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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
This didn’t have the visceral effect on me that The Woman Warrior did - it took me longer to get into and was less engrossing because of how it jumps around between characters and time periods. That said, still an absolutely masterful book, unlike anything else I’ve read. Lyrical and so vivid in parts it was like reading a film.
Hmm. Reading this was an interesting and complicated experience for me, like buying a variety box of herbal teas and trying out the flavors one at a time, finding some that you really love, some that you're ambivalent about, some that you don't particularly dig but manage to drain the cup in one gulp anyway because you know they're good for your health.
On one hand, I can see the richness of this book, with the intricate narratives, excellent characterization of male figures, clever storytelling techniques and so on, I can't say the same for the way everything is presented. I'm not sure how to explain this - it sounds like I'm not fond of Kingston's writing style, but I actually do enjoy her prose to some extent. Perhaps it's because throughout the collection she uses the same writing style? It would've been fine if there was a coherent storyline that focused on certain characters because in that case, a consistent narrative voice would add to the immersion and all that jazz. But here, Kingston recounts a lot of different stories in the same narrative voice (even with the erratic POV changes), spends a little too much time on nitty-gritty details, and personally, I was thoroughly bored. On the other hand, as I've prefaced above, I do get why this book has been receiving the amount of attention that it does. It tackles numerous immigration issues, explores the psychology of "China Men" and paints vivid pictures of Chinese families within various historical settings with (somewhat suffocating) meticulousness, and to be very honest, I love the passive aggressive mockery of Robinson Crusoe and the short anecdotes in between longer chapters. So all in all, it was reading experience full of conflicted feelings for me, but I definitely wouldn't mark this as a poor book and would recommend everyone to give it a try to see if it's your cup of tea.
On one hand, I can see the richness of this book, with the intricate narratives, excellent characterization of male figures, clever storytelling techniques and so on, I can't say the same for the way everything is presented. I'm not sure how to explain this - it sounds like I'm not fond of Kingston's writing style, but I actually do enjoy her prose to some extent. Perhaps it's because throughout the collection she uses the same writing style? It would've been fine if there was a coherent storyline that focused on certain characters because in that case, a consistent narrative voice would add to the immersion and all that jazz. But here, Kingston recounts a lot of different stories in the same narrative voice (even with the erratic POV changes), spends a little too much time on nitty-gritty details, and personally, I was thoroughly bored. On the other hand, as I've prefaced above, I do get why this book has been receiving the amount of attention that it does. It tackles numerous immigration issues, explores the psychology of "China Men" and paints vivid pictures of Chinese families within various historical settings with (somewhat suffocating) meticulousness, and to be very honest, I love the passive aggressive mockery of Robinson Crusoe and the short anecdotes in between longer chapters. So all in all, it was reading experience full of conflicted feelings for me, but I definitely wouldn't mark this as a poor book and would recommend everyone to give it a try to see if it's your cup of tea.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was very interesting to read. As a memoir, it was great to be able to see into the author and her family's life. I had to read this book for one of my college courses and it has been very eye-opening to see what these people had to go through, not through the history books, the laws, or even the movies that have come out about the Chinese Americans. This very honest representation of their lives was well written and full of information. There were many things that I had learned differently or, in some cases, didn't even learn in my classes until now. It was all just swept under the rug by the writers of history
This book is set up with short vignettes that break up six other stories of, mainly, the men in Maxine Hong Kingston's family. It shows the struggle of Chinese-Americans in their immigration and their becoming American citizens when they first got here. The story touches a lot on the racism that they encountered as well. When there were stereotypes, Kingston was able to spin them to give them a sort of double-consciousness. There was the negative stereotyped version, then there was also the positive version.
This was a very interesting, and eye-opening book. If you want to learn more about the Chinese American history, pick this book up.
This book is set up with short vignettes that break up six other stories of, mainly, the men in Maxine Hong Kingston's family. It shows the struggle of Chinese-Americans in their immigration and their becoming American citizens when they first got here. The story touches a lot on the racism that they encountered as well. When there were stereotypes, Kingston was able to spin them to give them a sort of double-consciousness. There was the negative stereotyped version, then there was also the positive version.
This was a very interesting, and eye-opening book. If you want to learn more about the Chinese American history, pick this book up.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I used to think I loved California, but I didn't know California. Unless you learn about the Chinese blood that was spilled building this state, and the lives that help form its foundation, you can never know California. Kingston opened my eyes to a history of dreams and exploitation and myth that have changed how I see contemporary Chinese Americans and California. Highly recommended.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Closer to a 2.5.
This book is extraordinarily inconsistent in its pacing, level of detail and tone. It also struggles with being more grounded in reality than the The Woman Warrior which means that you lose a lot of the beautiful descriptions and unreliable narrator aspects that made the first memoir so compelling.
This book is extraordinarily inconsistent in its pacing, level of detail and tone. It also struggles with being more grounded in reality than the The Woman Warrior which means that you lose a lot of the beautiful descriptions and unreliable narrator aspects that made the first memoir so compelling.
I really enjoyed this book, even more than Woman Warrior because it included so many stories about California history and I felt like the narrative was more coherent.