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drinkthefloor's review
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
as a second generation child of chinese immigrants who also came to the uk to do phds, i could feel the narrator’s displacement very deeply, especially culturally. i thought it was funny how much she generalised white people and how much she didn’t understand their customs and the way she generalised her own people as being the normal peasants. the dude (you) was condescending but also an uprooted immigrant but a white one.
i think it’s interesting how i read two books with brexit as a backdrop in a row. the structure of the novel was my favourite part though. i liked the disembodied mundanity of the plotless story, just following them through the development of their relationship. i don’t know if i would call it love, but they make it work somehow. a good sign of me enjoying a book is how much i annotate it.
here are some highlights: ‘upbeat communist concepts’
‘vitality of eastern life’
‘this chinese worker loved red too much’
‘another empty term from another “expert”. it sounded like a glorified compost heap’
‘eat through my money as well as chew on my occasionally heavy thoughts’
‘trübSELIG’
‘someone neither from a european background nor interested in analysing anything from a western point of view’
i think it’s interesting how i read two books with brexit as a backdrop in a row. the structure of the novel was my favourite part though. i liked the disembodied mundanity of the plotless story, just following them through the development of their relationship. i don’t know if i would call it love, but they make it work somehow. a good sign of me enjoying a book is how much i annotate it.
here are some highlights: ‘upbeat communist concepts’
‘vitality of eastern life’
‘this chinese worker loved red too much’
‘another empty term from another “expert”. it sounded like a glorified compost heap’
‘eat through my money as well as chew on my occasionally heavy thoughts’
‘trübSELIG’
‘someone neither from a european background nor interested in analysing anything from a western point of view’
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
vl_411's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It reads like a diary of a couple who don't communicates what they want, starting their nuclear family
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Minor: Death of parent
tumblers_of_vodka's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, and Medical content
readwithchar's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer, Abortion, and Grief
Minor: Pedophilia
hanfaulder's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I have mixed feelings about this book, as it took a while for me to get into it. The middle section of this book is great; insightful, and full of little gems - brilliant lines are scattered about the text which either made me laugh out-loud for their dryness and sarcasm, or because they were very thoughtful and provided a new perspective for me to consider, chew on. However, I feel that the book lost its footing again at the end. It starts slow, then peaks in the middle, before dipping back down. The book takes it's name from Barthes' "A Lover's Discourse: Fragments" and it is written in almost poetic, fragmental stanza. Split into eight sections, each of which are filled with 1-3 page entries, A Lover's Discourse is very easy to read, and I enjoyed Xiaolu Guo's sharp writing style (this book has made me want to read some of her other work to see if I might like it better). The fragments with which the book is compiled explore certain interactions, either from the past or the present, and the conversations had by the characters within them.
The plot follows two unnamed characters, a Chinese woman who moved to Britain just before the Brexit referendum to pursue a PhD in anthropology, and the German/Australian/English man whom she starts a romantic relationship with. The story follows their relationship over the course of a few years, as it develops and grows. However, this relationship is not really the centre of the narrative. It is a device by which the main character, the Chinese woman from who's perspective we view the world, explores themes of belonging, growing up and into a new chapter of life, as well as the nature of reproduction and the meaning of art. These themes are partially explored through the conversations between these two lovers - who talk about landscape, art, literature and life, and whom never seem to agree on anything - however, I felt that the counterpart to the main character, the European Man, was a little vacant. I did not care so much for their relationship itself; but what I found interesting was the way the Chinese woman thought of the relationship, described it and analysed it, and how we came to learn more about her character through her correlation to it.
Ultimately, I would say this book is about connection. It explores the spaces between people, how we can close those gaps or decide to let go and drift away, and ultimately it's also about the search for home: to find the place where you belong, as understood through the perspective of an immagrant. The world has changed quite a lot since the time in which this book is set, and so the themes did not hit quite as hard as they may have done before, however there were still plenty of thoughtful, interesting concepts explored in A Lover's Discourse. I would recommend this book if you're looking for something easy to read, that you can devour in one or two sittings, and that may spark some kind of discussion in your head but nothing too heavy.
The plot follows two unnamed characters, a Chinese woman who moved to Britain just before the Brexit referendum to pursue a PhD in anthropology, and the German/Australian/English man whom she starts a romantic relationship with. The story follows their relationship over the course of a few years, as it develops and grows. However, this relationship is not really the centre of the narrative. It is a device by which the main character, the Chinese woman from who's perspective we view the world, explores themes of belonging, growing up and into a new chapter of life, as well as the nature of reproduction and the meaning of art. These themes are partially explored through the conversations between these two lovers - who talk about landscape, art, literature and life, and whom never seem to agree on anything - however, I felt that the counterpart to the main character, the European Man, was a little vacant. I did not care so much for their relationship itself; but what I found interesting was the way the Chinese woman thought of the relationship, described it and analysed it, and how we came to learn more about her character through her correlation to it.
Ultimately, I would say this book is about connection. It explores the spaces between people, how we can close those gaps or decide to let go and drift away, and ultimately it's also about the search for home: to find the place where you belong, as understood through the perspective of an immagrant. The world has changed quite a lot since the time in which this book is set, and so the themes did not hit quite as hard as they may have done before, however there were still plenty of thoughtful, interesting concepts explored in A Lover's Discourse. I would recommend this book if you're looking for something easy to read, that you can devour in one or two sittings, and that may spark some kind of discussion in your head but nothing too heavy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Sexual content
syllareads's review
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion
coffeebreath27's review
informative
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
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