sydknee3000's review
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
kellzzz730's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
yougotnojams's review against another edition
3.0
If you’re looking for a soapy historical fiction war story with a side of romance, then this book would be right up your alley. Overall, I enjoyed this book but the pacing and a few writing choices here and there was a little off putting.
lindzieh's review
3.0
This was just in for me. The book plot seemed to drag out and then when the twist happened at the end it was explained in 2 chapters. Maybe that would have been a better character development than the back and forth between main characters. It was an interesting idea and execution of a world war 2 topic I hadn’t read yet - Japanese occupation in Shanghai. Overall wasn’t a favorite for me but a good story. Just not a page turner for myself.
ktbeth143's review
3.25
“We were what the tangle of the past made us, which trapped us, forcing us to be ensnared in a future we could never be set free from.”
This book was a hard read for me. As many of it’s critics suggest, there is a lot of “telling.” However, I don’t agree that there’s “telling without showing.” There is A LOT of exposition. But readers should keep in mind that Shanghai of today is not a place most of us who’ve grown up with a westernized-worldview have context for, and Shanghai of WW2 is vastly different and often not taught about in history class. I would argue that the exposition is necessary for us to understand the culture and setting Aiyi is born into and that Ernest makes his home in. That being said, the real action of the plot doesn’t actually begin until you’re about 60% through the book.
This novel has a strong female lead who, at times, is unlikeable. But her character growth, while slow for most of the book before happening rapidly, is vast. She eventually acknowledges she’s spoiled and self-centered, and by the end, certainly changes for the better. I think another reason readers might struggle to connect with her is that at no point does she really fit into the setting (and that’s the point!) When the novel begins, she’s barely 20 years-old, a single woman, and a business woman who has already been through a battle for her inheritance against her older brother. By the standards of most Chinese in the 1930s and 40s, she’s progressive. Not to mention, the business she owns and runs is a night club. Despite many Chinese frequenting her club and the fact that she’s been engaged to the same guy (a Chinese man from a respectable Shanghai family) since childhood, the nature of her business and her love for modern fashion leads some to write her off as promiscuous. Then, she further defies cultural norms by hiring a Jewish refugee from Europe to not just play piano in her night club, but play a form of music that is not traditional. It’s a success for club attendees, but it doesn’t win her many friends in Shanghai’s traditional, patriarchal culture.
And then by the end of the book, she’s lost her fortune, is living in the slums making a living by stealing from people, and is convinced she’ll never be happy. Which is not attractive for a heroine. But given everything war-time occupation throws at her and all the ridiculous men in her life, by the end of the novel I at least had respect for her. And spoiler, she does get a sort-of happy ending.
Then there’s Ernest. He’s the MMC, and to be honest, he’s not very likable either. The difference between he and Aiyi though is that you really want to like him in the beginning. At the start, he seems like a great underdog to cheer for. But like Aiyi, some of the ways he chooses to handle his trauma can be frustrating for readers. However, if we’re being honest, that’s what makes him a believable character. Because who among us has ever handled trauma perfectly? Readers may also be thrown by how Aiyi’s chapters are in first-person but Ernest’s are all in third-person. Because we have an omnipotent narrator giving us all the details from Ernest’s point of view, it feels like a lot of “telling without showing.” I wish his chapters were in first-person, that way I could extend some of the same sympathy I can to Aiyi, simply because I knew her inner-most conflicts from her point of view.
Would I recommend this book? Possibly, mainly because it provides a picture of WW2 that is often left out of the story. It might be good for a book club of for a literature class, as there are important aspects of the story that would make for good discussion. If you’re reading this on your own, however, keep in mind there will be times you have to power yourself through it. It does have a good resolution, so if you’ve DNF’d it, I recommend going back and powering through till the end.
This book was a hard read for me. As many of it’s critics suggest, there is a lot of “telling.” However, I don’t agree that there’s “telling without showing.” There is A LOT of exposition. But readers should keep in mind that Shanghai of today is not a place most of us who’ve grown up with a westernized-worldview have context for, and Shanghai of WW2 is vastly different and often not taught about in history class. I would argue that the exposition is necessary for us to understand the culture and setting Aiyi is born into and that Ernest makes his home in. That being said, the real action of the plot doesn’t actually begin until you’re about 60% through the book.
This novel has a strong female lead who, at times, is unlikeable. But her character growth, while slow for most of the book before happening rapidly, is vast. She eventually acknowledges she’s spoiled and self-centered, and by the end, certainly changes for the better. I think another reason readers might struggle to connect with her is that at no point does she really fit into the setting (and that’s the point!) When the novel begins, she’s barely 20 years-old, a single woman, and a business woman who has already been through a battle for her inheritance against her older brother. By the standards of most Chinese in the 1930s and 40s, she’s progressive. Not to mention, the business she owns and runs is a night club. Despite many Chinese frequenting her club and the fact that she’s been engaged to the same guy (a Chinese man from a respectable Shanghai family) since childhood, the nature of her business and her love for modern fashion leads some to write her off as promiscuous. Then, she further defies cultural norms by hiring a Jewish refugee from Europe to not just play piano in her night club, but play a form of music that is not traditional. It’s a success for club attendees, but it doesn’t win her many friends in Shanghai’s traditional, patriarchal culture.
And then by the end of the book, she’s lost her fortune, is living in the slums making a living by stealing from people, and is convinced she’ll never be happy. Which is not attractive for a heroine. But given everything war-time occupation throws at her and all the ridiculous men in her life, by the end of the novel I at least had respect for her. And spoiler, she does get a sort-of happy ending.
Then there’s Ernest. He’s the MMC, and to be honest, he’s not very likable either. The difference between he and Aiyi though is that you really want to like him in the beginning. At the start, he seems like a great underdog to cheer for. But like Aiyi, some of the ways he chooses to handle his trauma can be frustrating for readers. However, if we’re being honest, that’s what makes him a believable character. Because who among us has ever handled trauma perfectly? Readers may also be thrown by how Aiyi’s chapters are in first-person but Ernest’s are all in third-person. Because we have an omnipotent narrator giving us all the details from Ernest’s point of view, it feels like a lot of “telling without showing.” I wish his chapters were in first-person, that way I could extend some of the same sympathy I can to Aiyi, simply because I knew her inner-most conflicts from her point of view.
Would I recommend this book? Possibly, mainly because it provides a picture of WW2 that is often left out of the story. It might be good for a book club of for a literature class, as there are important aspects of the story that would make for good discussion. If you’re reading this on your own, however, keep in mind there will be times you have to power yourself through it. It does have a good resolution, so if you’ve DNF’d it, I recommend going back and powering through till the end.
tangychew's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aidnoah's review
5.0
I didn’t cry while reading this at the end but I was immensely pleased with it. Stories from this point in time are always so inspiring, fictional or otherwise.