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A review by rebeccazh
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up. I listened to the audiobook and appreciated the narrator's performance. She conveyed emotions well and I most enjoyed the grandmother's story, her trials and tribulations and her amazing resilience. She is almost superhuman. The part where she had to give up her children one by one struck me and her journey was griping. I didn't really enjoy the granddaughter's story - it was just not as riveting, maybe because of her simplistic and child-like view of people and things. I also liked the feminist and family-oriented themes.
Joy's review covered the logical inconsistencies well, such as how the neighbors were starving while the main characters' family were able to build a house and buy a bicycle etc.
Personally, I found the prose to be rather simplistic with cliche phrases and that prevented me from really connecting with the story though after reading some reviews, I realize English is not the author's native language. I think my biggest issue was that the story felt heavy-handed with the moral lessons we're supposed to take away, like a moralizing play, and I disliked the way the author tells us these 'insights', instead of letting the story and themes speak for themselves. It's a good story but overall I find it to lack nuance. Curious now about reading other Vietnamese authors stories.
Joy's review covered the logical inconsistencies well, such as how the neighbors were starving while the main characters' family were able to build a house and buy a bicycle etc.
Personally, I found the prose to be rather simplistic with cliche phrases and that prevented me from really connecting with the story though after reading some reviews, I realize English is not the author's native language. I think my biggest issue was that the story felt heavy-handed with the moral lessons we're supposed to take away, like a moralizing play, and I disliked the way the author tells us these 'insights', instead of letting the story and themes speak for themselves. It's a good story but overall I find it to lack nuance. Curious now about reading other Vietnamese authors stories.