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thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Medical content, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, and Alcohol
rubbertree14's review
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Good glance into the Japanese/Chinese conflict during WW2 which I think is overlooked in the history books. I wasn’t very aware of this happening during the war and that leaving china war-torn is what allowed communism to be welcomed and take root. The premise was very unique in the way the story is brought forth and told, and in the ways three very different men are connected by circumstance around one woman and her relationship with each of them. I found each man to be despicable in their own ways, but war affects people in different ways. I think it was interesting to read about each man from a different perspective than their own, but also read their own perspective, because it created a well-rounded version of each character and gave better understand to each.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
applepie10's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Ugh. This book is promising but I had a hard time slogging through it. Interesting concept but I got so tired of the three male protagonists. They were so selfish and I just didn't like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape
elenamarmiroli's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Premetto di essermi approcciata a questa lettura, senza averne mai sentito parlare, ma soprattutto senza neanche conoscerne minimamente la trama, e devo dire che questo libro è riuscito a sorprendermi positivamente.
Per quanto lo stile di scrittura tenda a essere un po' troppo lirico rispetto alle mie preferenze, leggere di come le vite dei protagonisti si sono intrecciati durante la guerra in Cina nella seconda mondiale e come le loro vite abbiano impattato quella Ah Yan, modificandone la storia.
Un libro altamente interessante in quanto raccontato attraverso i punti di vista dei tre protagonisti maschili a posteriori, dopo che tutti e tre si ritrovano nell'oltretomba.
Un libro che a causa delle tematiche trattate può sicuramente risultare pesante a livello emotivo, ma che a mio parere vale la pena di leggere.
Per quanto lo stile di scrittura tenda a essere un po' troppo lirico rispetto alle mie preferenze, leggere di come le vite dei protagonisti si sono intrecciati durante la guerra in Cina nella seconda mondiale e come le loro vite abbiano impattato quella Ah Yan, modificandone la storia.
Un libro altamente interessante in quanto raccontato attraverso i punti di vista dei tre protagonisti maschili a posteriori, dopo che tutti e tre si ritrovano nell'oltretomba.
Un libro che a causa delle tematiche trattate può sicuramente risultare pesante a livello emotivo, ma che a mio parere vale la pena di leggere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Cancer
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
2.75
I had mixed feelings about this one. Bryant did a fantastic job with translation because it read wonderfully, and I can only imagine how it must have read in the original language. However, this can only go so far and I felt as though there was a lot left to be desired.
I think my biggest gripe was how there was a fixation on one woman from three perspectives (all men) and the complex feelings—a lot manifesting into love—they have for her. For a story so focused on one woman, it’s kind of incredible that the reader would be so detached from her. Maybe it’s because they were all through the lens of men and pretty much gave her no voice since it was all about what they thought of her. It would have been so interesting to have gotten her perspective on all of this but, alas, that wasn’t the case. Also, why is that each man was calling her by a different name, two of them just giving her one that they felt “suited” her? Ugh.
Another thing that really bothered me was how slow it was. It took me much longer than I would have liked to get through this book because the pacing was too slow for my taste. There was a lot of meandering, especially since each chapter was made up of reflective ramblings on the past from one of the three men. I lost interest pretty quickly and found myself skimming towards the end.
I have to commend Zhang for creating such a strong setting. Everything was clearly well-researched and she laid everything out well. Everything was well-detailed, which included particularly dark scenes that might leave some squeamish; I definitely grimaced at a couple. I think the decision to write unflinchingly was a deliberate one, though, just to show how bad it was during the Second World War in China. It was by no means a pleasant time in East Asia due to the Japanese— I can understand why she would want to highlight this to remind her reader of this.
It’s possible I wasn’t the right audience, because I think it’s objectively not a bad book. It just didn’t work for me is all and I found it somewhat boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Rape, Violence, and War
Moderate: Animal death
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