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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Sono rimasta un po' delusa da questo romanzo ma forse perché avendo letto pareri praticamente solo positivi mi aspettavo che questa lettura sarebbe stata da 5 stelle anche per me.
Per quanto mi riguarda il romanzo parte benissimo per poi perdersi un po' nella parte centrale ed infine risollevarsi nel finale, ma c'è da dire che lo stile si mantiene evocativo e poetico per tutto il libro e la scrittura di Tan Twan Eng è raffinata e notevole. Nonostante questo sento che qualcosa con me non ha funzionato: ho avvertito la maggior parte dei personaggi come poco approfonditi e ho avuto la stessa percezione con i riferimenti al passato della protagonista e di sua sorella nel campo di prigionia giapponese. Anche la storia di Yun Ling con Aritomo poteva essere più sviluppata, ma ripeto, forse è proprio il tono di questo romanzo, così lirico ed evocativo, per me a tal punto da risultare spesso quasi effimero, da non avermi convinta del tutto.
Per quanto mi riguarda il romanzo parte benissimo per poi perdersi un po' nella parte centrale ed infine risollevarsi nel finale, ma c'è da dire che lo stile si mantiene evocativo e poetico per tutto il libro e la scrittura di Tan Twan Eng è raffinata e notevole. Nonostante questo sento che qualcosa con me non ha funzionato: ho avvertito la maggior parte dei personaggi come poco approfonditi e ho avuto la stessa percezione con i riferimenti al passato della protagonista e di sua sorella nel campo di prigionia giapponese. Anche la storia di Yun Ling con Aritomo poteva essere più sviluppata, ma ripeto, forse è proprio il tono di questo romanzo, così lirico ed evocativo, per me a tal punto da risultare spesso quasi effimero, da non avermi convinta del tutto.
emotional
reflective
I wrote a whole 700 words review for my feature writing class, hope you guys enjoy it and that I did justice to the magnificent piece of literature that Tan has blessed us with.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This is undoubtedly an excellent book which encompasses part of history that shows human nature at its best and worst. Tan Twen Eng is such a wonderful author and I fell in love with House of Doors.
However in House of Doors we had a female character who was strong but sympathetic. I'm afraid that, despite the undoubtedly horrifying history, Yun Ling is possibly the least sympathetic and most contradictory character I've ever read.
The story centres around the retired Judge Yun who has returned to her sometime home in Malaya where she spent time as a younger woman making a Japanese garden as apprentice to Aritomo, former gardener to the Emperor of Japan.
We travel backwards and forwards in time following the story of Yun's growing understanding of gardening and her growing attachment to Aritomo. She tells of her time in a concentration camp not registered on any map, the possibility that stolen gold and valuables are secreted somewhere in the mountains near where the camp was. We also delve into Yun's loss - not only of her parents but her sister and her ill-treatment at the hands of the Japanese guards.
It's a lot to unpack but read the synopsis it'll make more sense than I do.
My problem with Yun is her contradictory nature - she says she hates the Japanese but then wants to honour her sister (killed by the Japanese) by making a garden. She is permanently angry but allows herself to be seduced by Aritomo. She does not want anyone to see Aritomo's garden or woodblock prints but never gives a reason why.
She is the only survivor of the camp she was in and it is clear that she collaborated to some extent to keep herself alive but her escape seemed very unlikely. However, it's fiction so I can understand that.
The contradictory nature is the bit I have such difficulties with.
Also I listened to the audio version. The narrator, Anna Bentinck, pulled off Yun just fine but the two South Africans (Afrikaans) accents were all over the place - Afrikaans then Scottish then Sean Connery Scottish, then a little Irish and back to Afrikaans. It was very distracting. I'd rather a narrator just spoke the lines normally than try vocal gymnastics.
So those were my bugbears about this. Otherwise I enjoyed it and once Yun had calmed down a little she grew on me. The story itself was clever and interesting.
However in House of Doors we had a female character who was strong but sympathetic. I'm afraid that, despite the undoubtedly horrifying history, Yun Ling is possibly the least sympathetic and most contradictory character I've ever read.
The story centres around the retired Judge Yun who has returned to her sometime home in Malaya where she spent time as a younger woman making a Japanese garden as apprentice to Aritomo, former gardener to the Emperor of Japan.
We travel backwards and forwards in time following the story of Yun's growing understanding of gardening and her growing attachment to Aritomo. She tells of her time in a concentration camp not registered on any map, the possibility that stolen gold and valuables are secreted somewhere in the mountains near where the camp was. We also delve into Yun's loss - not only of her parents but her sister and her ill-treatment at the hands of the Japanese guards.
It's a lot to unpack but read the synopsis it'll make more sense than I do.
My problem with Yun is her contradictory nature - she says she hates the Japanese but then wants to honour her sister (killed by the Japanese) by making a garden. She is permanently angry but allows herself to be seduced by Aritomo. She does not want anyone to see Aritomo's garden or woodblock prints but never gives a reason why.
She is the only survivor of the camp she was in and it is clear that she collaborated to some extent to keep herself alive but her escape seemed very unlikely. However, it's fiction so I can understand that.
The contradictory nature is the bit I have such difficulties with.
Also I listened to the audio version. The narrator, Anna Bentinck, pulled off Yun just fine but the two South Africans (Afrikaans) accents were all over the place - Afrikaans then Scottish then Sean Connery Scottish, then a little Irish and back to Afrikaans. It was very distracting. I'd rather a narrator just spoke the lines normally than try vocal gymnastics.
So those were my bugbears about this. Otherwise I enjoyed it and once Yun had calmed down a little she grew on me. The story itself was clever and interesting.
I'm going to do something in this post that I have noticed no one else who has done a "proper" review that I have read of this book has done. In fact, two things. By proper I mean reviews that have been published in old school places like literary reviews, and book sections of newspapers. I tend to read a book then have a quick look around the web for other peoples thoughts. Today's scout disappointed me.
So here it is.
1. I am not going to spoil the book. Unlike every review I have read, I am not going to give away a plot twist or the end of the book. Seriously. Who thinks that's a good idea?
2. I'm going to get my facts right. Most reviews I have read spout all these fact of what happens in the book. I just read it and they are wrong. Did they even bother reading the book? Or just the blurb on the back and some Goodreads or Amazon reviews? Bah.
After that build up. I really enjoyed it. REALLY! The book is the story of a Supreme Court judge in Malaysia who retires (first chapter, not a spoiler). She heads up to a house she owns in the Cameron Highlands, and meets up with an old friend who still lives in the area. We then get told the story of her now, mixed with the stories of her past. We learn about the area, her history, the history of the country and about the Garden of Evening Mists.
What I loved about this book was the sereneness. The calmness. The stillness. I expected that when we were being walked through a beautiful, sculpted Japanese garden with Taoist, Buddhist and Shinto elements. What I didn't expect was it to trickle out of the garden and into the other elements of the book. Even the more violent or destructive parts of the book. I found that to be quite a skill.
I enjoyed the book also as it gave me a peek at the Pacific element of WWII. I am a bit over the European war stories. But this was a part of the war that we were directly a part of in some instances, but we talk very little about. And this was told from the perspective of not only the Malaysian Chinese, but the Japanese as well. Both of these are sides we never hear here in Aus. Then also, the aftermath of the war, with the instability of Malaya before it became Malaysia. I find it astounding we have so many Malays and Malaysian Chinese in Australia, yet we are taught nothing about their history, even the modern stuff. Sometimes I wonder if this is not more relevant than some European history. Mind you, didn't learn a lot of that either.
I definitely recommend this as a read. I enjoyed the journey the book took me on. I liked that there was another character in the book that was the garden itself. I am wondering how much gardening advice I can take out of this book to apply to my own overgrown, chaotic garden to instill into it some of the tranquility this book gave me.
For more reviews, visit: http://rusalkii.blogspot.com.au/
So here it is.
1. I am not going to spoil the book. Unlike every review I have read, I am not going to give away a plot twist or the end of the book. Seriously. Who thinks that's a good idea?
2. I'm going to get my facts right. Most reviews I have read spout all these fact of what happens in the book. I just read it and they are wrong. Did they even bother reading the book? Or just the blurb on the back and some Goodreads or Amazon reviews? Bah.
After that build up. I really enjoyed it. REALLY! The book is the story of a Supreme Court judge in Malaysia who retires (first chapter, not a spoiler). She heads up to a house she owns in the Cameron Highlands, and meets up with an old friend who still lives in the area. We then get told the story of her now, mixed with the stories of her past. We learn about the area, her history, the history of the country and about the Garden of Evening Mists.
What I loved about this book was the sereneness. The calmness. The stillness. I expected that when we were being walked through a beautiful, sculpted Japanese garden with Taoist, Buddhist and Shinto elements. What I didn't expect was it to trickle out of the garden and into the other elements of the book. Even the more violent or destructive parts of the book. I found that to be quite a skill.
I enjoyed the book also as it gave me a peek at the Pacific element of WWII. I am a bit over the European war stories. But this was a part of the war that we were directly a part of in some instances, but we talk very little about. And this was told from the perspective of not only the Malaysian Chinese, but the Japanese as well. Both of these are sides we never hear here in Aus. Then also, the aftermath of the war, with the instability of Malaya before it became Malaysia. I find it astounding we have so many Malays and Malaysian Chinese in Australia, yet we are taught nothing about their history, even the modern stuff. Sometimes I wonder if this is not more relevant than some European history. Mind you, didn't learn a lot of that either.
I definitely recommend this as a read. I enjoyed the journey the book took me on. I liked that there was another character in the book that was the garden itself. I am wondering how much gardening advice I can take out of this book to apply to my own overgrown, chaotic garden to instill into it some of the tranquility this book gave me.
For more reviews, visit: http://rusalkii.blogspot.com.au/
It's not often that the places my parents are from (the Philippines and Zimbabwe) appear in one book, this book was a really special one even without those appearances which were a bonus!