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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow, Tan Twan Eng has written a powerful, important novel. The main character Yun Ling is facing the impending loss of her memory as she ages and she realizes that the memories she's been suppressing - memories of her time in a Japanese work camp in Malaya during WWII and memories of her time post-war (during the Malayan Emergency) learning the art of setting stones from a Japanese gardener - will soon be gone forever. Realizing that these memories define her and realizing she would be lost without her memory, Yun Ling sets out to write down her memories and, in doing so, confronts her past, the hold it has over her in the present, and potential implications for her future. A beautifully written novel about war, love, grief, and the power of memory. I have no doubt this book will stay with me for quite some time...
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Newly retired judge with an illness tha threatens to take her memories and her comprehension of language away from her returns to the Malaysian highlands where she spent the years of her young adulthood, recovering from the horrors of Japanese war camps and coming to terms with her grief as she learns to create the garden her deceased elder sister had always dreamed of.
I thought the amount of relations she had that turned sexual was a bit excessive - not in number but in proportion (of all the men that aren't SIGNIFICANTLY older or related to her that we see her get close to in any way - which are also the only characters who arent significantly older/married that we see her get close to, the majority result in sexual and/or romantic relationships. It's not that there're too many, but some platonic relationships felt missing.)
I cried. Especially at the part talking about the Japanese kamikaze pilots - I won't say more because spoilers but I was sobbing on the subway.
The writing is also really beautiful.
Probably my favourite book of the year so far.
Changed from four to five starts because I still think about it now and then and find myself recommending it a lot.
I thought the amount of relations she had that turned sexual was a bit excessive - not in number but in proportion (of all the men that aren't SIGNIFICANTLY older or related to her that we see her get close to in any way - which are also the only characters who arent significantly older/married that we see her get close to, the majority result in sexual and/or romantic relationships. It's not that there're too many, but some platonic relationships felt missing.)
I cried. Especially at the part talking about the Japanese kamikaze pilots - I won't say more because spoilers but I was sobbing on the subway.
The writing is also really beautiful.
Probably my favourite book of the year so far.
Changed from four to five starts because I still think about it now and then and find myself recommending it a lot.
I feel as through I am single handedly left in my own garden, encapsulated by sadness and sorrow, entrenched simultaneously in a harrowing beauty and despondent voidness. This book begins quite slow and although the writing is beautiful, it took me a bit to get through. However, I think it’s slow and meandering stillness was necessary in developing the profound melancholy that seeps through the entire second half. I couldn’t put down the final 100 pages, and felt overwhelmingly entranced by the unrelenting pathos. I also learned a lot about history I was unaware of - the Japanese occupation of Malaya in WW2, the Malayan Emergency that followed. It was haunting to read and unfold Yun Ling’s journey, and yet so elegantly and gracefully written I couldn’t put it down. It is complex journey that intertwines art and war, anger and reconciliation. I very much recommend.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. Eng takes you there. His writing makes you not want to miss a word. Sometimes, I even re-read paragraphs, not because I mindlessly skipped them, but because the words were just so good. The themes of time and forgiveness and art and nature are woven together so well. I loved the description where the characters close their eyes and feel the garden. Recommend
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such a beautiful book but took me an age to read!
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated