Reviews tagging 'War'

Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

35 reviews

amyeicher's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Abandonment, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, Alcoholism, Rape, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

_cararichardson's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

This was a good read, but didn’t blow me away. It was an interesting story, I’ve never read about this particular topic before. I do think the issues it raised were very important, war, trauma, the plight of sex workers and how the Vietnam war harmed all parties involved. However I found some of the characters and relationships a little flat and the story line was kind of predictable. I thought the writing was very pretty and it did end on a positive note.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content and War

ajira's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Infidelity, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Death

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Misogyny

nadia's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

meatballmoney's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Child death, Cursing, and War

moniipeters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Abandonment, Abortion, Body horror, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Torture, Trafficking, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Racial slurs, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

augie_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Xenophobia, Racism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Grief, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Death, and Abortion

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

1969 åker systrarna Trang och Qunh till Saigon för att arbeta och hjälpa sina föräldrar med skulderna. De får jobb på en bar där de ska flirta med amerikanska soldater och få dem att köpa drinkar. 

Dan, amerikansk helikopterpilot under Vietnam-kriget, bestämmer sig i nutid för att åka tillbaka till Vietnam och konfrontera sitt förflutna. Samtidigt söker Phong efter sina föräldrar efter att ha blivit lämnad på barnhem som baby. 

Askans barn kallas de barn som har en vietnamesisk mamma och en amerikansk pappa. De flesta växte upp under svåra förhållanden och bespottades av alla. Tyvärr en tragisk verklighet där man kan se att Vietnam-kriget (eller det amerikanska kriget, som vietnameserna kallar det) fortfarande har konsekvenser. Ännu en gång har jag fått lära mig mer om effekterna av detta krig och det skär i hjärtat att tänka på alla liv som förstörts. Tack och lov finns här även värme och hopp, så allt är inte tragiskt och nattsvart. 

Jag kan förstå att "Där askan blommar" är nominerad till Årets bok, men jag blir ändå inte lika överväldigad som jag blev av författarens förra bok, "När bergen sjunger". Kanske beror det bara på att jag inte hade några speciella förväntningar inför läsningen av den boken, medan jag nu visste vad jag kunde förvänta mig. Kanske beror det på att jag hade ovanligt svårt att hålla isär de vietnamesiska namnen och blandade ihop karaktärerna mer än en gång. Jag vet inte riktigt, men det här är ändå en väldigt bra bok och jag tycker att författarens båda böcker bör läsas av alla som tycker om att lära sig saker medan de läser, samtidigt som de uppskattar ett fint språk och en bra berättad historia.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Death, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Pregnancy, Racism, and War

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Infertility, Addiction, Suicide, and Infidelity

lizmart88's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

I've read several books from the city Vietnamese perspective on the war. This one is set during the war and focuses on two sisters who become hostesses at a bar entertaining GIs in Saigon. It also follows in the present day Dan, a former helicopter pilot, and his wife, traveling to Vietnam.

Beautifully written. The author does an excellent job portraying the characters complex emotions and how they end up making such difficult decisions in the face of war and uncertainty. It also does a lovely job sharing Vietnamese language, culture, and identity and the many impacts of the war on Vietnamese people.

Highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, War, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

bookthia's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

Very good.  Interweaving stories of people who lived and survived the Vietnam war.   I had small quibbles with some of the character development but the story itself was excellent.  I listened on audio deliberately to hear the Vietnamese words spoken properly and I am so glad I did. The narration was wonderful. Two Vietnamese sisters move from the country to Saigon to help their parents pay off debts and get swept up in the sex trade that took hold when American soldiers came. One sister falls in love with a soldier and becomes pregnant with his child.  Many years later, after the war, the soldier and his wife return to Vietnam to find his child.  But the story digs deep into the various traumas and hardships experienced by the Vietnamese, and to a smaller extent, to Americans. 

As someone who has been privileged to have recently travelled in Vietnam, it was fascinating to be familiar with some of the locations used in the novel. 

Recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, War, Car accident, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape