Reviews

The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig

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sarahtribble's review against another edition

3.0

I liked this! It suffered a little from being required reading for one of my English papers, but I still liked and engaged with it more than I thought I would. This play is about a lot of things, but to put it simply, it's about a young girl named Sunny who is born in rural China in a time of great political turmoil and unrest. Against all odds (and in spite of her gender, perceived to be inferior by Chinese culture), Sunny moves to the big city to work in a factory, where her ambitions -- financial stability, success, and an ultimate escape from poverty -- motivate her to climb the social ladder "By Any Means Necessary". There were places where I thought the main themes of the play -- gender, class, and capitalism -- became a little garbled, and the political jargon in the afterword was condescendingly difficult, but on the whole, I thought the play was an excellently educational, albeit unflinchingly graphic, commentary on China's class values, globalisation, and Western capitalism and consumerism.

stephanie_readz's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

sherbertwells's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Sunny, a laborer from rural China, is swept up in her factory’s PR campaign as she awakens to its abusive practices. While the themes this play covers—political protest, class divides and sexism—are always relevant, the script is almost entirely devoid of style or invention.

“MR. DESTINY: Everything starts with a Dream. Fight, Sunny. Reach out, grab your dreams by the balls and don’t let go until they become your reality. Go back to work. Talk to your boss. And CHANGE YOUR DESTINY!” (30)

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