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constantinareads's review against another edition
2.0
Una dintre temele din acest roman tocmai prietenia este, alături de suferință. E o poveste tristă pe de-a lungul cărții, dar în același timp ne arată că nu doar fericirea financiară contează într-o familie și că oamenii cu însușiri diferite se pot înțelege.
Floarea-Soarelui e o fetiță frumoasă fără mamă care se împrietenește cu un copil bun, dar mut, Bronz. Împreună se joacă, iar după ce moare tatăl fetei, familia lui Bronz o va adopta... Chiar dacă sunt săraci, Floarea-Soarelui îi va îndrăgi și membrii familiei pe ea, trecând peste neputințe împreună.
I-am dat doar 2✨ pentru că nu pot să zic că am îndrăgit cartea, dar a fost interesantă.
Floarea-Soarelui e o fetiță frumoasă fără mamă care se împrietenește cu un copil bun, dar mut, Bronz. Împreună se joacă, iar după ce moare tatăl fetei, familia lui Bronz o va adopta... Chiar dacă sunt săraci, Floarea-Soarelui îi va îndrăgi și membrii familiei pe ea, trecând peste neputințe împreună.
I-am dat doar 2✨ pentru că nu pot să zic că am îndrăgit cartea, dar a fost interesantă.
briannalynn's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
imkate_sand's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
4.25
While I did enjoy this translated children's book, it did have some issues for me. One is that I didn't quite care for Sunflower always being the "chosen" or "special" person constantly in the whole novel. It got quite annoying that she was basically helpless every time something came up, and then when she did try to help, it always ended in disaster, and her family has to go behind her and fix what she messed up. That happened a lot in the book. Another being that this novel was basically almost a set of short stories with the same characters. I don't know if that was lost in translation or not.
What I did like were some of the things I learned throughout the book. The May Seventh Cadre School being one. Especially in Westernized history, I had never really learned about any of those things before, which is what is leading me towards translated literature and literature from people of color. Another thing I liked was the connections of fate that are intertwined throughout the story. Not a spoiler, but the fact that Sunflower's father was an artist that made Bronze Sunflowers, and then Bronze and Sunflower are brought together by fate as if with her late father's blessing was impressive. That does bring me to Bronze and Sunflower's relationship. It was so sweet the love they had for each other. It genuinely made me so happy the loyalty and unconditional love and caregiving that they gave to one another. It was very wholesome. One last thing that I loved in the story was the language. The translation was fantastically done. I have not read that much translation fiction, and I am by no means an expert, but the language and metaphors were beautiful, especially the ones that involved nature.
Overall, I would recommend it for a sweet and childlike read with some heartfelt topics.
What I did like were some of the things I learned throughout the book. The May Seventh Cadre School being one. Especially in Westernized history, I had never really learned about any of those things before, which is what is leading me towards translated literature and literature from people of color. Another thing I liked was the connections of fate that are intertwined throughout the story. Not a spoiler, but the fact that Sunflower's father was an artist that made Bronze Sunflowers, and then Bronze and Sunflower are brought together by fate as if with her late father's blessing was impressive. That does bring me to Bronze and Sunflower's relationship. It was so sweet the love they had for each other. It genuinely made me so happy the loyalty and unconditional love and caregiving that they gave to one another. It was very wholesome. One last thing that I loved in the story was the language. The translation was fantastically done. I have not read that much translation fiction, and I am by no means an expert, but the language and metaphors were beautiful, especially the ones that involved nature.
Overall, I would recommend it for a sweet and childlike read with some heartfelt topics.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
amylandranch's review against another edition
3.0
The book is beautifully written and is brimming with imagery and love and family. But the story is so slow and long and so uneventful at times that it was difficult to stay interested. I liked learning about what life was like in China and I liked the values the villagers had. It was just not my cup of tea. I hope there are students who will pick it up and love it. 5th grade and up.
truestorydesu's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully translated book about two young children growing up in rural China during the Cultural Revolution. A very heartwarming tale of a family sticking together no matter what in the face of poverty and diversity. Can't believe I hadn't heard of this book til it was assigned in my MLIS program! Love it love it love it. Stop everything and read it now.
caeristhiona's review against another edition
5.0
Warning: this is a weeping book. But it's very much worth it. Beautifully written and deeply touching. The two main characters are a pair of best friends living in rural China during the Cultural Revolution, who eventually become siblings when one of them is adopted by the other's family. The story is very episodic, with a very thin through line - almost more like a series of short stories. But it gives a gorgeous picture of a world that most children, especially in the US, know very little about.
It should also be noted that Bronze displays many symptoms of being autistic, though it's never explicitly stated and indeed wouldn't really be a word available to the largely illiterate population of his small town. He has selective mutism, but it's handled marvelously. It's simply his quirk, one of the things that makes him lovable to his sister Sunflower. There's very little fanfare about it, and he is given as vibrant and complex an inner life as any of the characters.
It should also be noted that Bronze displays many symptoms of being autistic, though it's never explicitly stated and indeed wouldn't really be a word available to the largely illiterate population of his small town. He has selective mutism, but it's handled marvelously. It's simply his quirk, one of the things that makes him lovable to his sister Sunflower. There's very little fanfare about it, and he is given as vibrant and complex an inner life as any of the characters.
ginkgotree's review
Read Harder Challenge: A middle grade book that doesn't take place in the US or UK
I'm not sure how much an American child would get out of this book. It reminded me a little of the Little House books, in that it is largely day-in-the-life of people struggling to survive off the land. I like that kind of thing but it's grimmer than most American books for kids this age, I think. There also isn't any context given for the presence of the cadre school people, except for a brief note at the end, but perhaps context isn't really important. What's important is the love of Bronze and Sunflower's family, and that's a beautiful thing.
I'm not sure how much an American child would get out of this book. It reminded me a little of the Little House books, in that it is largely day-in-the-life of people struggling to survive off the land. I like that kind of thing but it's grimmer than most American books for kids this age, I think. There also isn't any context given for the presence of the cadre school people, except for a brief note at the end, but perhaps context isn't really important. What's important is the love of Bronze and Sunflower's family, and that's a beautiful thing.