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jonwood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I feel like this book at times suffer from having a poor translation, as there are some segments that just seem unintentionally funny or nonsensical in context that leaves me wondering if the translation was maybe a bit too literal at times, for instance when the doctors as "You want the big one or little one", I would not immediately think that was a question about saving the mom or a baby . So, due to not knowing if some of my issues are due to a translation or not, I feel unfair to judge. The book does have a broad scope, encompassing a lot of Chinese history and how it impacted the lives of the main character and his family. The beginning sets up Fugui to fall from his own hubris before becoming a mediation on grief and suffering that I found moving by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Medical content, Gun violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Death, and Sexual violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Pregnancy
jgwags's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Child death, Suicide, War, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Police brutality
muravyevaa's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Now, it's important to mention I watched the movie before reading the book (funny enough, both were a part of my movie and literature classes), so I felt like I was prepared. Oh, how wrong I was. It's a very sad book, extremely sad. At a certain point, it crashes you and the more you think about the characters harder it becomes to hold tears. I read in another review that I have a lot to say about class and that was very much on the spot. It also shows extreme character development (meaning, Fugui) under brutal life events.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide, Pregnancy, and Excrement
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