plants_pages_poultry's review
DNF this audio about 15% in. Maybe it was the narrator but this was too manic for me.
sarahjolioli's review
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookswithriinu's review against another edition
3.0
Rachel, kes elab New Yorgis, läheb koos oma poiss-sõbra Nickiga veetma suve tema koju Singapuri. Arvates, et ta tutvub täiesti tavalise Hiina perekonnaga, selgub, et Nicki perekond on tegelikult üks Singapuri jõukamaid ja võimsamaid peresid. Rachel avastab end ebatavaliste suhete, intriigide ja perekondlike draamade keskelt, kui ta üritab leida oma kohta selles hullumeelses prestiiži maailmas. Nicki ema teeb kõik endast oleneva, et välja uurida Racheli iga saladus ja lahutada ta oma pojast.
Selle raamatuga on mul segased tunded. Ühest küljest mulle väga meeldis lugeda Hiina kommete ja üldisemalt Aasia kohta. Autori selgitused lehekülgede alläärsetes märkustes erinevate sõnade, toitude ja väljendite kohta lisasid omajagu väärtust, kuid samas oli seda kõike natuke liiga palju. Lisaks oli raamatus nii palju karaktereid keeruliste nimedega, keda pidin pidevalt sugupuust otsima, et teada saada, kes nad õieti olidki. Raamat venis väga pikaks ja autori kirjeldused selle kohta, kui rikkad need inimesed siiski olid, muutusid tüütuks ja oli ülepaisutatud. Saan aru, et nad olid kindlasti väga võimsad, kuid oleksin eelistanud rohkem lugeda inimsuhetest, mitte erinevaid hooneid, riideid ja jõukust kirjeldavaid lõike.
Kuigi esimesed kolmveerand raamatust venisid, tuli lõpuks ka oodatud põnevus Racheli ja Nicki suhte osas, mis pani mind siiski neile kaasa elama.
Kokkuvõttes oli raamat minu jaoks veidi igav ja veniv, kuid uued teadmised Hiina kultuuri kohta ei jookse kindlasti mööda külgi maha.
Selle raamatuga on mul segased tunded. Ühest küljest mulle väga meeldis lugeda Hiina kommete ja üldisemalt Aasia kohta. Autori selgitused lehekülgede alläärsetes märkustes erinevate sõnade, toitude ja väljendite kohta lisasid omajagu väärtust, kuid samas oli seda kõike natuke liiga palju. Lisaks oli raamatus nii palju karaktereid keeruliste nimedega, keda pidin pidevalt sugupuust otsima, et teada saada, kes nad õieti olidki. Raamat venis väga pikaks ja autori kirjeldused selle kohta, kui rikkad need inimesed siiski olid, muutusid tüütuks ja oli ülepaisutatud. Saan aru, et nad olid kindlasti väga võimsad, kuid oleksin eelistanud rohkem lugeda inimsuhetest, mitte erinevaid hooneid, riideid ja jõukust kirjeldavaid lõike.
Kuigi esimesed kolmveerand raamatust venisid, tuli lõpuks ka oodatud põnevus Racheli ja Nicki suhte osas, mis pani mind siiski neile kaasa elama.
Kokkuvõttes oli raamat minu jaoks veidi igav ja veniv, kuid uued teadmised Hiina kultuuri kohta ei jookse kindlasti mööda külgi maha.
eweltzer's review
3.0
I’m sure there is some truth to the extravagant lifestyles described in this book, but it was mostly infuriating to read. Women not supporting women, using money as a way to manipulate people- it was all hard to get through. I understand that it’s meant to be somewhat satirical, but still. I did find the descriptions to be excellent, and had no trouble picturing what was being described. That being said, this book could have been at least 200 pages shorter.
yanners's review
3.0
The mood swings I had at the unhealthiest level possible—pivoting from ‘heart’ to ‘hmmph’ to ‘bleurgh’ roughly every two pages or so—is to be blamed. I’m really sitting on the fence for this one because it’s solid, it’s giving me a lot of high-tea conversational vibes and it’s dastardly shallow with how much over-the-top drama jam-packed into it.
I loved the glam, hated the characters, and questioned every turn in the narrative. My brain has once again relapsed into its usual state of comatose and isn’t budging which means that my finger muscles are just going to have to take one for the team.
The family tree. Sigh…do I even need to go any further? The number of branches and intermarriage and all is on a level simply unfathomable that my single brain cell withered and died spontaneously. The whole lineage was so convoluted that I gave up a hundred pages in and took it that everyone who was someone was Nick’s cousin. And in this book, everyone is someone, I’m talking like a hundred seats at every family dinner.
At the end of everything, the only people who I actually remembered was Astrid, Cassian, Michael (the guy-whose-redemption-arc-was-sacrificed-in-the-movie-for-the-sake-of-time), Kitty (the woman with a mission), Eddie, Fiona, Augustine, Constantine and Kaliste, Colin, Araminta and Oliver.
Oh right. Rachel and Nick too. It might sound long, but I’ve barely scratched the surface. The oomph was negligible and even Astrid’s narrative was more exciting than Rachel. I wouldn’t even say she outshined her because at one point I just started seeing Rachel as a side character. I did enjoy the movie a lot better which was highly unexpected because condensed, poorly shortened movie transcripts rarely live up to the success of the book. 3 stars
I loved the glam, hated the characters, and questioned every turn in the narrative. My brain has once again relapsed into its usual state of comatose and isn’t budging which means that my finger muscles are just going to have to take one for the team.
The family tree. Sigh…do I even need to go any further? The number of branches and intermarriage and all is on a level simply unfathomable that my single brain cell withered and died spontaneously. The whole lineage was so convoluted that I gave up a hundred pages in and took it that everyone who was someone was Nick’s cousin. And in this book, everyone is someone, I’m talking like a hundred seats at every family dinner.
At the end of everything, the only people who I actually remembered was Astrid, Cassian, Michael (the guy-whose-redemption-arc-was-sacrificed-in-the-movie-for-the-sake-of-time), Kitty (the woman with a mission), Eddie, Fiona, Augustine, Constantine and Kaliste, Colin, Araminta and Oliver.
Oh right. Rachel and Nick too. It might sound long, but I’ve barely scratched the surface. The oomph was negligible and even Astrid’s narrative was more exciting than Rachel. I wouldn’t even say she outshined her because at one point I just started seeing Rachel as a side character. I did enjoy the movie a lot better which was highly unexpected because condensed, poorly shortened movie transcripts rarely live up to the success of the book. 3 stars
cdsbruce's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
yetimantra's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
emmahpw's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75