Reviews tagging 'War'

The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel

11 reviews

lissareadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

This book covers an interesting period in history and discusses a community I never knew existed - the Jewish diaspora in Shanghai. While I was not in love with the writing style, my interest in the subject matter and the twists and turns of the plot kept me glued to this book. A very enjoyable read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

grove9ruby's review against another edition

dark reflective sad

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

marmarlad's review against another edition

informative sad fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Xenophobia, and War

Moderate: Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Genocide, Antisemitism, and Death of parent

imchoosingfiction's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

Time of Death - January 23, 2024 - I have been trying to get through this for about 2 years, (didn't even realize) after making it to the 26% mark, I began skimming and read through to the (kinda predictable) end.  Although this historical setting is unique, WWII in China following a German Jew, Ernest, and a Chinese woman, Aiyi, it still managed to feel like a West Side Story re-telling. I won't be counting it toward my reading goal this year.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War

amylynnknitsreads's review

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Trafficking and Fire/Fire injury

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Child death, Excrement, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infidelity and Sexual assault

dominiquecoral's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Antisemitism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

sammie_snk's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Very well written and compelling read. Due to it's setting in wartime (WWII), there's a lot of challenging content regarding violence and prejudice. However it's not gratuitous, just adds emotional context to living in this time period & place. A rollercoaster of emotions throughout along with the ups & downs of the characters' luck. Tragic at times but worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Sexism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Trafficking and Sexual harassment

bella_01's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Grief, and Car accident

kimberlyallen011's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Murder, and War

Moderate: Child abuse and Rape