lbb00ks's review against another edition
A love story mostly told as a long flashback with a magical realism quality and what felt like a quite simple, fairy-tale lesson.
aprilyang1's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t have much to say about this book because I don’t know how to word it. It was simple, yet beautifully moving. You didn’t need extra details or fluffy writing to learn from or experience Tin Win and Mi Mi’s love. It’s a delicate, innocent, and moving story. I felt intrigued because I wanted to know what happened to Julia’s father Tin Win, to understand why he left, and to determine if I felt angry, sad, or happy for him.
Julia is ignorant, but not in a negative way. Just in the way most people living like you or me would be if we traveled to a small remote and isolated village in a foreign country. As an upper middle class lawyer living in New York she has her opinions, but during her trip she learns and accepts and understands.
A beautiful story that I think you can only really understand if you read it for yourself.
Julia is ignorant, but not in a negative way. Just in the way most people living like you or me would be if we traveled to a small remote and isolated village in a foreign country. As an upper middle class lawyer living in New York she has her opinions, but during her trip she learns and accepts and understands.
A beautiful story that I think you can only really understand if you read it for yourself.
macaylahbortner's review against another edition
4.0
I highlighted, underlined, & tabbed the heck out of this. So many beautiful quotes and thought-provoking sentiments…all told through “tale within a tale” format, which worked tremendously well for this storyline.
brunchisyum's review against another edition
5.0
After the first chapter, much like the protagonist, I thought no love story could justify the predicament the protagonist found herself in. I was wrong. I was moved deeply and each page compelled the next. One of my favorite reads this year!
pegbw's review against another edition
3.0
Though the story is lovely, the over-attention to detail and flowery adjectives was tiresome to get through for so many pages of the book.
nataliegriffin's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely gorgeous story! It had me fully captivated from beginning to end!
jannanis's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
nglofile's review against another edition
3.0
2 1/2 stars. Not without merit, but it didn't meet my expectations. A few of my complaints:
audiobook note: Once again, Cassandra Campbell's emotive narration helps better stabilize what would otherwise have been an uneven reading experience. Her talent and effort are what induced me to round up.
Spoiler
1) I'm so over the "lovers wrongly separated for years because someone intercepted letters and lied to keep them apart" construct. Why do so many writers lean on this? 2) The story-within-a-story structure only works if we are equally invested in both AND if there is satisfying payoff to both. Didn't happen here. 3)What I found most troubling was the betrayal of Julia and her mother by her father -- both ongoing for years in his heart and then in action without a word of goodbye, explanation, or concern. Selfish. Heartless. Unforgivable.audiobook note: Once again, Cassandra Campbell's emotive narration helps better stabilize what would otherwise have been an uneven reading experience. Her talent and effort are what induced me to round up.
hgranger's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this book in less than a day because I just had to know what would happen. Then I kicked myself because I should have taken the rather obvious clue from "The Prince, The Princess, and the Crocodile" and known that it would result in me sobbing ugly, snotty tears. So there's that.
I like the message that life doesn't have to have a happy ending to be beautiful. I liked Su Kyi's approach to life -- bad things happen to everyone, you can't control it, just try to find happiness when you can. I liked Julia's journey of discovery, and the descriptions that made me feel like I was right there in Burma (Myanmar!) with Tin Win, Mi Mi, and later Julia too. It is also interesting to read about superstitions that govern people's lives. (Tin's mother, uncle, etc.) Sometimes they seem ridiculous but are hey any more or less so than the things we let control us?
On the negative side: I don't like feeling emotionally manipulated, and I felt that I had been at the end of the book. The lovers dying together after one last reunion...meh. I prefer some good years with a bit of bickering but happiness found in everyday life. Also, Tin Win and Mi Mi's love story is very beautiful, but...
- she's a little too perfect. She really doesn't even get a little miffed when that abominable uncle sends her the letter? Come on!
- the "hidden letters" scenario is too used and too lazy as a tool to move the story along. Sorry. At some point, send a messenger if you're not getting a response.
- no matter how sweet and poignant and utterly unfair T and M's love story was, it's not enough for him to smile enigmatically and then just disappear. (Like his mother did to him....) He owed it to his family to at least say goodbye. No bueno, Tin.
I like the message that life doesn't have to have a happy ending to be beautiful. I liked Su Kyi's approach to life -- bad things happen to everyone, you can't control it, just try to find happiness when you can. I liked Julia's journey of discovery, and the descriptions that made me feel like I was right there in Burma (Myanmar!) with Tin Win, Mi Mi, and later Julia too. It is also interesting to read about superstitions that govern people's lives. (Tin's mother, uncle, etc.) Sometimes they seem ridiculous but are hey any more or less so than the things we let control us?
On the negative side: I don't like feeling emotionally manipulated, and I felt that I had been at the end of the book. The lovers dying together after one last reunion...meh. I prefer some good years with a bit of bickering but happiness found in everyday life. Also, Tin Win and Mi Mi's love story is very beautiful, but...
- she's a little too perfect. She really doesn't even get a little miffed when that abominable uncle sends her the letter? Come on!
- the "hidden letters" scenario is too used and too lazy as a tool to move the story along. Sorry. At some point, send a messenger if you're not getting a response.
- no matter how sweet and poignant and utterly unfair T and M's love story was, it's not enough for him to smile enigmatically and then just disappear. (Like his mother did to him....) He owed it to his family to at least say goodbye. No bueno, Tin.
jlvgriffin's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
- 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