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ashkitty93's review against another edition
3.0
A really good book about the power of choices and the secrets we keep from the people we love most. The audiobook is read by five amazing women.
readincolour's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this from start to finish. Didn't want to put it down and didn't want it to end.
librariandest's review against another edition
3.0
I'm ambivalent about this one.
What I liked: The story centers women's voices. Each woman is a fully realized character with a complete backstory. They're all interesting and the audiobook narrators portraying them were excellent!
What I didn't like: The women's lives revolve around men and the men are kind of flat one-dimensional characters, especially Bohai. I never understood what his deal was.
What I liked: The story stretches from the 1890s to the 1960s, spanning three generations, showing how each woman is impacted by her relationship to her parents -- and also how they're impacted by the Boxer Rebellion and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The story moves around in time, putting the pieces of the puzzle together in a mostly satisfying way.
What I didn't like: Sometimes the writing was on the florid side and seemed to meander. Some of the revelations were not so satisfying to me and ultimately the story doesn't offer a lot of hope (at least not the way I read it), particularly when it came to the theme of finding your "fated match."
Overall, I was a little disappointed but I still liked it.
What I liked: The story centers women's voices. Each woman is a fully realized character with a complete backstory. They're all interesting and the audiobook narrators portraying them were excellent!
What I didn't like: The women's lives revolve around men and the men are kind of flat one-dimensional characters, especially Bohai. I never understood what his deal was.
What I liked: The story stretches from the 1890s to the 1960s, spanning three generations, showing how each woman is impacted by her relationship to her parents -- and also how they're impacted by the Boxer Rebellion and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The story moves around in time, putting the pieces of the puzzle together in a mostly satisfying way.
What I didn't like: Sometimes the writing was on the florid side and seemed to meander. Some of the revelations were not so satisfying to me and ultimately the story doesn't offer a lot of hope (at least not the way I read it), particularly when it came to the theme of finding your "fated match."
Overall, I was a little disappointed but I still liked it.
lindseysparks's review against another edition
3.0
A good solid read but not overly memorable. I haven't read many (any?) books set in Hawaii so I did enjoy that aspect a lot.
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library book
lisanussd's review against another edition
5.0
Very tightly written book about 3 generations of families who immigrated from China to Oahu. Although the novel is described as historical fiction...the history is a convenient backdrop and takes a minor role in this novel. The book is a family saga mostly told through the perspective of the women.
Reading as many novels as I have...I have started to classify the novels by the “secrets” that need to be revealed. The novels bounce back between past and “present,” and the secrets are many. The author, Wong, did a good job with the various reveals.
This book was a 5 star family saga. I felt that the characters were well-developed and the pace of the book was good. There was a lot of reference to fate and how the characters dealt with the choices that they made. Although some of the characters were hard to like, the writing was very good. Also, I remember being sad when there only 30 pages left.
Reading as many novels as I have...I have started to classify the novels by the “secrets” that need to be revealed. The novels bounce back between past and “present,” and the secrets are many. The author, Wong, did a good job with the various reveals.
This book was a 5 star family saga. I felt that the characters were well-developed and the pace of the book was good. There was a lot of reference to fate and how the characters dealt with the choices that they made. Although some of the characters were hard to like, the writing was very good. Also, I remember being sad when there only 30 pages left.
lotusnbooks's review against another edition
5.0
“But I couldn’t help but wonder how it felt; to love so tenaciously that the world could crack and fall around you, that everything you believed could be a lie, and yet you continue to wait. You continue to wait, full of hope, for someone who would never arrive.”
This beautiful tragedy twists the concepts of fate and free will until they’re indistinguishable from the other. It’s a story of waiting, of lying, of bad timing, of family we choose, or try to forget. The characters stumble, clumsily, towards their imagined version of a happy-ending, meanwhile, entangling themselves in the worst possible version of their life, never satisfied. I loved the women of this story the most. The interwoven points of view and time jumps were easy to follow, and created a perfectly dysfunctional family that I felt I had known for a long, long time. The blend of cultures (Hawaiian, Chinese, American) were familiar and foreign, strangely comforting. I didn’t expect the story to end so quickly, yet everything feels just as should be, as if this is all we need to know.
This beautiful tragedy twists the concepts of fate and free will until they’re indistinguishable from the other. It’s a story of waiting, of lying, of bad timing, of family we choose, or try to forget. The characters stumble, clumsily, towards their imagined version of a happy-ending, meanwhile, entangling themselves in the worst possible version of their life, never satisfied. I loved the women of this story the most. The interwoven points of view and time jumps were easy to follow, and created a perfectly dysfunctional family that I felt I had known for a long, long time. The blend of cultures (Hawaiian, Chinese, American) were familiar and foreign, strangely comforting. I didn’t expect the story to end so quickly, yet everything feels just as should be, as if this is all we need to know.
miszjeanie's review against another edition
5.0
I was very skeptical about this book because of the mixed reviews, but I am so glad I didn’t heed the advice of the negative reviewers.
What. a. story.
Wong is a masterful storyteller and her language is pristine. The descriptive prowess in this book is overpowering and yet, it feels just right. Diamond Head is told in turns by the Leong women and it is a story of secrets. The secrets a family have kept and the ways they have been mangled by these secrets.
A soaring family saga, this book is an emotional rollercoaster, deeply engrossing and so true to life. Every member of the Leong family, especially Bohai, is engraved on my heart. It’s not a perfect book and I honestly found Theresa annoying, but Wong will have you grappling with all the issues these characters face.
Diamond Head is writing well done.
What. a. story.
Wong is a masterful storyteller and her language is pristine. The descriptive prowess in this book is overpowering and yet, it feels just right. Diamond Head is told in turns by the Leong women and it is a story of secrets. The secrets a family have kept and the ways they have been mangled by these secrets.
A soaring family saga, this book is an emotional rollercoaster, deeply engrossing and so true to life. Every member of the Leong family, especially Bohai, is engraved on my heart. It’s not a perfect book and I honestly found Theresa annoying, but Wong will have you grappling with all the issues these characters face.
Diamond Head is writing well done.
puppyphant's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
Wonderful, interesting story. Enjoyable read. But, I was confused about the intended message.
gabbyhm's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
I love a good family drama, and Wong has pieced together an elaborate one here. Multiple generations of a Chinese-Hawaiian shipping family grapple with guilty secrets, some of them pretty juicy. But for me, the book lacked forward momentum. I wanted to know what would happen next, but I didn't have to know. I wish I'd had a harder time putting it aside.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com