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sliippr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Devastating but beautiful. I was moved to my core on every page
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and War
gfiore11's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? N/A
4.5
I picked this book up on a trip to London to dive deeper into the UK immigrant experience. The author takes us on an emotional journey of her own family history, expertly weaving different sources and perspectives into a compelling narrative. She inserts herself late into the book in a way that brings the whole story together. Emotional, hopefully, and touching, I loved this book from start to finish. Get your tissues ready for the last chapter!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and War
Vietnam warciaravirk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, and War
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Classism
eldane's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
3.0
This was a lyrical, poetic, and moving fictional account of three siblings as they are forced to leave home in order to survive the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It was deeply emotional and tragic, but the reader doesn't really get to know the characters. There's a lot of telling and not showing, which I get frustrated with. There are also several timeskips that can be annoying, especially since you can't sit with the characters long enough. It was a beautiful and moving story I just didn't really feel connected with the characters or felt like I truly knew them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
lydia_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and War
aniglen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
5.0
A Vietnamese family are fleeing to Hong Kong but only half the family make it to the UK. This follows the journey of three siblings and their treacherous journey through refugee camps, and resettlement centres before finally arriving in Thatchers Britain where it seems they are not wanted.
The eldest of the siblings, Anh is only 15 and she quickly needs to become a role of parent to her two brothers. This is a heart breaking look at the experiences of refugees to find a better life. It deals with grief, losing one’s sense of self, belonging and family. There are magical realism chapters from the perspective of Duc, one of the siblings who didn’t make the journey protecting his family. There are also beautiful chapters looking at the traditions around grief. Most of all this book has the kindness of strangers and love at the very heart.
An incredible book which I learnt so much from. I have already started tabbing the pages that have affected me. I haven’t read literary fiction in a while and this book reminded me why I love that genre.
If you want to read a book about human connection, love against all costs without sugar coating the experience of millions of people every day, please read this.
The eldest of the siblings, Anh is only 15 and she quickly needs to become a role of parent to her two brothers. This is a heart breaking look at the experiences of refugees to find a better life. It deals with grief, losing one’s sense of self, belonging and family. There are magical realism chapters from the perspective of Duc, one of the siblings who didn’t make the journey protecting his family. There are also beautiful chapters looking at the traditions around grief. Most of all this book has the kindness of strangers and love at the very heart.
An incredible book which I learnt so much from. I have already started tabbing the pages that have affected me. I haven’t read literary fiction in a while and this book reminded me why I love that genre.
If you want to read a book about human connection, love against all costs without sugar coating the experience of millions of people every day, please read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Grief
megangrace's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Trafficking, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
bookishbee27's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
A fascinating, multi-generational exploration of asylum seeking and immigrant life written beautifully.
The good: I was really drawn in by the historical context Wandering Souls is set in and the issues addressed as the fleeing from Vietnam following the Vietnam War and resettlement of refugees in the UK under Thatcher's government is not something I had any prior knowledge of. Pin has clearly researched this well and paints a comprehensive picture of these issues which I found highly educational. I loved how the characters were written and found their voices to be rich and interesting throughout.
The not-so-good: For me, Wandering Souls lacked much going on and I would argue it was a slow burn rather than plot driven. At times this meant I wasn't reaching for it or that compelled.
I would draw similarities with Black Butterflies in covering an important and often overlooked period of history and social issues, but needing more plot development.
The good: I was really drawn in by the historical context Wandering Souls is set in and the issues addressed as the fleeing from Vietnam following the Vietnam War and resettlement of refugees in the UK under Thatcher's government is not something I had any prior knowledge of. Pin has clearly researched this well and paints a comprehensive picture of these issues which I found highly educational. I loved how the characters were written and found their voices to be rich and interesting throughout.
The not-so-good: For me, Wandering Souls lacked much going on and I would argue it was a slow burn rather than plot driven. At times this meant I wasn't reaching for it or that compelled.
I would draw similarities with Black Butterflies in covering an important and often overlooked period of history and social issues, but needing more plot development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Deportation
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and War
Minor: Drug use
skyfluff's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment