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A review by silviaa
Half a Lifelong Romance by Karen S. Kingsbury, Eileen Chang
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I would say it’s plot driven because the characters are uninteresting and not analysed. They do this and then they do that. And then they cry and then they don’t. But the plot is very slow and the book very long. It reads like a soap opera because of the intricate web of characters, implausible betrayals, society conventions and inability to talk and explain how one feels, which, especially at the end, would solve every problem left unsolved and give the novel a very different ending. But nobody talks and nothing changes for the better.
It was mainly a boring read up to page 200 or so, when an event so dreadful happens that I was left completely disgusted and angry. That’s when I realised no matter how hard I tried to think of this novel objectively, I was so enraged that I couldn’t even bring myself to look for any redeeming feature in this book. And it didn’t get any better after the “dreadful event”, because misunderstanding, deception and utter evilness ensued, none of it justifiable.
The plot, even if slow, was rushed at times, with years passing in the space of two pages. I didn’t get any sense of space, we’re told it’s Shanghai but it’s very much a drawing room setting after the other; it’s mostly set indoors. I’m sure much of the original writing style got lost in translation but all things considered, that’s irrelevant, what the translation managed to convey of the book was quite enough.
It was mainly a boring read up to page 200 or so, when an event so dreadful happens that I was left completely disgusted and angry. That’s when I realised no matter how hard I tried to think of this novel objectively, I was so enraged that I couldn’t even bring myself to look for any redeeming feature in this book. And it didn’t get any better after the “dreadful event”, because misunderstanding, deception and utter evilness ensued, none of it justifiable.
The plot, even if slow, was rushed at times, with years passing in the space of two pages. I didn’t get any sense of space, we’re told it’s Shanghai but it’s very much a drawing room setting after the other; it’s mostly set indoors. I’m sure much of the original writing style got lost in translation but all things considered, that’s irrelevant, what the translation managed to convey of the book was quite enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape