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oz2021's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Child death and Car accident
rei_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
rosasparks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Colonisation, and Classism
joshloftin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Zhang’s prose simmers with compelling detail and evocative descriptions of place, food, and sex. Her skill with words, however, doesn’t move the story forward. The middle of the book often feels like a slog, while the ending seems both rushed and unnecessary.
Aside from pacing, some of the plot devices and characters also serve as social commentary but remain one-dimensional cutouts and caricatures (in particular, the tech bro). The most interesting character, in fact, may be the cat.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content
machenn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
Animals are going extinct and the environment is devastated. In this world, a cook accepts a position to cook for the wealthy on a reclusive Italian mountain. At first unsure about her employer and his intentions, she slowly begins to understand more about her position as she gets to know his daughter. But there are questions about the true intentions of her employer and those who come to the mountain as she gets further and further entangled in their lives.
C Pam Zhang has crafted a fascinating character study in a near future that shows us the perils of what may happen if we do not take ecological disaster seriously. The main character is an intriguing and deeply flawed character, which actually makes them more interesting to follow. I really appreciated how the truth of the world and the situation that the cook is in were slowly peeled back through her interactions. Many of the supporting characters were frustrating but in a very human, believable way. I would have loved to learn more about the world but I don't believe that was the intent of this book. I also really appreciated the food writing and how C Pam Zhang talked about different ingredients and dishes.
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual assault and Car accident
trin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
rebcamuse's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
The imagery and descriptive writing is phenomenal. Zhang is deliberate in linking language across the story: the "calculus of loss" becomes the "connoisseurship of loss"--a subtle juxtaposition spaced several chapters apart, easy to miss. Metaphors abound: "...as I would not serve bitter greens without the consolation of oil, I began to keep back my less palatable feelings..." The insights, too, are plentiful: "Across the years it is hard to make out this version of myself, so blinkered by ambition that she sprinted through thirty years without asking, why?"
It was a slower "read" for me than I anticipated, but there is, forgive me, much to chew upon.
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
ohknellah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Vomit, Death of parent, and Classism
jayisreading's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racism, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use, Car accident, and Alcohol