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A review by ametakinetos
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
4.0
This absolutely was a violent delight.
I've read the criticism of this book, and I get it. The purple prose comes across as unskilled in many areas. Its dedication to historical canon, unreliable. The handling of delicate historical issues and culture varied between insightful and inconsiderate at times.
For me, those items were water under the bridge. I loved the total immersion that Gong's storytelling provided in an entirely fictional but still compelling version of Shanghai. Juliette and Roma are not necessarily likeable nor their actions excusable, and that enriched it for me. Who should I be rooting for? Who is in the right? It mimicked the conflict of reality in which every individual hopes their side is the hero, while knowing their behavior makes them anything but. I've seen people point out how Roma excuses the Russian invasion while condemning the others - of course he does. Characters who are hyper-aware of their own contradictions give no credit to the reader. Juliette is rude to her staff and cruel in her considerations of the rioting workers - naturally, considering her background.
Perhaps I give Gong too much credit, but the complexity and brevity was balanced just right for my summer reading tastes. I look forward to experiencing the sequel!
Note: The multilingual and multifaceted cast of characters would lend itself so incredibly well to a TV adaptation like Netflix's short-lived "1899". 100% would watch.
I've read the criticism of this book, and I get it. The purple prose comes across as unskilled in many areas. Its dedication to historical canon, unreliable. The handling of delicate historical issues and culture varied between insightful and inconsiderate at times.
For me, those items were water under the bridge. I loved the total immersion that Gong's storytelling provided in an entirely fictional but still compelling version of Shanghai. Juliette and Roma are not necessarily likeable nor their actions excusable, and that enriched it for me. Who should I be rooting for? Who is in the right? It mimicked the conflict of reality in which every individual hopes their side is the hero, while knowing their behavior makes them anything but. I've seen people point out how Roma excuses the Russian invasion while condemning the others - of course he does. Characters who are hyper-aware of their own contradictions give no credit to the reader. Juliette is rude to her staff and cruel in her considerations of the rioting workers - naturally, considering her background.
Perhaps I give Gong too much credit, but the complexity and brevity was balanced just right for my summer reading tastes. I look forward to experiencing the sequel!
Note: The multilingual and multifaceted cast of characters would lend itself so incredibly well to a TV adaptation like Netflix's short-lived "1899". 100% would watch.