Reviews

Waiting by Ha Jin

ktxx22's review

2.0

Man.... Historical fiction.... I keep trying to like you... and yet you keep giving me shitty lovey dovey stories with some historical points thrown in. This book was 300 pages of me waiting for the characters to get more interesting and the story to develop. It is well written and the chapters are easy enough to read with decent amounts of dialogue, but overall I did not like this books 2.5/5 from me. Also big time Trigger Warning for a graphic rape scene that literally comes outta left field. I was not prepared and I honestly don’t think it was necessary plot wise. Meh. December seems to be a month where I read crummy books this is 2 years In a row.

imy8myoats's review

hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

thesolemneyed's review

sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.0

nuohsu's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

oda9_'s review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mochikoreads's review

3.0

A story about love under Communist China that was so...slow...Though the pace was probably intentional to simulate the title and theme of "Waiting", I struggled to finish because the plot became predictable and repetitive. I wish the author went deeper into the historical and political elements to enrich the romantic plot. Otherwise, it felt like they were just there to entice an American audience less familiar with Chinese history.

irene_reads22's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

The dialogue felt stilted and awkward much of the time, and I wonder whether some of that awkwardness was intentional — to heighten the distance between the characters and the reader, ir to emphasize the emotional repression the characters experience? Or was it simply the product of a wonky translation? In any case the prose was direct and declarative and often uncomfortable, with its visceral descriptions of character flaws, bodily functions and just plain grossness. 

stitchykitch's review

3.0

I tend to be a plot focused reader, and after reading some of the complaints of other readers about this novel, I feel like maybe I missed something. I liked the characters a lot, and even though the dialog was sometimes plain, i felt that it was realistic. No one actually speaks like the characters in a Dickens novel, anyway. I can't say for sure whether this book as an accurate description of chinese culture during the cultural revolution, but i can say that the social and personal conflicts seemed real enough to me.

What i really liked about this book is how frustrated it made me. I didn't realize the emotional investment i made in Lin Kong and his 2 families until i finished the book and had a lingering feeling of disappointment, almost like the feeling you get when you fight with someone in a dream and wake up actually angry at that person.

I don't know if it's worth the award it got, but it's definitely worth the read.

booked_wellread's review

3.0

Lin Kong is horrible.

dkpnw's review

2.0

The writing felt really stark, considering the plot was ALSO really stark. It was easy reading and something different though. And an interesting lens into China in the 60s and 70s.