Reviews

Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad

railske96's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

deh30's review against another edition

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Depressing & disjointed

curiouslykaylee's review against another edition

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2.0

This book was definitely an odd choice for me, but that is the point of my library’s reading challenge

lizzie_maxfield's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.0

Loved how the separate storylines all weaved together.
I spent so long trying to figure out the timeline - didn't anticipate that part would be set in the future!

krobinson9292's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

occions's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

2.5

newobhannah's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

abbydee's review against another edition

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Should have saved it for #monsoonreads! Instead I read this in the driest of dry seasons here. Ah well. Our ecological problems are different.

I read this out of a specific interest in books with consistent place and variable time. Sudbanthad pulls this off as elegantly as perhaps it can be done. The book’s pivot is the city of Krungthep/Bangkok, and more specifically a single house, but the linked stories are also stitched together by characters who overlap each other’s lives through the generations. And as with other books with a sort of similar conceit (When I Sing Mountains Dance), I wanted there to be something stronger or more urgent pulling all those stories together. I wanted narrative, not portrait. I appreciate the elegance but I still prefer an early sense of why, what are we doing here? What's the occasion? How exactly did all these people end up in the same book? Eventually I settled down and put my questions aside and enjoyed it very much, especially the futuristic cli-fi elements. But I’m still thinking about whether a place, on its own, is strong enough connective tissue to be satisfying. 

alliekcav's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced
  • 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

3.5