A review by megansmith
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.25

This book really surprised me - I dont know if I just didn’t read the description well enough at the time or what, but this was not what I was expecting. But I still enjoyed it! The writing is really rich and descriptive, and for anyone who loves reading about food and its meaning beyond sustenance, I think you’ll enjoy this.

I have one complaint about this book -

some of the story and writing jumped around just enough for me that it was a little confusing. Characters would be mean and unfeeling at one point and soft / sentimental the next. The story could be a bit confusing and at times I just didn’t feel 100% compelled by the drama of the plot. Instances were written out with such intensity only to not be actually that intense. I dunno, I still enjoyed it but I wish this was more intense of a plot at times to match the detailed storytelling. The romance also just felt very sudden and kind of forced, and I think the book could’ve been totally fine without it.

Overall - I think this is a really good read! Totally different from Zhang’s first novel, but a great read nonetheless for anyone who loves reading about food, pondering the future or reading about the potential effects of climate change. If you like something slightly unnerving and tense, this is also a great read.