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A review by whattaylorreads
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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
4.5
this book has everything: gaslighting, gatekeeping, and, most importantly, girlbossing.
I find this book so fascinating. At times it seems like R.F. Kuang took things from her own life (being a literary darling, having to "tone down" the harshness of history to make it palatable for white audiences, and the pressures of publishing), but took that framework and crafted an insane, messy story with an incredibly unlikable, unsympathetic, narcissistic narrator. If you only read this book for the plot and don't think any more critically about it than that (or if you've never read a protagonist who wasn't a hero), I could understand why you might not enjoy this book. Still, I'm having a lot of fun reading through the one-star reviews on Goodreads, as it feels like parts of the book are being acted out in real-time in the real world.
I feel like I could talk about this book for hours. (I probably will, when I get home and tell my husband all about it.) This book consumed my brain and would not let it go. Highly recommend this, and specifically, listening to the audiobook. It somehow makes it both more shocking and more palatable.
I find this book so fascinating. At times it seems like R.F. Kuang took things from her own life (being a literary darling, having to "tone down" the harshness of history to make it palatable for white audiences, and the pressures of publishing), but took that framework and crafted an insane, messy story with an incredibly unlikable, unsympathetic, narcissistic narrator. If you only read this book for the plot and don't think any more critically about it than that (or if you've never read a protagonist who wasn't a hero), I could understand why you might not enjoy this book. Still, I'm having a lot of fun reading through the one-star reviews on Goodreads, as it feels like parts of the book are being acted out in real-time in the real world.
I feel like I could talk about this book for hours. (I probably will, when I get home and tell my husband all about it.) This book consumed my brain and would not let it go. Highly recommend this, and specifically, listening to the audiobook. It somehow makes it both more shocking and more palatable.