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jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
4.0
I adored this book. It tells the (interconnected) story of three women living as expats in Hong Kong. It's a rare thing: a multi-voice narrative where I enjoyed each character's story equally (perhaps three voices is the magic number). There is much sadness here for these women but also wonder and love as they find their place in the world. As a former expat I felt Lee perfectly captured elements of the experience despite the fact that I lived in Geneva and my situation was very different to these characters. It was a satisfying and rewarding read. Highly recommend.
jaayraad_reads's review against another edition
4.0
The Expatriates, now a show with a bit of Covid controversy, tells the story of three women. Margaret, Mercy and Hillary. Three women whose lives were once separate but are now entwined after a terrible tragedy.
Margaret and her children followed her husband Clarke to Hong Kong, and while Margaret attempted some semblance of a working life, she quickly became a part of American-expat life, lunch with the ladies, days at the club, international getaways for weekends and holidays. That is until one day she meets Mercy.
Mercy is struggling, she has little to no work and is the outlier among her friends. A Korean American, she isn’t as wealthy or successful as her friends and as much as she tries to fit in, she is always just on the outside. When she meets Margaret, she offers to help with the children, looking after them when needed, until a trip to Korea results in the youngest child going missing.
What follows is a tale of grief, of how these two women handle their grief for the loss of G in different ways. Margaret withdraws. Mercy starves, and then begins an affair with Hillary’s husband.
What I found more enjoyable about the book vs the TV show, was the deeper focus on Hillary. On her desire for a child, on her relationship with a Julian as she works towards adopting him.
Overall, this was a great story about expat life, and the way each of these women adapted to their surroundings. As in the show there is still no indication of what happened to G, but I wasn’t expecting to find out anything more
Margaret and her children followed her husband Clarke to Hong Kong, and while Margaret attempted some semblance of a working life, she quickly became a part of American-expat life, lunch with the ladies, days at the club, international getaways for weekends and holidays. That is until one day she meets Mercy.
Mercy is struggling, she has little to no work and is the outlier among her friends. A Korean American, she isn’t as wealthy or successful as her friends and as much as she tries to fit in, she is always just on the outside. When she meets Margaret, she offers to help with the children, looking after them when needed, until a trip to Korea results in the youngest child going missing.
What follows is a tale of grief, of how these two women handle their grief for the loss of G in different ways. Margaret withdraws. Mercy starves, and then begins an affair with Hillary’s husband.
What I found more enjoyable about the book vs the TV show, was the deeper focus on Hillary. On her desire for a child, on her relationship with a Julian as she works towards adopting him.
Overall, this was a great story about expat life, and the way each of these women adapted to their surroundings. As in the show there is still no indication of what happened to G, but I wasn’t expecting to find out anything more
abitahooey's review against another edition
emotional
fast-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
4.0
audreyxwg's review against another edition
4.0
4.5!! loved the prose so much! fantastic interiority. really interesting to read about expats from a more adult perspective, feeling lucky i was so young in this kind of world, but i do remember just learning so much about how the world could work then (derogatory).
lindseyford's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
ap2009's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-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
5.0
nerdalert219's review against another edition
5.0
The epilogue is women supporting other women! THIS IS WHAT WE FUCKING NEED!!!
lori17's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
books_and_breaks's review against another edition
2.0
It's an interesting story, fairly well written, but so. Utterly. Depressing. Tenuous friendships are the best one can hope for as an adult woman? And all the main characters at some point 'float above themselves to see what it looks like from the outside'. Really? I had hoped it would be better based on all the 'must read' reviews out there. It's fine, if you don't mind nothing cheery ever happening.
kaceycooper33's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t want it to end. I loved this TV series and the book is even better.