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A review by julie2525
The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan
5.0
Wow. I had no idea this book would be so rich. It leans far more into historical fiction that I expected. The characters have serious depth and complex histories. Given this, the cover doesn’t seem right, but that’s neither here nor there.
This is a slow-burn love story about a Chinese woman, who was raised by English missionaries, and a biracial American Captain, who began working across the Pacific and in China after fighting for the Union with his brothers. It is also about late 19th century colonialism, racism, and technological issues, addressed in a very 2021 way—racism and cultural segregation are actually addressed but far more lightly than would have actually happened, and a woman chooses to have a career coding. It’s the kind of book that will pleasantly sit with you when it’s over. It’s light and serious and hopeful.
Fun fact: Milan was a math major, and she invented the story’s code. I could give this book a 5 for the Author’s notes alone, which explain the novel’s historical deviations in the most delightful way.
This is a slow-burn love story about a Chinese woman, who was raised by English missionaries, and a biracial American Captain, who began working across the Pacific and in China after fighting for the Union with his brothers. It is also about late 19th century colonialism, racism, and technological issues, addressed in a very 2021 way—racism and cultural segregation are actually addressed but far more lightly than would have actually happened, and a woman chooses to have a career coding. It’s the kind of book that will pleasantly sit with you when it’s over. It’s light and serious and hopeful.
Fun fact: Milan was a math major, and she invented the story’s code. I could give this book a 5 for the Author’s notes alone, which explain the novel’s historical deviations in the most delightful way.