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A review by sc104906
Girls on the Line by Jennie Liu
5.0
I received this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Luli and Yun grew up together in a Chinese orphanage. Neither had hope of ever being adopted, Luli because her grandfather hoped to one day be well enough to take her back and Yun because she had cursed birthmarks. The two were tasked with feeding and caring for others in the orphanage, the two couldn’t wait to age out of the orphanage and try their hand at living on their own. Yun aged out first and found a job on a factory line. While there are rules and expectations within this position, Yun is drawn in by having her own money, new friends, and a new boyfriend. Luli is excited to finally join Yun, where she also begins working in a factory. However, shortly after joining Yun in the factory, Luli begins questioning Yun’s boyfriends motives and background. Things become especially difficult when Yun finds out that she is pregnant. In a country where it is taboo and illegal to have a child out of wedlock and outside the government’s permission, Yun and Luli work together to figure out what the best options are.
This book was freaking fascinating! It explores many of the socio-political issues going on in China, which I certainly wasn’t familiar with before reading this book. Readers are given clear insight into the adoption process and birth control laws found in China. It also teases through many of the social values found throughout the country. I found myself fully invested in the stories, to the point that I wanted everyone around me to read the book too. This is a great book and would be perfect for a book discussion….that reminds me, I think I have a book I want to nominate for my own book discussion…
Luli and Yun grew up together in a Chinese orphanage. Neither had hope of ever being adopted, Luli because her grandfather hoped to one day be well enough to take her back and Yun because she had cursed birthmarks. The two were tasked with feeding and caring for others in the orphanage, the two couldn’t wait to age out of the orphanage and try their hand at living on their own. Yun aged out first and found a job on a factory line. While there are rules and expectations within this position, Yun is drawn in by having her own money, new friends, and a new boyfriend. Luli is excited to finally join Yun, where she also begins working in a factory. However, shortly after joining Yun in the factory, Luli begins questioning Yun’s boyfriends motives and background. Things become especially difficult when Yun finds out that she is pregnant. In a country where it is taboo and illegal to have a child out of wedlock and outside the government’s permission, Yun and Luli work together to figure out what the best options are.
This book was freaking fascinating! It explores many of the socio-political issues going on in China, which I certainly wasn’t familiar with before reading this book. Readers are given clear insight into the adoption process and birth control laws found in China. It also teases through many of the social values found throughout the country. I found myself fully invested in the stories, to the point that I wanted everyone around me to read the book too. This is a great book and would be perfect for a book discussion….that reminds me, I think I have a book I want to nominate for my own book discussion…