Reviews

Thank You, Mr. Nixon: Stories by Gish Jen

pharmadelica's review

4.0

Thought it would be like a more bourgeois 1,000 Years of Good Prayers.

Something else. More of a larger narrative built on the shared characters between all the stories. Pretty cool.

Didn't sympathize with any of the rich protagonists (even if it was SO sad people in Vancouver were mad at them for buying real estate), but Jen is a very good prose stylist and knows how to put a satisfying story together.

victoriathuyvi's review

5.0

Love. Love. Love.

emsharples's review

5.0

I really, really enjoyed this book. It’s an anthology with connecting characters so I would love to see a map so I know who is related to who, and how.

Educational with respect to Chinese culture and tradition, but also an interesting snapshot of different times and different generations. Really well written, happy to have discovered it.

janellegrassi's review

3.0

(Hardcover) I enjoy short stories books when the stories progress through generations and the characters are connected. This was one of those books and it was well written.

aleidareads's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

tcameron85's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Classism, and Dementia

terrimarshall's review

4.0

This was a good book of short stories based on Chinese immigrant experiences. I liked that the stories were stand alone but also connected through common characters. This made it easier to follow and not feel like I was starting over with each story.

coleslaw45's review

challenging informative reflective 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? It's complicated

3.0

andrewb21's review

emotional 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

3.25

A fine collection of short stories, but at times repetitive and nowhere near as good as THE RESISTERS, Jen's earlier novel. She's a great writer, and this collection had more hits than misses, but still struck me as a bit inconsistent. 

isabel_llo's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0