Reviews

As the Earth Turns Silver by Alison Wong

markcastaneda's review against another edition

4.0

Such a good book - I learned a lot about the role of Chinese Immigration in New Zealand, and the story was very interesting. It definitely provided a viewpoint that I had not been previously exposed to. My only complaint is that at a few moments, I felt confused about the proceedings of the plot, but that can be attributed to my own lack of previous knowledge in many regards

tessaays's review against another edition

3.0

3.5. An enjoyable read, set in early NZ and narrated from the perspective of diverse characters who you can’t help but root for. Nothing overly special to make it stand out in a fairly saturated NZ genre, but fun to read, and I learned a few things - the story is very loosely based on real events that occurred in NZ in the era the story is set.

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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

4.0

 As the Earth Turns Silver is New Zealand historical fiction set in the first quarter of the twentieth century. It’s a story about forbidden love, one which has tragic consequences. It especially touches on the anti-Chinese sentiment which was sadly prevalent in New Zealand at that time but it also explores the issue of women’s position in society. At its centre is Katherine, wife of a racist, sexist journalist, and her children, and Yung, a Chinese greengrocer and his extended family in New Zealand and China. The author’s note at the back is really informative and clearly separates the history from the fiction. This book is more than a decade old, but I’m glad I finally discovered it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Murder, and Racial slurs

zarajakob's review against another edition

2.0

As the second book in my own little readathon today I read this book, which has been standing on my shelf for over a year. I bought it for a cute love story, and I guess it is. Unfortunately it was late/early and not the type of book I usually read. For me it was just too slow to be honest and I fell asleep during, which could also just be because it was between 2am and 4am.

returningtoreading's review

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

mandyla's review

5.0

I'm not sure exactly what it was about this book that I loved, but I was utterly compelled.

I'm not sure what else to say about it except that if you love well developed characters set in historical settings, you'll likely love this too.