Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

32 reviews

jpn99's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

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skyba3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such a great book! Wonderfully written and imaginative. I l sometimes didn’t even know I’d entered the fantasy until it was blatantly obvious. It was disturbing, sad, beautiful, and sometimes even creepy (I’m talking to you, office hours)? It was witty, imaginative, and sometimes very jarring. I just really loved this one. I will note that most stories end very ambiguously (which I loved), so I’m not sure many would enjoy not receiving a clear answer, but I loved how the end of each story allowed me to take a beat and think about the meaning of the story, the imagery and symbols, what the fantasy was and what it represented. It was a very beautiful book, and I think anyone can easily pick up this book. It’s amazing what Ling Ma does to build a story so quickly and so engaging. I often struggle getting into new novels but each short story was enticing from the start. 

Also - I wanted to note that this book would be very easy to listen to as an audiobook (try libby).
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katieb1034's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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reads2cope's review against another edition

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3.75

Disturbing, strange, unsettling, disquieting... I can't describe this book accurately, but I guess that's a start. I loved Severance and short stories aren't typically my favorite format, but Ling Ma has done it again, though some pieces were more enthralling than others. The last one, Tomorrow, actually made me gag with horror, which I normally avoid at all costs, so thanks for getting me out of my comfort zone.
I did have some trouble figuring out when each story ended and the next began, going to start begging audiobook producers to leave more of a pause between chapters and put more stress on chapter titles, but maybe that's just me.
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sakisreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

I LOVED Severance by Ling Ma so I had high expectations for this one.
It was definitely very bizarre and out there, and not always my favourite read (for example, there were some gory moments which I found a bit tricky to read), but had some great moments highlighting the Asian-American experience 😳 

I found ‘Los Angeles’ and ‘Oranges’ to probably be the most influential (in terms of holding the most space in my brain), but there were other stories in the collection I could appreciate too. 
The narrator’s ex-boyfriend being an abuser and being condemned by his mum fucked me up! 😦


I will definitely include the content warnings needed for these stories below 🥲

All in all, I’m giving this story 3.5 out of 5 stars I think. Thank you ✨
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superiour_medium's review against another edition

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

4.5

Surrealist immigrant racial trauma anthology. Magical realism? We got it. Psychopomp blending of reality? Check. Unsettling imagery? Droves of the stuff. 
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nataliegray's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.25

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robinks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

4.5

This was such an interesting collection of stories. They all left me feeling a bit uneasy and unresolved, though the fantastic elements in each of the stories were quite creative. I particularly enjoyed Oranges and Peking Duck.
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readingbrb's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.0

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siebensommer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

favourites: oranges, returning, office hours 

She wanted a homecoming, whatever that meant. Maybe it was to be overwhelmed by déjà vu, a staggering tsunami wave.
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