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jekanayake's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tanyamhudson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
xtinaji's review
3.0
In a word: decadent.
Zhang's prose is suitably rich for a book all about pleasure. There's some really evocative sentences in this book that toe the line between sensual and overtly sexual. I was really drawn to some of the central mysteries of this book, and pleasantly surprised that it touched on Asianness at all.
Overall, I was pretty entertained by the concept, but the book really left me wanting. It meanders quite a bit, and I think we end up getting lost in the descriptions rather than have much to hang onto. As lovely as the prose is, and trust me when I say it is delectable, I do think it gets to the point of overindulgence. I guess, with a book all about pleasure, that may be intentional, but it does get a bit tiring when it doesn't let up. I think the book suffers from poor pacing for those reasons as well. I did love the ending, and it very nearly convinced me to give another star, but I don't think that the build up of separate mysteries really justifies an undeserved ending. There's plenty of interesting conversations about class and race, and how food/pleasure reflect those dichotomies on top of culture, but I wish there was just a bit more of that through the main characters instead of just glimpses from random characters.
I would still recommend this book to people who love gorgeous prose, people who liked The Bear for the interesting insight into the food world, and readers of dystopian novels who want something different for the palate. Certainly a different version of dystopia than I'm used to reading! On that note though, I wasn't really sold on the idea of it being paradise from the forefront because of how predatory the employer was from the get-go. I wish we got hints of the insidious nature of the mountain a little later; presenting it all at once made the book feel less dynamic. Also, with such compelling references to apples and pomegranates and paradise - you would think there would be more mythology included as parallels!
Zhang's prose is suitably rich for a book all about pleasure. There's some really evocative sentences in this book that toe the line between sensual and overtly sexual. I was really drawn to some of the central mysteries of this book, and pleasantly surprised that it touched on Asianness at all.
Spoiler
However, what prevents this book from being more than 3 stars for me is that I felt as though the secrets and intrigue took a backseat to romance towards the end. Where I was expecting the protagonist to develop, instead became opportunities to develop the relationship between the main character and Aida. I wanted to know what happened to Eun-Young. I wanted to know more about the main character and her mother. I wanted to know why the cat was so relevant. Instead, the only real answer we got was that they had planned to go to Mars all along, but that had felt more like a simmering plot detail rather than giving us anything juicier to chew on. I wished the book had a bit more bite! There was some really interesting conversations happening in this book, but it got overshadowed by the generous descriptions of food and by Aida. I didn't dislike her character per se, but it just became increasingly about Aida for some reason. Our main character doesn't really have much of a backbone or appetite for her own life it seems.Overall, I was pretty entertained by the concept, but the book really left me wanting. It meanders quite a bit, and I think we end up getting lost in the descriptions rather than have much to hang onto. As lovely as the prose is, and trust me when I say it is delectable, I do think it gets to the point of overindulgence. I guess, with a book all about pleasure, that may be intentional, but it does get a bit tiring when it doesn't let up. I think the book suffers from poor pacing for those reasons as well. I did love the ending, and it very nearly convinced me to give another star, but I don't think that the build up of separate mysteries really justifies an undeserved ending. There's plenty of interesting conversations about class and race, and how food/pleasure reflect those dichotomies on top of culture, but I wish there was just a bit more of that through the main characters instead of just glimpses from random characters.
I would still recommend this book to people who love gorgeous prose, people who liked The Bear for the interesting insight into the food world, and readers of dystopian novels who want something different for the palate. Certainly a different version of dystopia than I'm used to reading! On that note though, I wasn't really sold on the idea of it being paradise from the forefront because of how predatory the employer was from the get-go. I wish we got hints of the insidious nature of the mountain a little later; presenting it all at once made the book feel less dynamic. Also, with such compelling references to apples and pomegranates and paradise - you would think there would be more mythology included as parallels!
eloisesal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
This book started well, I loved the descriptions of the smog and the contrast with the bright sun and abundant food on the mountain. But when you've been reading poetry for half a book it starts to get annoying... At times I had to keep rereading the same part to figure out who was in the room, yet I knew exactly what the food tasted like. Impressive that the author kept up this juicy poetic prose for a whole book, but for me it got in the way of the story.
I liked the story anyway, it's about a chef who goes to work at a rich colony on a mountain above the clouds after the whole world has got covered in smog. Lots to consider about wealth, how we deal with crisis and the implications of scientific advancements.
I liked the story anyway, it's about a chef who goes to work at a rich colony on a mountain above the clouds after the whole world has got covered in smog. Lots to consider about wealth, how we deal with crisis and the implications of scientific advancements.
oz2021's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Child death and Car accident
maddi_md's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
tastelessgoose's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
sierraslaughter's review against another edition
2.0
I did not understand half of this book, maybe more. The food stuff? Totally over my head. The prose was so difficult for me to follow and don’t get me started on italics for dialogue!!!!
rei_reads's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident