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bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
Rose Kho is an intelligent, middle-class, young Hong Kong woman who, upon returning home after attending college in upstate New York, is expected to marry up and be a well-behaved and traditional wife. Set in the 1970's when traditional mores are changing in Hong Kong, Rose's family and in-laws-to-be soon discover that you can take the girl out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the girl.
I read this book back-to-back with Edith Wharton's [b:The Age of Innocence|53835|The Age of Innocence|Edith Wharton|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328753115s/53835.jpg|1959512], and couldn't help but latch onto some interesting parallels between the two. Both take place in rapidly modernizing societies, and the discomfort of going against tradition versus sticking with what is comfortable and convenient. As a British colony until 1997, Hong Kong was perhaps one of the more "westernized" cities, were many of the inhabitants (like Rose's mother) speak no Chinese or (like her aunt) eat mostly western foods. Despite this, a strong current of Chinese tradition (especially with regards to gender roles) persists, and much of the novel's conflict is driven by Rose's desire to please others as a traditional Chinese wife, but also to please that new Americanized part of herself--being an independent, working, sexual woman. Both Rose and Wharton's Archer struggle against the pull of an idealized "other" outside their respective marriages, though I like that Rose is allowed to realize
It's an immensely readable book, and the tension builds as Rose advances her career with an Asian Airline company while her (strange) marriage become more and more twisted. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and even the (relative) antagonists are multi-faceted and difficult to downright hate. Though the story lost some momentum for me near the end, I especially liked it when Rose would come out straight and say to her husband or father-in-law exactly what I hoped she would say instead of playing the (stereotyped?) shrinking violet traditional wife to the point of self-martyrdom. Catharsis!
I read this book back-to-back with Edith Wharton's [b:The Age of Innocence|53835|The Age of Innocence|Edith Wharton|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328753115s/53835.jpg|1959512], and couldn't help but latch onto some interesting parallels between the two. Both take place in rapidly modernizing societies, and the discomfort of going against tradition versus sticking with what is comfortable and convenient. As a British colony until 1997, Hong Kong was perhaps one of the more "westernized" cities, were many of the inhabitants (like Rose's mother) speak no Chinese or (like her aunt) eat mostly western foods. Despite this, a strong current of Chinese tradition (especially with regards to gender roles) persists, and much of the novel's conflict is driven by Rose's desire to please others as a traditional Chinese wife, but also to please that new Americanized part of herself--being an independent, working, sexual woman. Both Rose and Wharton's Archer struggle against the pull of an idealized "other" outside their respective marriages, though I like that Rose is allowed to realize
Spoiler
that even the "perfect" lover isn't perfect once the novelty has rubbed off.It's an immensely readable book, and the tension builds as Rose advances her career with an Asian Airline company while her (strange) marriage become more and more twisted. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and even the (relative) antagonists are multi-faceted and difficult to downright hate. Though the story lost some momentum for me near the end, I especially liked it when Rose would come out straight and say to her husband or father-in-law exactly what I hoped she would say instead of playing the (stereotyped?) shrinking violet traditional wife to the point of self-martyrdom. Catharsis!
elisemay26's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
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