionally attached to any of them I would have said no, but the ending was deeply moving and I cried.
Overall, I don’t know anyone in my life who I’d recommend it to and I honestly don’t think I’m ever going to read it again, but I’ll remember this one for a while and I will keep my eye out for further books from Hao Jingfang.
This book was slow-paced and meandering, and often the language was beautiful in a way that made me take a breath. I felt very much outside the story though; while it was gorgeous writing, I wouldn’t have said that I felt a deep connection to the plot. It felt more like a series of dialogues than a story. I was still surprisingly connected to the characters. If you had asked whether I felt very emotionally attached to any of them I would have said no, but the ending was deeply moving and I cried.
Overall, I don’t know anyone in my life who I’d recommend it to and I honestly don’t think I’m ever going to read it again, but I’ll remember this one for a while and I will keep my eye out for further books from Hao Jingfang.
(Dnf, 33%) This book just explains socialism vs capitalism with way too many info dumps. The characters seem interesting at first sight but we only learn about what happened in their past and nothing happens to them while the story is told. The writing was quite beautiful though.
This book was not fast-paced but it covered a lot of ground. It was like "Red Mars" meets "The Dispossessed." I liked the way the ensemble cast represented a lot of the issues at stake. The pacing felt a little strange at times - the narration lingered on details and then sometimes rushed through or entirely passed by scenes of action, moving on to the next thing - but it wasn't necessarily unpleasant, just different than I would expect.
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed the philosophical back and forth in this book, it was a very cerebral sci-fi book. I did notice that pretty much all of the female characters were in the arts and the males were engineers, doctors, pilots, politicians. There were no female politicians specifically. Once I noticed this I started to enjoy the book slightly less.
In something of a reading slump and not in the mood for this one; I will give it another try in future.
3.5 rounded up. A dreamy successor to The Dispossessed with the added lens of a Chinese author
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes