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annorabrady's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, War, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Hate crime, Classism, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Confinement, Vomit, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Torture
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Infertility
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Cursing, and Rape
Minor: Domestic abuse and Forced institutionalization
ktrecs's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
But by the 50% mark, I was hooked. I have trouble DNFing books and books like this are exactly why. Had I decided to set this book aside I'd have missed the growth and nuance in the later half. All throughout, the prose is alternatively lush and crushing, evocative and tender. Each scene is built with such precision and care. Each generation of the Tran family is weaved carefully into the structure of the novel, part epistolary, part oral tradition, stories upon stories, realistic and compelling. As Hương ages and time inexorably moves forward, the tale becomes more intimate somehow. The poetic close of the novel drew its themes together perfectly, leaving us with a vision of hope and peace even throughout the dark events laid out in the past. The intimacy of it brings the personal into the political in an unforgettable way.
Nguyen Phan Que Mai's voice is clear, profound and powerful, and I will certainly look forward to encountering it again.
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts