Reviews

Paradise of the Blind by Dương Thu Hương

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karinlib's review against another edition

4.0

A coming of age story in Hanoi Vietnam. Hang is an only child who has never known her father. She receives a telegram from her Uncle Chinh that he is very ill, and he needs her to go to Moscow immediately. While she is on the train to Moscow, she looks back on her life with her mother. Through these memories, we begin to understand what her life was like under the communist regime.
I enjoyed Duong's writing, and I found the story compelling

christinem's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

chloeesarvis's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.0

thekatbite's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

monsonkm22's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

jolierice99's review against another edition

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4.0

This was actually a really beautiful story about a daughter and her complicated relationship with her mother and aunt, struggling with socio-economic related problems that are the root of the strained relationships she has with her mother and aunt, as well as the root of her mother's issues with her aunt. This story is a lightly veiled memoir about the author, and her desire to please her mother, succeed in life, and not abandon her family, no matter how shitty her uncle is. It is raw and human and really melancholy, but a fascinating different perspective of a different generation and culture in a different country.