jeep8read's review against another edition
3.0
It was fun reading and an insightful read into life in early Singapore when it was ruled by the British. A young native girl who is hoping to establish a family independent life for herself becomes the temporary care-giver for the special-needs daughter of the current place-keeper governor and finds herself in the center of a murder mystery. It's an easy read and I enjoyed learning about the time and the customs.
kblincoln's review
4.0
This was a delightful palate refresher for me from my usual historical fantasy/Urban fantasy escapist reads, and a satisfying mystery.
Su Lin is the daughter of a rich Chinese family with slightly illegal dealings in colonial Singapore. She limps from childhood polio and so is considered bad luck by her family-- giving her a bit of freedom from the usual straight-to-marriage path to dream of a career as a secretary or journalist.
This desire for more launches her from the mission school to a temporary gig as the nanny of the developmentally delayed daughter of the island Governor whose official "white" nanny just fell to her death from a second floor verandah under suspicious circumstances. Add in an open-minded British Chief Inspector who sees the Malay, Indian, and Chinese Singaporeans as humans, and you've got an interesting little cozy mystery.
Honestly, the mystery wasn't as mesmerizing to me as the descriptions of foods, flauna, and customs of the period. There is a definite, strong and at times quite stereotypical theme of racism. For instance, the Governor is presented as sympathetic, but then is cast in a terrible light when a story about him shooting an Indian servant comes out, and he makes a stereotypical white-man boss move on Su Lin near the end of the story. Sigh.
There's also some repetitious stuff related to Su Lin's care for her charge that was a bit skim-worthy, but I'd definitely come back to the next book in this series the next time I need a cozy little read with cool historical Singapore flavor.
Su Lin is the daughter of a rich Chinese family with slightly illegal dealings in colonial Singapore. She limps from childhood polio and so is considered bad luck by her family-- giving her a bit of freedom from the usual straight-to-marriage path to dream of a career as a secretary or journalist.
This desire for more launches her from the mission school to a temporary gig as the nanny of the developmentally delayed daughter of the island Governor whose official "white" nanny just fell to her death from a second floor verandah under suspicious circumstances. Add in an open-minded British Chief Inspector who sees the Malay, Indian, and Chinese Singaporeans as humans, and you've got an interesting little cozy mystery.
Honestly, the mystery wasn't as mesmerizing to me as the descriptions of foods, flauna, and customs of the period. There is a definite, strong and at times quite stereotypical theme of racism. For instance, the Governor is presented as sympathetic, but then is cast in a terrible light when a story about him shooting an Indian servant comes out, and he makes a stereotypical white-man boss move on Su Lin near the end of the story. Sigh.
There's also some repetitious stuff related to Su Lin's care for her charge that was a bit skim-worthy, but I'd definitely come back to the next book in this series the next time I need a cozy little read with cool historical Singapore flavor.
mbest75's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
3.5
storytimed's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
3.0
Spoiler
Cute little mystery set in 1930s Singapore! The protagonist, Su Lin is set up as a Watson-type to Inspector Thomas LeFroy, a British police detectiveI thought the dynamics were, uhhhhhhhh. Interesting?? Especially the genius white guy protagonist who speaks Hokkien perfectly! and respects women!
I liked Su Lin's practicality and the vividly drawn setting, but the coziness of the narrative made it feel almost... pro-colonial. Not sure if that's due to the protagonist's perspective or the writer's, but it was enough to put me off reading further into the series
roshk99's review
3.0
Set in Singapore during the 1930s, this book follows a young female protagonist trying to navigate the cultural, economic, and gender power disparities of her world. Easy and entertaining read.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
A 2019 staff favorite recommended by Erica. Read her review on the Cook Memorial Public Library blog, Shelf Life: https://shelflife.cooklib.org/2019/04/16/ericas-pick-of-the-week-the-frangipani-tree-mystery/
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__SThe%20Frangipani%20Tree%20Mystery%20Yu__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__SThe%20Frangipani%20Tree%20Mystery%20Yu__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
mbondlamberty's review
4.0
Didn't take me that long to read actually, just been super busy.
Fun mystery, plenty of red herrings and some nice local color.
Would have been nice to have a little glossary (I don't read with my phone by me always).
Will pursue the next book in the series.
Fun mystery, plenty of red herrings and some nice local color.
Would have been nice to have a little glossary (I don't read with my phone by me always).
Will pursue the next book in the series.
ness1990's review against another edition
3.0
the premise of this book is interesting only because it takes place in 1936 singapore; however, the execution fell flat. the writing did not captivate me and i found that the word choices contributed in making the story come across as more silly rather than serious as it should have been.
the main character (su lin) has potential to grow yet goes through little to no character development, supporting characters who are ethnic minorities remain one-dimensional, and other supporting characters (who all happened to be white) who did receive more lines/passages were not very interesting or endearing enough for me to care for them except perhaps one (harry).
*SPOILERS*
su lin is physically beaten by mary, almost gets assaulted by sir henry, and then miss nessa tells her to forget the assault ever happened. for some reason, this is brushed under the rug by the characters and the author. nothing is done about it. su lin doesn't even question the abuse and accepts it.
and even after those events, she still confides in sir henry and miss nessa as if those two are trustworthy and have her best interests at heart. i just didn't enjoy how meek and naive su lin was throughout the novel.
the main character (su lin) has potential to grow yet goes through little to no character development, supporting characters who are ethnic minorities remain one-dimensional, and other supporting characters (who all happened to be white) who did receive more lines/passages were not very interesting or endearing enough for me to care for them except perhaps one (harry).
*SPOILERS*
su lin is physically beaten by mary, almost gets assaulted by sir henry, and then miss nessa tells her to forget the assault ever happened. for some reason, this is brushed under the rug by the characters and the author. nothing is done about it. su lin doesn't even question the abuse and accepts it.
and even after those events, she still confides in sir henry and miss nessa as if those two are trustworthy and have her best interests at heart. i just didn't enjoy how meek and naive su lin was throughout the novel.
social_eyes's review
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Minor: Blood