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jasmine_470's review against another edition
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence
Minor: Car accident and Colonisation
kappafrog's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
This book felt like an instant classic. I was totally drawn into the story and read it in two days. It was my first time in a long time reading a family saga like this, and I really enjoyed it.
The writing style is really beautiful. I highlighted so many different passages. Here are a few favourite quotes:
"We would never have to lean on our stories to save us. We'd never need saving at all. Our roots would lift from the earth and carry us someplace where the dread would not pull us down."
"I see Banyan House for what it is: a home for women, a shaggy, worn, and vicious protector of the bruised, the tender."
"How love, for all its treachery, finds me in the last, unexpected moments of light."
"And I didn't tell him that none of it had been wasted at all, because I knew he would not see it that way."
Each of the three main characters was so complicated. Ann was the least sympathetic, as she had a coldness towards her mother that was hard to read at times, but her character growth was really great. My favourite of the three was Huong.I wish we had gotten her voice once again at the end, after the Banyan House burned down. I could tell that a weight had been lifted off her after it was gone, the room where Vinh died finally destroyed like she'd wanted it to be for all those years. I suspect she knew that Phuoc was the one who burned the house down, from some of the hints we got in the dialogue. Whether she confronted him about it and that was why he moved away, I'm not sure. I was really glad that Ann came to appreciate her mother more by the end.
Minh's passages were always so interesting, looking back on her long life. With each of these women, you understood why they did the things they did. I wish I had a more eloquent way of describing how rich the relationships in this book are. You can really feel the weight of the atmosphere of the places described in the book too. The heat and humidity of the Florida summer hangs down over everyone like bugs dancing on the water of a swamp. The Banyan House had such personality, and I loved the way that the folk tale about the moon was woven through.
I was glad that Ann and Wes didn't end up together. Their scenes were often really nice, but Crystal talking about how unhappy Fiona had been made me very wary of him at the end. I was a little disappointed that some of the secrets the Tran women kept weren't communicated to each other, after the ominous passages about how the Banyan House couldn't handle the weight of all the secrets, and neither could they. I also had very mixed feelings about Ann naming her son Bính. It felt like a root to the past that wasn't needed, especially since we knew what a cad the original Bính was, though she of course didn't. It was an odd note for me and I'm not sure how it'll sit with me over time. There was also one mystery that was never addressed, the cryptic references Minh made to "the Lady" who had once owned the house.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes family sagas. This one feels like it will be talked about for a long time to come, read in classes and book clubs with discussions of all the symbolism, layers of truth, and revelations that come as the story goes on. It was hard to read at times and is very sad, but the three women were so interesting to read about.
The writing style is really beautiful. I highlighted so many different passages. Here are a few favourite quotes:
"I see Banyan House for what it is: a home for women, a shaggy, worn, and vicious protector of the bruised, the tender."
"How love, for all its treachery, finds me in the last, unexpected moments of light."
"And I didn't tell him that none of it had been wasted at all, because I knew he would not see it that way."
Each of the three main characters was so complicated. Ann was the least sympathetic, as she had a coldness towards her mother that was hard to read at times, but her character growth was really great. My favourite of the three was Huong.
Minh's passages were always so interesting, looking back on her long life. With each of these women, you understood why they did the things they did. I wish I had a more eloquent way of describing how rich the relationships in this book are. You can really feel the weight of the atmosphere of the places described in the book too. The heat and humidity of the Florida summer hangs down over everyone like bugs dancing on the water of a swamp. The Banyan House had such personality, and I loved the way that the folk tale about the moon was woven through.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes family sagas. This one feels like it will be talked about for a long time to come, read in classes and book clubs with discussions of all the symbolism, layers of truth, and revelations that come as the story goes on. It was hard to read at times and is very sad, but the three women were so interesting to read about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Vomit, Medical content, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Stalking, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
mlovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
How love, for all its treachery, finds me in the last, unexpected moments of light.
I didn't want this book to end. It was a beautiful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Racism
Moderate: Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
futuretreeman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book, man. Wrenched at my heart in every way possible. I am a sucker for complicated parental relationships! And does this book have that! The characters are maybe some of the most complex characters I've ever read. They are so full of flaws and can be quite awful to each other. I loved getting to read from each of their POVs. If the story was only written from the perspective of one, I would be inclined to think of the others as the villains of the story. But you just can't, each one makes mistakes and some of them horrible but . . .
I read this book as I am in the folds of moving on from my own broken relationships. We were horrible to each other, in many ways me more than them, just as these characters were horrible to each other. But it was wonderful to see that they could still love, care, and support each other anyway.
My critque?
Thai used a lot of metaphors in her writing and many were beautiful! But there were also many that did not make a whole lot of sense to me. And those little moments took me out of the book a little bit. They multiplied in a way that sometimes made it hard to see past their cliche and into the powerful thoughts they were supposed to be.
This next bit is not a critique to the author. Some of the chapters from Minh's POV also took me away from the story a bit. And I don't think it was because they were poorly written or nonvaluable. I think it was maybe my own afterlife beliefs. Everything in the story is so raw and real, but hearing from the ghost of somebody in that context was strange. I think that because I don't believe in an afterlife, it was hard for those chapters to feel as real to me as the others.
Though I am sure someone who does believe in the afterlife would not have the same qualms with the chapters as I did.
I did find those chapters illuminating to Minh's character though. And when she took us back to her past in Vietnam, how everything started, I was able to fall back into the story; those were wonderful moments.
Every chapter brought us a new twist. Some, granted, quite a lot bigger than others. Thai keeps you coming back from the moment meet our 3 badass women choking on red tide toxins.
Thank you Thao Thai.
I read this book as I am in the folds of moving on from my own broken relationships. We were horrible to each other, in many ways me more than them, just as these characters were horrible to each other. But it was wonderful to see that they could still love, care, and support each other anyway.
My critque?
Thai used a lot of metaphors in her writing and many were beautiful! But there were also many that did not make a whole lot of sense to me. And those little moments took me out of the book a little bit. They multiplied in a way that sometimes made it hard to see past their cliche and into the powerful thoughts they were supposed to be.
This next bit is not a critique to the author. Some of the chapters from Minh's POV also took me away from the story a bit. And I don't think it was because they were poorly written or nonvaluable. I think it was maybe my own afterlife beliefs. Everything in the story is so raw and real, but hearing from the ghost of somebody in that context was strange. I think that because I don't believe in an afterlife, it was hard for those chapters to feel as real to me as the others.
Though I am sure someone who does believe in the afterlife would not have the same qualms with the chapters as I did.
I did find those chapters illuminating to Minh's character though. And when she took us back to her past in Vietnam, how everything started, I was able to fall back into the story; those were wonderful moments.
Every chapter brought us a new twist. Some, granted, quite a lot bigger than others. Thai keeps you coming back from the moment meet our 3 badass women choking on red tide toxins.
Thank you Thao Thai.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
gondorgirl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Colonisation, and Classism
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