Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

29 reviews

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

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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

auudrey's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

“Outside the grass was scant and dead in below my pane of mountain sky, smog clung to the lowlands like scum on stock, one unending gray season. But on my tongue, it was summer and it was spring and seasons flourished and vines ran high. Butter and fruit: my mouth an orchard in the sun.”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Classism

rosasparks's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Colonisation, and Classism

rorikae's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

'Land of Milk and Honey' by C Pam Zhang is a thoughtful literary novel about a cook who takes up a position cooking for the rich on an Italian mountain. 
Animals are going extinct and the environment is devastated. In this world, a cook accepts a position to cook for the wealthy on a reclusive Italian mountain. At first unsure about her employer and his intentions, she slowly begins to understand more about her position as she gets to know his daughter. But there are questions about the true intentions of her employer and those who come to the mountain as she gets further and further entangled in their lives. 
C Pam Zhang has crafted a fascinating character study in a near future that shows us the perils of what may happen if we do not take ecological disaster seriously. The main character is an intriguing and deeply flawed character, which actually makes them more interesting to follow. I really appreciated how the truth of the world and the situation that the cook is in were slowly peeled back through her interactions. Many of the supporting characters were frustrating but in a very human, believable way. I would have loved to learn more about the world but I don't believe that was the intent of this book. I also really appreciated the food writing and how C Pam Zhang talked about different ingredients and dishes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual assault and Car accident

mxhcat's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Classism

Moderate: Eating disorder and Toxic relationship

ohknellah's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Blood

Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Vomit, Death of parent, and Classism

shubka's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This dystopic future seems all to real & plausible- which made it difficult to read at times. The food & cooking imagery is what kept me reading as the story unfolded slowly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

jayisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

3.75

I really enjoyed Zhang’s debut novel, so I entered Land of Milk and Honey with relatively high expectations. Much like How Much of These Hills Is Gold, Zhang delivered exquisite lyricism and a distinct writing style that will be hit-or-misses for readers. She also presented some really interesting themes in Land of Milk and Honey—especially in relation to a dystopian world—which was a variety that included beauty, social class, pleasure, and climate change. I will say, though, that the themes were not overtly stated and might require the reader to tease them out, which could be frustrating given the prose. I also thought it would have been nice if Zhang had stuck with fewer themes to explore in-depth as opposed to the multiple that she seemed to have wanted to discuss.

I think Land of Milk and Honey fell flat for me because I wasn’t entirely invested in either the story or the characters. Regarding the story, there certainly was a plot, but it was a very slippery one to grasp that resulted in me losing interest over time. As for the characters and their relationships with one another, they were interesting enough, but I didn’t think they were particularly memorable. With all this said, I will say that I think I may have picked this book up at the wrong time and just wasn’t in the right headspace for it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racism, Violence, and Classism

Moderate: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug use, Car accident, and Alcohol

christienana's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Violence, Medical content, Abandonment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ukponge's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy