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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
"A felhők fölött, egy hegyen élt egyszer egy férfi, aki hajdan a japán császár kertésze volt."
It is impossible to resist an opening sentence like this. :)
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/24/garden-evening-mists-tan-twan-eng-review
It is impossible to resist an opening sentence like this. :)
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/24/garden-evening-mists-tan-twan-eng-review
dark
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
The main character, Yun Ling, slips between the past and present as she retires to a garden estate and attempts to come to terms with both her past internment in a labor camp and her present deteriorating mental acuity.
This story is dense and layered and obscured, so it's impossible to make out the truth of what happened. It's both melancholy and uplifting. I don't have the words to do it justice.
This story is dense and layered and obscured, so it's impossible to make out the truth of what happened. It's both melancholy and uplifting. I don't have the words to do it justice.
Very atmospheric book, lots of detail on the landscape, scenery, climate, plant life etc. really brought the story to life. Interesting story and main character, kind of made me want to find out more about the history of that part of the world. Or at least read more from this author. Would definitely recommend.
Not adding a starred review for this one because I abandoned it about half way through. I'm perplexed by this novel, especially given how many incredible reviews this book has been given. Maybe I'm just not in the right headspace for it right now, but the pacing of the book, the character development, and the transitions between the time periods were a bit tricky for me to follow. Again, given that I made this reading attempt while also working on my thesis (and work, and direct a show), I'm not sure how much of that response comes from the amount of brainpower I had to give to the book in the first place and how much was the book itself. I'll put it down for now and perhaps come back to it when I'm operating with a bit more attention to give.
Eng's writing is always incredible. Very delicate, but lush at the same time. Incredibly evocative and transportive. But I didn't feel this one viscerally as I did with The Gift of Rain. I also didn't sob over this one. I did enjoy it though, even with the similarities to his previous novel (though the Huttons got a brief mention!). I liked that it was a female protagonist this time. Good read.
emotional
informative
relaxing
sad
slow-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
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
