readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t know nearly enough about Taiwan and its complicated history, which fact swiftly became apparent as I read Green Island. Ryan’s novel covers a sweeping number of years, focusing on the ripple effects within one family of the father’s decade-long imprisonment by Chinese nationalists. His family assumes he is dead, and his youngest daughter, our main character, can’t even remember what her father looked like because she was an infant when he was taken away. Imagine the tectonic shift that occurs when he arrives back home years later, a changed man integrating back into a changed family.
Her father isn’t the only one with political ideals to uphold. The narrator, once grown, and her husband also find themselves drawn into a dangerous web of secret meetings and risky alliances. I wish I had read more non-fiction on this topic before reading Green Island, so I could have felt the weight of the suspense more keenly. The main character is so quiet and reflective, her narration so understated, some of the impact was lost on me. If I’d had a better grasp on the historical foundation beforehand, I might not have wished for someone to come in with a megaphone all like “THIS PART IS SCARY” or “THAT RIGHT THERE IS SUPER SIGNIFICANT.”
Bottom line for me: more research needed.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Her father isn’t the only one with political ideals to uphold. The narrator, once grown, and her husband also find themselves drawn into a dangerous web of secret meetings and risky alliances. I wish I had read more non-fiction on this topic before reading Green Island, so I could have felt the weight of the suspense more keenly. The main character is so quiet and reflective, her narration so understated, some of the impact was lost on me. If I’d had a better grasp on the historical foundation beforehand, I might not have wished for someone to come in with a megaphone all like “THIS PART IS SCARY” or “THAT RIGHT THERE IS SUPER SIGNIFICANT.”
Bottom line for me: more research needed.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
rhodaj's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kdowli01's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-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
taylor_lin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cr8299's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I knew what I was getting into before starting this book. Needless to say, the book did not disappoint me. Even though it is fictional.... it felt too real not to cry and extremely relatable in terms of being a human.
It shows how life can be a rollercoaster and the best we can do is to just keep doing the best and moving forward.
It shows how life can be a rollercoaster and the best we can do is to just keep doing the best and moving forward.
alinabkl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ruyanda's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
3.0
I feel very conflicted about Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan. Books about Taiwan, English ones especially, are hard to come by. There just aren't very many books out there about the little country in East Asia I call home. Somewhere during my search, however, I stumbled upon this book, which touches on a dark part of Taiwanese history not many people, including myself, know about. So I thought it will be an interesting way to get to know my homeland through the lens of historical fiction.
And for the most part, Green Island is a good read. Yang Ryan says in the book that she did 14 years-worth of research for this book, since she's not Taiwanese by birth (she's born in California to a Taiwanese mother and a German father). Being a Taiwanese myself, there are little descriptions about Taiwan that only a Taiwanese or, in the case of Yang Ryan, a well-researched writer would know — and they are real delights to read. For example, the pink plastic table covers Taiwanese people use at banquets, the bottles of Apple Sidra at every family gathering, the star-shaped patterns on frosted windows of old homes, etc. These are little things that wouldn't mean anything to foreigners, but I was pleased to recognise them when I read the book. Even as a foreigner, Yang Ryan took the pains to include these authentic details, and I really appreciate that.
I also want to praise the family dynamics Yang Ryan creates in the first-third of the book. The Tsai family does feel like a living, breathing family that I can relate to, from the big sister who has to take care of everybody, to the big brother who's a reflection of the father, as well as the other brother who's also the Black Sheep of the family. I think Yang Ryan does a wonderful job at making the family come alive on the page — which is important, since the first-third of the book is also about how the family has to deal with the return of the father, who's captured, arrested and imprisoned early on in the book. You also see how the protagonist has to acquaint herself with a father figure whom she's never met before.
The second part of this book, which involves the protagonist moving to the US with her husband and settling down, borders on a political thriller, which is also quite surprising. Her husband becomes an activist against the ruling KMT party in Taiwan. However, the party’s agents continue to work undercover overseas as well, and we see a lot of ramifications of the husband’s activism and how it impacts the family. There are also several genuinely suspenseful bits in the second act that’s right up there with the best political thrillers on the market.
And therein lies my problem with this book.
The first act of the book leads you to believe that it is about the family, and how the family members have to help the returning father to get back on his feet again. You are also led to believe that it is about the relationship between the father and daughter, and how they have to rebuild years of lost time, all while the father has to deal with PTSD. And because the family dynamic is so well drawn out on the page, you really start to become invested in the family. You want the father to pull through. That is not to mention the fact that Yang Ryan includes a bombshell that the elder brother, a military servicemen, is a spy in the family!
But when act two begins and the protagonist moves to the US, the book completely forgoes the plot in Act 1. You don’t hear anything from the family, except for random phone calls or letters. Act 2 basically just reads like a domestic thriller that’s shoehorned into this other book about political oppression and its impact on a family. Don’t get me wrong, I quite like Act 2, but it just feels like a complete tonal change from the first part of the book, and just feels really divorced from everything else. And because Act 2 feels so disjointed, it’s hard to feel invested in the characters. You never quite know what the protagonist’s husband is up to in his ‘meetings’, and the subplot with Jia Bao, an escaped activist, also feel a bit tenuous at best. There is a section where they visit a former KMT general in exile, and I was looking forward to reading it. But that section is but a side note, which is a little disappointing.
The real problem comes in Act 3, however, when the story switches all the way back to Taiwan again. After decades being away, the protagonist visits her family in Taiwan, and suddenly we are back in Act 1 territories again. Many of the interesting plots introduced in Act 1 are either dropped or diluted due to the passage of time. I also feel like, because the author spent 14 years researching real-life events over the span of 50 years, she was too eager to include everything she read about. In the final 50 pages of the book, the author introduces Taiwan’s SARS crisis, and how the family gets stuck in a hospital. Aside from tying the narrative to real life events, I really cannot see how it adds to the overall story. It just feels like an ending that’s being dragged out for the sake of historical relevance and accuracy.
There is also a weird section at the front of the book where the protagonist narrates events that happened before her birth — but in first person. This device is never used throughout the rest of the book, which makes me wonder why Yang Ryan decided to do it in the first place. It’s just super odd to have the protagonist narrate events while she’s literally still in her mother’s womb.
As a whole, I am happy to have read a historical fiction book set in Taiwan, and I have learnt more about this dark period in our history. But I think there is a tighter, leaner book buried somewhere in here.
And for the most part, Green Island is a good read. Yang Ryan says in the book that she did 14 years-worth of research for this book, since she's not Taiwanese by birth (she's born in California to a Taiwanese mother and a German father). Being a Taiwanese myself, there are little descriptions about Taiwan that only a Taiwanese or, in the case of Yang Ryan, a well-researched writer would know — and they are real delights to read. For example, the pink plastic table covers Taiwanese people use at banquets, the bottles of Apple Sidra at every family gathering, the star-shaped patterns on frosted windows of old homes, etc. These are little things that wouldn't mean anything to foreigners, but I was pleased to recognise them when I read the book. Even as a foreigner, Yang Ryan took the pains to include these authentic details, and I really appreciate that.
I also want to praise the family dynamics Yang Ryan creates in the first-third of the book. The Tsai family does feel like a living, breathing family that I can relate to, from the big sister who has to take care of everybody, to the big brother who's a reflection of the father, as well as the other brother who's also the Black Sheep of the family. I think Yang Ryan does a wonderful job at making the family come alive on the page — which is important, since the first-third of the book is also about how the family has to deal with the return of the father, who's captured, arrested and imprisoned early on in the book. You also see how the protagonist has to acquaint herself with a father figure whom she's never met before.
The second part of this book, which involves the protagonist moving to the US with her husband and settling down, borders on a political thriller, which is also quite surprising. Her husband becomes an activist against the ruling KMT party in Taiwan. However, the party’s agents continue to work undercover overseas as well, and we see a lot of ramifications of the husband’s activism and how it impacts the family. There are also several genuinely suspenseful bits in the second act that’s right up there with the best political thrillers on the market.
And therein lies my problem with this book.
The first act of the book leads you to believe that it is about the family, and how the family members have to help the returning father to get back on his feet again. You are also led to believe that it is about the relationship between the father and daughter, and how they have to rebuild years of lost time, all while the father has to deal with PTSD. And because the family dynamic is so well drawn out on the page, you really start to become invested in the family. You want the father to pull through. That is not to mention the fact that Yang Ryan includes a bombshell that the elder brother, a military servicemen, is a spy in the family!
But when act two begins and the protagonist moves to the US, the book completely forgoes the plot in Act 1. You don’t hear anything from the family, except for random phone calls or letters. Act 2 basically just reads like a domestic thriller that’s shoehorned into this other book about political oppression and its impact on a family. Don’t get me wrong, I quite like Act 2, but it just feels like a complete tonal change from the first part of the book, and just feels really divorced from everything else. And because Act 2 feels so disjointed, it’s hard to feel invested in the characters. You never quite know what the protagonist’s husband is up to in his ‘meetings’, and the subplot with Jia Bao, an escaped activist, also feel a bit tenuous at best. There is a section where they visit a former KMT general in exile, and I was looking forward to reading it. But that section is but a side note, which is a little disappointing.
The real problem comes in Act 3, however, when the story switches all the way back to Taiwan again. After decades being away, the protagonist visits her family in Taiwan, and suddenly we are back in Act 1 territories again. Many of the interesting plots introduced in Act 1 are either dropped or diluted due to the passage of time. I also feel like, because the author spent 14 years researching real-life events over the span of 50 years, she was too eager to include everything she read about. In the final 50 pages of the book, the author introduces Taiwan’s SARS crisis, and how the family gets stuck in a hospital. Aside from tying the narrative to real life events, I really cannot see how it adds to the overall story. It just feels like an ending that’s being dragged out for the sake of historical relevance and accuracy.
There is also a weird section at the front of the book where the protagonist narrates events that happened before her birth — but in first person. This device is never used throughout the rest of the book, which makes me wonder why Yang Ryan decided to do it in the first place. It’s just super odd to have the protagonist narrate events while she’s literally still in her mother’s womb.
As a whole, I am happy to have read a historical fiction book set in Taiwan, and I have learnt more about this dark period in our history. But I think there is a tighter, leaner book buried somewhere in here.
wildblackberrydays's review against another edition
5.0
So far this book has me hooked. Update: Phenomenal. The narratives spun through historical events are so beautifully done. I highly recommend.