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A review by minervaperedhel
Salad Days: 经久 Vol. 1 by Michaela M, 静水边 木更, Jing Shui Bian, Jing ShuiBian
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5 ⭐️
This first volume of Salad Days was very wholesome and sweet! I was pleasantly surprised by the hopefulness it portrays, especially as most of the volume follows the protagonists as kids.
Summary
The novel follows Jiang Shen, who comes from a small rural village. His family is poorer than the other village inhabitants, but Jiang Shen makes a point to always repay favours and help given. He quickly develops a passion for dancing when a ballet teacher from the local city spots him and gives him a pair of ballet shoes. He then meets Bai Jinyi, who trains for boxing in the local right across from the dance studio. The two form a strong bond that will last them throughout childhood, allowing the other to touch their heart.
Review
I became quickly invested in all the characters of this story. Jiang Shen makes many friends along the way, as he is of kind, innocent and honest nature. Each kid has its distinct personality and life aspirations, and they all care for one another in their own ways. Bai Jinyi is also interesting, as he is cold and reserved, but visibly cares deeply for his friends. Jiang Shen and him strike a relationship based on gifts and repayment of kindness that transforms in genuine care over time. This novel, despite its hopeful approach, still shows the children grappling with growing up, and what it means to have dreams. As they realise that some wild dreams may not be realistic, they also learn that some of them are worth fighting for. Following Jiang Shen as he realises that there might be something different about him that could lead him to become a professional ballet dancer, and all his friends that rise up to help him accomplish that, was a very touching reading experience.
🩰 The dance elements themselves were pretty good! I'm usually skeptical about art-focused novels, as it can be tricky to incorporate these elements while sounding both realistic, and while also romanticising them, as it's kind of the point 😄 Appart from the fact that pointe shoes tend to be more difficult to use than depicted here, I was happy to see real ballet vocabulary and depiction of famous performances. I can't speak to more than this (as, for example, I don't know if boys also learn pointe shoes when they are younger), but this novel made my teenage-dance-obsessed self happy.
My only quirk is in the writing style, as the sentence "X-character was left speechless", and its variations, occurred so often that I could not unsee it after realising this 😅 That being said, the dialog was quite good and the characterisation was simply wonderful. It's definitely on the slower, character-driven side, but the wholesomeness of this one makes it all worth it.
This first volume of Salad Days was very wholesome and sweet! I was pleasantly surprised by the hopefulness it portrays, especially as most of the volume follows the protagonists as kids.
Summary
The novel follows Jiang Shen, who comes from a small rural village. His family is poorer than the other village inhabitants, but Jiang Shen makes a point to always repay favours and help given. He quickly develops a passion for dancing when a ballet teacher from the local city spots him and gives him a pair of ballet shoes. He then meets Bai Jinyi, who trains for boxing in the local right across from the dance studio. The two form a strong bond that will last them throughout childhood, allowing the other to touch their heart.
Review
I became quickly invested in all the characters of this story. Jiang Shen makes many friends along the way, as he is of kind, innocent and honest nature. Each kid has its distinct personality and life aspirations, and they all care for one another in their own ways. Bai Jinyi is also interesting, as he is cold and reserved, but visibly cares deeply for his friends. Jiang Shen and him strike a relationship based on gifts and repayment of kindness that transforms in genuine care over time. This novel, despite its hopeful approach, still shows the children grappling with growing up, and what it means to have dreams. As they realise that some wild dreams may not be realistic, they also learn that some of them are worth fighting for. Following Jiang Shen as he realises that there might be something different about him that could lead him to become a professional ballet dancer, and all his friends that rise up to help him accomplish that, was a very touching reading experience.
🩰 The dance elements themselves were pretty good! I'm usually skeptical about art-focused novels, as it can be tricky to incorporate these elements while sounding both realistic, and while also romanticising them, as it's kind of the point 😄 Appart from the fact that pointe shoes tend to be more difficult to use than depicted here, I was happy to see real ballet vocabulary and depiction of famous performances. I can't speak to more than this (as, for example, I don't know if boys also learn pointe shoes when they are younger), but this novel made my teenage-dance-obsessed self happy.
My only quirk is in the writing style, as the sentence "X-character was left speechless", and its variations, occurred so often that I could not unsee it after realising this 😅 That being said, the dialog was quite good and the characterisation was simply wonderful. It's definitely on the slower, character-driven side, but the wholesomeness of this one makes it all worth it.