Scan barcode
melincincy23's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
lauralhart's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
There were times when the writing was really lovely, and there were times when it felt completely opaque and removed, and I wonder if this is because of the translation. I didn’t really mind the short chapters, and I do feel that some of the fragmentary-ness / incompleteness of the narrative was by design, but I still struggled to connect. Ultimately I do appreciate the book and what it was trying to do, and I’ll stay open to reading more from this writer in the future.
pikkumarja's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Vaikka annan tälle kirjalle "vain" kolme ja puoli tähteä, suosittelisin sitä silti jokaiselle. Olen lukenut Thúyn suomennetun tuotannon nyt kokonaisuudessaan ja jokainen kirja tavoittaa jotain, mitä edellinen on jättänyt kertomatta. Tyyli on hyvin runollinen ja tietyllä tapaa niukka, mutta on uskomatonta, kuinka pieneen määrään sivuja mahtuu paljon sisältöä.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia, Rape, and Pregnancy
hannah2186's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
rocomama's review
informative
reflective
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
4.25
capittella's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
jle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
itsdoroo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
justabean_reads's review
3.5
Following the lives of three interconnected Vietnamese children through the war and onto lives outside of Vietnam. This was a lot more war crime centric than Vi, including a graphic description of the Mỹ Lai massacre, which takes up much of the first section of the book, and which I was not expecting going in. (I haven't read Thúy's other books, though I hope to soon, so Vi's going to be my main point of comparison.)
Considering that Thúy's entire output is about the fallout from the Vietnamese-American war, it's no small thing to say I think this deals with it more directly than usual. It's part an exploration of how life and love are possible in even the most horrific and grinding circumstances, but probably more than that a hard-eyed overview of the scope of the war itself, starting with the colonial division of Southeast Asia in the 1800s and going through to the north's victory and a bit of its aftermath in Vietnam (but more so in regards to the fate of the boat people and refugees.) There's a lot of straight up info dumps, but they're less a history lesson, certainly not told in order, than an attempt to include the full context needed to understand what's going on with her characters. As with Vi, Thúy's writing is precise, minimalist, and very beautiful.
Considering that Thúy's entire output is about the fallout from the Vietnamese-American war, it's no small thing to say I think this deals with it more directly than usual. It's part an exploration of how life and love are possible in even the most horrific and grinding circumstances, but probably more than that a hard-eyed overview of the scope of the war itself, starting with the colonial division of Southeast Asia in the 1800s and going through to the north's victory and a bit of its aftermath in Vietnam (but more so in regards to the fate of the boat people and refugees.) There's a lot of straight up info dumps, but they're less a history lesson, certainly not told in order, than an attempt to include the full context needed to understand what's going on with her characters. As with Vi, Thúy's writing is precise, minimalist, and very beautiful.
kata16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
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? No