franksreads's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
romie_chat's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-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? No
4.0
I am, once again, extremely sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
stephi_lav's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mysta's review against another edition
2.0
[note: this review is for the English translation by Sheila Fischman]
I found this book to be interesting from a cultural perspective (and, given how similar the author's background is to Vi's, I'm making the assumption that this fictional story is well-grounded in reality). The writing was pretty and well done. But that's really all I can really say. I can't say I was particularly engaged with the story or characters, or particularly cared about any of them (which may have contributed to my getting characters mixed up more than once). I'm writing this review less than a week after reading the book, and have already forgotten how it ends.
It really reads more like a memoir or a diary than a "traditional" piece of fiction, and maybe that contributed to the problem. That style of writing is just a little too removed from the action for me - we never see anything happen in "real time", we never get to actually "meet" any of the characters... maybe it would have resonated with me more if it had actually been the author's memoir. I actually prefer this style in non-fiction, over writing about real events and people in the same manner you would write a fictional novel. But reading about events that you know actually happened, written by the person who actually lived through them, is (to me) a completely different experience than reading the exact same story and knowing it's fictional. I do assume (maybe incorrectly) that much of this story is based on the author's experience, but even still, it just didn't work for me.
That said, I would still recommend this book to others. It didn't work for me personally, but it was well-written, and worth the read.
I found this book to be interesting from a cultural perspective (and, given how similar the author's background is to Vi's, I'm making the assumption that this fictional story is well-grounded in reality). The writing was pretty and well done. But that's really all I can really say. I can't say I was particularly engaged with the story or characters, or particularly cared about any of them (which may have contributed to my getting characters mixed up more than once). I'm writing this review less than a week after reading the book, and have already forgotten how it ends.
It really reads more like a memoir or a diary than a "traditional" piece of fiction, and maybe that contributed to the problem. That style of writing is just a little too removed from the action for me - we never see anything happen in "real time", we never get to actually "meet" any of the characters... maybe it would have resonated with me more if it had actually been the author's memoir. I actually prefer this style in non-fiction, over writing about real events and people in the same manner you would write a fictional novel. But reading about events that you know actually happened, written by the person who actually lived through them, is (to me) a completely different experience than reading the exact same story and knowing it's fictional. I do assume (maybe incorrectly) that much of this story is based on the author's experience, but even still, it just didn't work for me.
That said, I would still recommend this book to others. It didn't work for me personally, but it was well-written, and worth the read.
book_case7's review against another edition
3.0
Had a hard time following the different storylines. Prob one of those books where you have to read it all the way through in one sitting vs picking up/putting down as you go.
I really admire this author’s trilingual -ism, her prologific story telling, and her history. However, I think the story would have resonated with me a lot more if I’d read a physical copy ba listened to the audiobook, just because I couldn’t get into a rhythm of her sentences quite as much.
Overall, pretty depressing but realistic, so it was interesting but left me feeling kindaaa - “oh, okay, I guess that’s it.”
I really admire this author’s trilingual -ism, her prologific story telling, and her history. However, I think the story would have resonated with me a lot more if I’d read a physical copy ba listened to the audiobook, just because I couldn’t get into a rhythm of her sentences quite as much.
Overall, pretty depressing but realistic, so it was interesting but left me feeling kindaaa - “oh, okay, I guess that’s it.”
jessyf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
sammietee's review against another edition
3.0
This was a beautifully written story and it often felt more like memoir than fiction. I did find that I got lost during the story. Each part of Vi's life (or her ancestors lives) were a bit disjointed and I had a hard time piecing it together. I also found that as a reader I was held at an arms length from the narrative and wasn't able to fully immerse myself in the story. Even if I had a hard time with it, I know many will love this story and it was absolutely beautifully written.