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A review by gyeranbbang
The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung
3.0
The Tenth Muse follows Katherine, a girl raised by a Chinese immigrant and a white WWII veteran. She is ostracized at school because of how she looks and her mixed parenthood and that pushes her to pursue her one love - mathematics. Her life becomes tangled with solving the Riemann Hypothesis... and her past.
The first bit of the novel feels like watching a movie that is being fast-forwarded. Many things happen but Katherine remains sort of the spectator - everything impacts her life but nothing really does. And thus it feels more of a slice of life book than anything until she is hit by a revelation. As she realizes her life has been built in lies, she pursues the truth while she attempts to live her own life to her fullest: conquering the Riemann Hypothesis and a romantic relationship. The second part deals with all of these and while I wouldn't say it is fast-paced, there's quite a bit going on for you to keep your interest.
I found the book to be great for what it was. It ticked all the boxes, but ultimately it didn't rock my world nor I necessarily cared about the characters. As a woman in academia, I vibed with a lot she struggled with and when Peter does what he does, I understand why she reacted the way she did. The book carries a beautiful feminist message and proves that women in academia can make it (but then again, it also shows a bit of the internalized 'men will be men' and yada yada).
Not sure who can enjoy this type of book, but if you like historical fiction, a bit of a slower pace, and slice of life stories - go for it. I'd compare this to Lisa See's novels when it comes to pacing and atmosphere, though Catherine Chung did not travel to Asia or Asian communities per se here, she went a different direction.
PS. I don't know who needs to hear this but if you hate maths, it's okay. The book doesn't dwell too much on numbers. I just sort of ignored all the numerical/theoretical mumbo jumbo that would occasionally pop up and it was okay. (My one brain cell struggles with numbers, yes).
The first bit of the novel feels like watching a movie that is being fast-forwarded. Many things happen but Katherine remains sort of the spectator - everything impacts her life but nothing really does. And thus it feels more of a slice of life book than anything until she is hit by a revelation. As she realizes her life has been built in lies, she pursues the truth while she attempts to live her own life to her fullest: conquering the Riemann Hypothesis and a romantic relationship. The second part deals with all of these and while I wouldn't say it is fast-paced, there's quite a bit going on for you to keep your interest.
I found the book to be great for what it was. It ticked all the boxes, but ultimately it didn't rock my world nor I necessarily cared about the characters. As a woman in academia, I vibed with a lot she struggled with and when Peter does what he does, I understand why she reacted the way she did. The book carries a beautiful feminist message and proves that women in academia can make it (but then again, it also shows a bit of the internalized 'men will be men' and yada yada).
Not sure who can enjoy this type of book, but if you like historical fiction, a bit of a slower pace, and slice of life stories - go for it. I'd compare this to Lisa See's novels when it comes to pacing and atmosphere, though Catherine Chung did not travel to Asia or Asian communities per se here, she went a different direction.
PS. I don't know who needs to hear this but if you hate maths, it's okay. The book doesn't dwell too much on numbers. I just sort of ignored all the numerical/theoretical mumbo jumbo that would occasionally pop up and it was okay. (My one brain cell struggles with numbers, yes).