Reviews tagging 'Death'

Land of Big Numbers by Te-Ping Chen

6 reviews

jazzreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Favorite stories were: Lulu, On the Street Where You Live, and Gubeikou Spirit

New Fruit was disturbing and engrossing, but the social and political commentary was a little too on the nose for me. 

Hotline Girl and Field Notes on a Marriage were both so sad too, and sad in an unsettling way. The rest of the stories were mid. Worth picking up if you want a quick and strange read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Suicide

eelizard's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Classism

mandkips's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Suicide

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Minor: Police brutality

bookamosobookclub's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

jayisreading's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was an interesting collection of short stories focused on the everyday life of China (though there were two stories that did not completely take place in the country). What I particularly liked about Land of Big Numbers is that Chen reveals a kind of universality in experiencing all kinds of emotions and the general messiness of life. Furthermore, Chen explores through her characters and settings what it’s like to live in modern-day China.

The writing is restrained and eloquent, for a lack of a better description. What I mean by this is that Chen asks for the reader to read between the lines; to be suspended in what is reality in China and not what media depicts (in other words, the beauty and horror of society isn’t all that different from everywhere else); to sit in the tragic and beautiful mess that humans make of themselves.

Each story is quite unique, and they are all diverse in tone and approach. However, like most other collections of short stories, I was drawn to certain stories more than others. My favorites were: “Lulu,” “New Fruit,” “Field Notes on a Marriage,” “Shanghai Murmur” (though I’ll say this was because the descriptions of the city reminded me of my time there), and “Gubeikou Spirit.”

Note: I received an ARC through a giveaway.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Minor: Cancer and Police brutality

fiainkvinna's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Stalking