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A review by calster
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“‘Ni zhi dao, Lucy girl, what real riches are?’ Lucy points to the pouch, which Ma tucks back in her dress. ‘Bu dui, nu er. I could spend this gold tomorrow and it would belong to someone else. No—I want us rich in choices. That’s something no one can take.’”
“She hears the cheer that goes through the city the day the last railroad tie is hammered. A golden spike holds track to earth. A picture is drawn for the history books, a picture that shows none of the people who look like her, who built it.
“The mountain man said that no man in this country could complete the railroad. He was right, after all.”
Beautiful, heartbreaking book. The first few chapters were hard to get into. They felt cold and disjointed, and I couldn’t help but feel indifferent towards the characters. After those initial chapters, however, the story blossomed and I fell in love—and at times, hated—all of them. The words Zhang carefully uses to tell their story are absolute perfection. This is a book that deserves to be read 3, 4, 5 times to fully grasp the meaning behind every sentence.
“She hears the cheer that goes through the city the day the last railroad tie is hammered. A golden spike holds track to earth. A picture is drawn for the history books, a picture that shows none of the people who look like her, who built it.
“The mountain man said that no man in this country could complete the railroad. He was right, after all.”
Beautiful, heartbreaking book. The first few chapters were hard to get into. They felt cold and disjointed, and I couldn’t help but feel indifferent towards the characters. After those initial chapters, however, the story blossomed and I fell in love—and at times, hated—all of them. The words Zhang carefully uses to tell their story are absolute perfection. This is a book that deserves to be read 3, 4, 5 times to fully grasp the meaning behind every sentence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Racism