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amphiptere 's review for:
The Poppy War
by R.F. Kuang
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very imaginative, unique take on some very heavy topics in modern Chinese history. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to guess what characters or events paralleled actual people and events while reading it. It's not a strict 1:1, but if you're familiar with the history, you can see it (and I especially liked how the book got me interested in looking up history I was less familiar with, such as the background of Taiwan).
The book is broken into three parts and takes a pretty drastic tonal and thematic shift from part one to part two. Ultimately, that worked for me, but if you adore part one, this isn't what the rest of the book is.
What I most enjoyed was how the element of sexism was explored. This book very much captures what it feels like to be the recipient of sexist (and classiest and racist) attitudes from a perspective that always emphasizes the humanity of the targets of such, while simultaneously and relentlessly showing how bogus those beliefs are. And in a truly grounded way without relying on a laughably cartoonist single villain to represent all the "bad" attitudes with the "hero" being so obviously better and self-righteous. I really connected to the tone and mood. And the anger this all elicits. This is a book about anger. But it's also about so much more.
The book is broken into three parts and takes a pretty drastic tonal and thematic shift from part one to part two. Ultimately, that worked for me, but if you adore part one, this isn't what the rest of the book is.
What I most enjoyed was how the element of sexism was explored. This book very much captures what it feels like to be the recipient of sexist (and classiest and racist) attitudes from a perspective that always emphasizes the humanity of the targets of such, while simultaneously and relentlessly showing how bogus those beliefs are. And in a truly grounded way without relying on a laughably cartoonist single villain to represent all the "bad" attitudes with the "hero" being so obviously better and self-righteous. I really connected to the tone and mood. And the anger this all elicits. This is a book about anger. But it's also about so much more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Classism