Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

15 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

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

anitaconchita's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia

pipettesandpages's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Blood

Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia

rilynjewett's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, and War

Minor: Confinement, Eating disorder, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

slimyfan's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Beautiful book; amazing descriptions 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, and Xenophobia

rmperezpadilla's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Classism

Moderate: Chronic illness

Minor: Cancer and Vomit

Deals frequently with not only

animal>/spoiler> death but also

extinction of various species.

lorenag5's review

adventurous challenging mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Classism, and Deportation

corirose's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I really struggled to get through this. The word “sensual” comes up in a lot of reviews and I think there was way too much reliance on that mood/style vs pulling me along a coherent and engaging plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia