Reviews

I cannot put into words how disappointed I am in this book. No plot, what character development there was in the first part of the book was completely undone by incessant waffle in the second. On numerous occasions both of the main characters sent me to sleep.

I wanted to be kind but having taken this back out of my DNF, I wish wholeheartedly that I had left it there and not wasted so much time trying to at very least like this book.

bookieswithanja's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5*
Not much happens in this, however the writting and the quotes are beautiful

jess_h_norton's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

kaloughl's review against another edition

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3.0

Yiyun Li's Must I Go was very well written and had an super intriguing concept: an 81-year-old woman reflects on her life by critiquing the obscure published diaries of a former lover and the semi-secret father of her first born daughter. I enjoyed Lilia, the main character, throughout the novel. Her wry outlook on life reminded me of A Man Called Ove but with more tact; Lilia is obviously a woman and a mother so knows a lot more than Ove does anyhow ;). Despite the interesting concept and engaging voice, I found the book lagged throughout and despite some beautiful moments, was mostly boring.

After an interaction with her granddaughter and great-granddaughter, Lilia decides to start annotating her former lover's, Roland's, diaries. This was mostly to give context to Katherine, who's mother Lucy (Lilia's first born) died by suicide at 27. Roland was Lucy's father and Katherine's grandfather, a fact that only Lilia's husband Gilbert knew. Through the annotations and diary entries, we learn that Roland, an outsider in his own once-wealthy family, travelled the world and had numerous affairs. He focuses a lot on Sidelle Ogden, an older married woman who was his lifelong fascination and love of his life. Roland's diary entries are numerous and often boring. He was a self-centered man who often thought he would become the next big literary success. Lilia's interjections were a lot more interesting than anything Roland had to say but as the diary continued, also became repetitive.

Li definitely has a unique voice and if you are the type to enjoy good writing with a super strong and unapologetic lead, Lilia Liska and Must I Go is for you. Despite the lag and occasional boredom, I did want to continue on and find out how everything would wrap up.

Thank you NetGalley.com and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

melly28's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ladyeremite's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5. This book is undeniably well-written, and Lilia's character is wonderfully developed - her own voice full of delightful pearls of wisdom. The epistolary format, and the way in which both Lilia and Roland did and did not belong in the lives of those they found important was really beautiful.

But god. Roland Bouley. The worst. Ugh. A very believable character, but man, what a waste of space. And I guess that was kind of the point - that a woman as interesting as Lilia who had definitely known better men -and knew she had known them - still spent much of her time fixated on this vacuous idiot. But did she really need to bring the reader along with her?

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