Reviews

How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

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bookwormandtheatremouse's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

gromithorror's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sincerelylogan's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-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

Zhang’s prose is otherworldly. In many ways, this book reminded me of “Four Treasures of the Sky” - a memorable tale of the Chinese immigrant experience in the West during the gold rush. The two kids, who we meet on the day their father has died, are three-dimensional and leap off the page. It’s short - less than 300 pages - and a great read for anyone looking for something that packs a punch.

jess_ob's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad slow-paced

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

3.25

mitskacir's review against another edition

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4.0

As far as I know, this book is marketed as historical fiction - however it is not historical fiction as I have ever read it. This book is told through a strong first-person narrative with little scene setting and no omniscient narration to explain the historical context, stripping it of window dressing I’m used to in the genre. Furthermore, there is an element of magical realism - or perhaps simply the story telling that is woven into the characters and plot. Or perhaps it is simply metaphor that brings the tigers into the story of the American west. There is a strange naturalness and unnaturalness of Chinese Americans saying “pardner”, a strange acceptance of and prejudice against the perceived foreigner and the denied indigenous, a strange balance between becoming what you already are and not knowing who you are that is explored in this book. This is a book that keeps you at a distance with its heavy metaphor, but one that I would like to explore more deeply because of it.

daumari's review against another edition

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4.0

A solid debut that really captured the dry loveliness of the western landscape in a time when the land didn't love you back. Lucy and Sam scramble to survive after their Ba dies. About halfway through we see a couple years prior when they're younger and Ma is still around, and then from beyond the grave Ba tells his tale as a youth carrying his own secrets.

Not a cheerful ending, but contemplative.