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hootreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sineadw9's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Beautiful, slow story that traces a family leaving, losing, and longing for their home. The characters are so different but so clearly related - truly a generational saga. The significance of a few key objects or foods (e.g., butter tea) united the chapters well.
I had the impression this book would be similar to Pachinko based on reviews, but they’re quite different. WMTEWOB is slower and lives mainly in the characters’ memories or reflections. I feel like it lost momentum at times with the character/time jumps, but it came together really beautifully. The last few chapters especially carry a lot of weight and have strong imagery.
Would recommend to those who want a quiet but sweeping family saga that lives in the grey area between history and myth. I learned a lot about Tibet, and as someone who lives in Toronto, felt close to the Parkdale chapters.
I had the impression this book would be similar to Pachinko based on reviews, but they’re quite different. WMTEWOB is slower and lives mainly in the characters’ memories or reflections. I feel like it lost momentum at times with the character/time jumps, but it came together really beautifully. The last few chapters especially carry a lot of weight and have strong imagery.
Would recommend to those who want a quiet but sweeping family saga that lives in the grey area between history and myth. I learned a lot about Tibet, and as someone who lives in Toronto, felt close to the Parkdale chapters.
jeaninet's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
paradisecreated's review against another edition
4.0
A really beautiful way to chart the story and heartbreak of Tibetan occupation, displacement, colonization, and deep connection to the land. It’s a quiet moving book that felt very tender. Love a generational narrative.
katef211's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
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? No
4.25
allieneltner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
loriluo's review against another edition
3.0
"We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies" is an eye-opening look at Tibet in the 1950s, and what happens after the Chinese invasion forces Tibetans to leave their home. Young Lhamo and her family are forced to flee to a refugee camp near Nepal, and the treacherous causes her to lose both of her parents. With her and her younger sister Tenkyi as the remainder of their family, they're forced to rely on the community around them to survive. Decades later, the two are separated across the ocean and wind up living very different lives - but a chance occurrence leads to their reunion and a chance at coming to terms with their past.
I appreciated how this novel highlighted such a painful point in history, and its lasting impact on the Tibetan people. There's an incredible amount of loss and tragedy that occurs even in just the first few chapters of this novel, and leads readers to develop awe and appreciation at Lhamo's and Tenkyi's will to survive - even at such a young age. The later parts of the novel give us a chance to see them as their older and more mature, and coming to terms to living in exile and dealing with the sheer amount of loss they've gone through. There's a number of heavy and weighty topics that are covered in this novel, and are handled with care and compassion by the author.
What I struggled with, however, was the writing style; passages didn't flow well, sentences felt too terse and clipped, and moments of great loss and sorrow didn't have the emotional weight that they could have. I struggled to get through this novel at times given how slow the pacing seemed at times, which I felt detracted from the overall story.
I appreciated how this novel highlighted such a painful point in history, and its lasting impact on the Tibetan people. There's an incredible amount of loss and tragedy that occurs even in just the first few chapters of this novel, and leads readers to develop awe and appreciation at Lhamo's and Tenkyi's will to survive - even at such a young age. The later parts of the novel give us a chance to see them as their older and more mature, and coming to terms to living in exile and dealing with the sheer amount of loss they've gone through. There's a number of heavy and weighty topics that are covered in this novel, and are handled with care and compassion by the author.
What I struggled with, however, was the writing style; passages didn't flow well, sentences felt too terse and clipped, and moments of great loss and sorrow didn't have the emotional weight that they could have. I struggled to get through this novel at times given how slow the pacing seemed at times, which I felt detracted from the overall story.