sephranix's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
I loved San San, and Seok Koon's desperation to get her back.
Spoiler tag, just in case.
Ah Liam - Classic brainwashed kid, but very believable. Glad he made the right choice in the end.
Zhai and Lulu - I liked seeing Zhai come to realize that he really didn't know what he was doing and that he'd been living beyond his means, but I could have done without the Lulu side-story. It was clear that she was just with him for the lifestyle and didn't really love him, as evidenced by her immediately leaving to go back to a guy with lots of money once she found out he was broke.
I will say I appreciated her getting the loan for his bank account for San San (even though that plan didn't work) but I think that was less about her feelings for Zhai and more about her connecting with Seok Koon over losing a daughter.
Bee Kim - Glad we found out what happened to her sister, but I thought this could have been fleshed out a bit more? I don't know. I mean, it didn't really explain her actions or make me feel any more or less sympathetic for her.
I loved San San, and Seok Koon's desperation to get her back.
Spoiler tag, just in case.
Spoiler
Ah Liam - Classic brainwashed kid, but very believable. Glad he made the right choice in the end.
Zhai and Lulu - I liked seeing Zhai come to realize that he really didn't know what he was doing and that he'd been living beyond his means, but I could have done without the Lulu side-story. It was clear that she was just with him for the lifestyle and didn't really love him, as evidenced by her immediately leaving to go back to a guy with lots of money once she found out he was broke.
I will say I appreciated her getting the loan for his bank account for San San (even though that plan didn't work) but I think that was less about her feelings for Zhai and more about her connecting with Seok Koon over losing a daughter.
Bee Kim - Glad we found out what happened to her sister, but I thought this could have been fleshed out a bit more? I don't know. I mean, it didn't really explain her actions or make me feel any more or less sympathetic for her.
readingjedi's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Abandonment
aecoombs23's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Once I started I couldn’t stop! It was very captivating and I loved all the different perspectives from different characters! However, I do feel the ending of this book was rushed.
piranhas_on_wheels's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this whole book but the ending??? What???
alsri's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
At the start I found the book difficult to get into and the characters difficult to connect to, though I feel this may be by design. The characters all start with very strong opinions and beliefs which develop and are challenged throughout the story. By the end of the book I really felt for all of the characters and was routing for their success. A different style and theme to my usual reading but I really enjoyed it
mirel's review against another edition
3.0
Probably more of a 3.5
The story opens well, painting a sharp picture of the early years of Communism for an industrial family in China. The father works in Hong Kong, while his old mother, wife and two children are living in China. The story more or less opens with the children secretly witnessing their grandmother taking a hammer to the requisite picture of Chairman Mao, which the older son ends up reporting. While the beginning of the book looked like it would be a five, I felt that the second half of the book wasn't as well developed as the beginning. Although the story shifts between several character's viewpoints, we don't really get much of a picture of the son's head after the consequences of his actions. Surely he would have devoted some thought to it and had some feelings about it! And the end seemed altogether way too rushed!
Despite the shortcomings in the second half of the book, I would still recommend this as an interesting glimpse at that critical period.
The story opens well, painting a sharp picture of the early years of Communism for an industrial family in China. The father works in Hong Kong, while his old mother, wife and two children are living in China. The story more or less opens with the children secretly witnessing their grandmother taking a hammer to the requisite picture of Chairman Mao, which the older son ends up reporting. While the beginning of the book looked like it would be a five, I felt that the second half of the book wasn't as well developed as the beginning. Although the story shifts between several character's viewpoints, we don't really get much of a picture of the son's head after the consequences of his actions. Surely he would have devoted some thought to it and had some feelings about it! And the end seemed altogether way too rushed!
Despite the shortcomings in the second half of the book, I would still recommend this as an interesting glimpse at that critical period.
lovleephtogrl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Miscarriage
Mentions executions, public shaming, some brief spousal abuse, loss of pregnancykaybeehome's review against another edition
3.0
Pros: started off strong - it grabbed my attention very quickly; quick read
Cons: except for San San, the characters were severely underdeveloped; many things felt rushed, including the ending; some parts of the book (and some characters) could easily be cut out
Cons: except for San San, the characters were severely underdeveloped; many things felt rushed, including the ending; some parts of the book (and some characters) could easily be cut out
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
For some reason, I passed on reading Soy Sauce for Beginners when it came in 2014 which was strange for me because I have a “thing” for Asian literature. I just ran into Chen’s second book, Bury What We Cannot Take, and I was completely absorbed in nine-year-old Sen Sen’s story.