woolgatherer'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
bethlovescake's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Firstly, overall I found the book very immersive. Especially the great world-building creating a descriptive look into the past.
I felt this was mixed paced with slower paced parts due to the writing style.
The way each chapter is a different perspective was an effective and organised way of changing the point of view without it being confusing. There are flashbacks as well and the timeline isn't shown linearly, which can be difficult to follow if you're not keeping track of it.
I was uncomfortable with how the men looked at the girl in such a sexual/marital way before she was 18, when at least one of them was over 30. (The other 2 men I'm not sure of their ages.)
I think the above point is the main reason I took off a star because I really enjoyed the rest of the book. The historical setting was very interesting and I liked following the lives of the characters through it.
If you're thinking of reading this you'll need to mentally prepare yourself for an emotional intense read at times.
I felt this was mixed paced with slower paced parts due to the writing style.
The way each chapter is a different perspective was an effective and organised way of changing the point of view without it being confusing. There are flashbacks as well and the timeline isn't shown linearly, which can be difficult to follow if you're not keeping track of it.
I was uncomfortable with how the men looked at the girl in such a sexual/marital way before she was 18, when at least one of them was over 30. (The other 2 men I'm not sure of their ages.)
I think the above point is the main reason I took off a star because I really enjoyed the rest of the book. The historical setting was very interesting and I liked following the lives of the characters through it.
If you're thinking of reading this you'll need to mentally prepare yourself for an emotional intense read at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, and Misogyny
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Cancer
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