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: Sexual violence, Grief, War, and Rape
Moderate: Cancer
abbie_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Free review copy received from the publisher
Translated from the Mandarin by Shelly Bryant, Zhang Ling’s A Single Swallow is an intense character study set during World War II, in a small village in rural China. It’s got an unusual structure, since it revolves around one woman, Ah Yan, but we never hear from her directly. Instead, we hear from three men whose lives intersected with hers in various ways. Ian Ferguson, a white American gunner’s man, Pastor Billy, a white American-born missionary, and Liu Zhaohu, a Chinese soldier born in the same village as Ah Yan.
Translated from the Mandarin by Shelly Bryant, Zhang Ling’s A Single Swallow is an intense character study set during World War II, in a small village in rural China. It’s got an unusual structure, since it revolves around one woman, Ah Yan, but we never hear from her directly. Instead, we hear from three men whose lives intersected with hers in various ways. Ian Ferguson, a white American gunner’s man, Pastor Billy, a white American-born missionary, and Liu Zhaohu, a Chinese soldier born in the same village as Ah Yan.
I thought this stylistic choice might have been to show how little agency Ah Yan had over her own life. As a teenager, she’s brutalised by Japanese soldiers, found by Pastor Billy who, as well as a missionary, has extensive medical training. Her life’s course changes then, looked down upon by almost everyone after her horrific ordeal. But she is loved by each of the three men in their own ways, fatherly or romantic or platonic. I wasn’t really on board with Pastor Billy, given the age gap between him and Ah Yan. But Zhang Ling does a great job of showing how selfish love can be. Each of three men has a different name for this one woman, not caring what her preference is.
The translation is beautiful, I loved the language! And I read that the author was able to undertake field trips to a SACO camp and she also talked with living SACO (Sino-American Cooperative Organisations) trainees. This shines through vividly in the sense of place and level of historic detail.
I think I would have enjoyed it more had we been able to hear from Ah Yan directly, but I understand (I think!) the author’s intention.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
backpackingbookworm's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
To begin, this book is beautifully translated and manages to perfectly capture the essence of Ah Yan and the three men who loved her in his own way. I really enjoyed the switching perspectives and the unique second-person life-after-death narrative. It gave the story a new dimension and very cleverly told the story of Ah Yan's life despite having no chapters delivered from her point of view.
The book explored multiple themes, including war, lust, honour, illness, and abuse, with each connecting Ah Yan to one of the narrators, depending on who experienced/witnessed the event(s) associated with each theme. It was very well constructed, however, I did feel like the ending was dragged out to the point where I did wonder if it was ever going to end.
I loved Ah Yan's character, her selflessness, her resilience, and her gracious nature to forgive despite being subjected to some of the most harrowing circumstances. I liked Pastor Billy but I wasn't as fond of the other narrators, especially after discovering how selfish each of their feelings was for Ah Yan. I do believe most redeemed themselves and felt a sense of guilt/failure in doing what was best for Ah Yan at the time rather than only thinking of themselves. It was good to see this character growth as each reflected on their memories with Ah Yan pre-death.
Overall an interesting novel that was beautifully written but just a little too long to keep my engagement levels as high as they were at the beginning of the novel.
Rating breakdown
The book explored multiple themes, including war, lust, honour, illness, and abuse, with each connecting Ah Yan to one of the narrators, depending on who experienced/witnessed the event(s) associated with each theme. It was very well constructed, however, I did feel like the ending was dragged out to the point where I did wonder if it was ever going to end.
I loved Ah Yan's character, her selflessness, her resilience, and her gracious nature to forgive despite being subjected to some of the most harrowing circumstances. I liked Pastor Billy but I wasn't as fond of the other narrators, especially after discovering how selfish each of their feelings was for Ah Yan. I do believe most redeemed themselves and felt a sense of guilt/failure in doing what was best for Ah Yan at the time rather than only thinking of themselves. It was good to see this character growth as each reflected on their memories with Ah Yan pre-death.
Overall an interesting novel that was beautifully written but just a little too long to keep my engagement levels as high as they were at the beginning of the novel.
Rating breakdown
- Plot/narrative - 3.8
- Writing style/readability - 4
- Characters - 3.9
- Diverse themes - 3.6
- Ending - 3.5
Overall - 3.8
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Animal death
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