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lindsdc's review against another edition
5.0
"We were never the enemy. The enemy was our country's own fear."
It's a good time to read books about immigrants.
It's a good time to read books about immigrants.
hannaholford's review against another edition
3.0
I spent almost a year anticipating this book. I had listed it as to-read when it didn't even have a cover. Why? Because I read Under a Painted Sky and loved it so much that I couldn't wait to read Stacey Lee's next work. As well as the fact that, well, the plot looked promising.
And to be honest, the plot wasn't bad. It was a good story about a Chinese girl's struggle in early 20th century America: her longing to make something of herself and help her family out of the poverty which they were locked into. The characters were generally likeable, and I really liked the friendships that developed between them. That's something that Stacey Lee writes well - relationships.
What brought this book down to three stars for me was one simple thing: the Chinese sayings. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing different cultures expressed in books, and if there were only a few of these sayings, I would probably really appreciate them. But the problem was that it felt as if every single description had to incorporate a Chinese saying.
"Her pupils are like pencil dots on sky-blue paper, with pouches below them that Ma would say result from 'unshed tears'."
"White comforters and matching pillows outfit a pair of beds - beds Ma would never sleep in, as white sheets are normally used for funerals."
"A blond mustache hides in the sloped underhang of his nose, and his nostrils are thin, which Ma would say means he hangs onto money."
Oh, his thin nostrils means he hangs onto money? Well I guess a person's whole personality is based on their appearance, according to Ma. Some of these sayings work; some I feel are just devices used to describe a character without going to the trouble of having them actually show what they're like. I don't know about everyone else, but having some little quote from fortune-teller Ma every time a new character was introduced was irritating to me. Lee did it much better in Under a Painted Sky, I think. There was still the occasional "he was born in the year of the rabbit", but as a general rule it blended in better there.
Beyond the chinese sayings, I did also find the second half of the book (post-earthquake) a little boring. I don't blame the author for this, though: I could see others enjoying it, but for some reason it didn't really do it for me. I found it much more interesting reading about how Mercy got along in the boarding school.
I'll end this review on a positive: the characters. I really liked all the side characters, especially Francesca and Elodie. Especially Elodie. Okay, she was a bit of a prat in the first half of the book, but by the time the earthquake had happened, she got better. I loved how sassy she was, how she just didn't care what the others thought. And I especially liked that she and Mercy became friends in the end. I was hoping for that to happen the throughout the whole book.
Final verdict: Quite a good book, though slightly slow at times, and with a bit too many words of wisdom from fortune-teller Ma.
And to be honest, the plot wasn't bad. It was a good story about a Chinese girl's struggle in early 20th century America: her longing to make something of herself and help her family out of the poverty which they were locked into. The characters were generally likeable, and I really liked the friendships that developed between them. That's something that Stacey Lee writes well - relationships.
What brought this book down to three stars for me was one simple thing: the Chinese sayings. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing different cultures expressed in books, and if there were only a few of these sayings, I would probably really appreciate them. But the problem was that it felt as if every single description had to incorporate a Chinese saying.
"Her pupils are like pencil dots on sky-blue paper, with pouches below them that Ma would say result from 'unshed tears'."
"White comforters and matching pillows outfit a pair of beds - beds Ma would never sleep in, as white sheets are normally used for funerals."
"A blond mustache hides in the sloped underhang of his nose, and his nostrils are thin, which Ma would say means he hangs onto money."
Oh, his thin nostrils means he hangs onto money? Well I guess a person's whole personality is based on their appearance, according to Ma. Some of these sayings work; some I feel are just devices used to describe a character without going to the trouble of having them actually show what they're like. I don't know about everyone else, but having some little quote from fortune-teller Ma every time a new character was introduced was irritating to me. Lee did it much better in Under a Painted Sky, I think. There was still the occasional "he was born in the year of the rabbit", but as a general rule it blended in better there.
Beyond the chinese sayings, I did also find the second half of the book (post-earthquake) a little boring. I don't blame the author for this, though: I could see others enjoying it, but for some reason it didn't really do it for me. I found it much more interesting reading about how Mercy got along in the boarding school.
I'll end this review on a positive: the characters. I really liked all the side characters, especially Francesca and Elodie. Especially Elodie. Okay, she was a bit of a prat in the first half of the book, but by the time the earthquake had happened, she got better. I loved how sassy she was, how she just didn't care what the others thought. And I especially liked that she and Mercy became friends in the end. I was hoping for that to happen the throughout the whole book.
Final verdict: Quite a good book, though slightly slow at times, and with a bit too many words of wisdom from fortune-teller Ma.
d1an1ta's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? No
3.5
beckyb16's review against another edition
3.0
Set in San Francisco in 1906 - this is the story of Mercy Wong - a Chinese immigrant trying desperately to make a new name for herself and get a strong education at the girl's school, where Chinese girls are not welcome. Lee deftly tells the story of the struggles Chinese immigrants fought against as they tried to become part of society and make names for themselves. I found this interesting and eye-opening - not only the treatment of the Chinese but also the historic earthquake and what that might have done for the city of San Francisco as well.
amyk1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
allie_schick's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
booksarebetter's review against another edition
3.0
I tried. I managed 100 pages before I sadly dnf'd as I just wasn't clicking with it. The writing was fine, but maybe I'm just not in the mood for young adult. I'll try again later but for now I'm going to say that this was 2.5 ⭐.
abbycostello1999's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
4.5
tdasilva26's review against another edition
5.0
So good! Literally in tears at the end because I was just so connected to the characters. I can’t believe Stacey Lee isn’t more popular, I’ve loved every book by her I read. Clean historical fiction with a sweet romance that made me long for more and even hints of faith within it which was a pleasant surprise. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!! I will never see the names Mercy or Jack the same!