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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Kind of a fascinating example of not giving much away in the synopsis, but also by consequence making the story sound like something very different than it ends up being. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the story I expected more than I enjoyed what it actually turns out to be, but at the same time I feel like the style the book is written in, or at least the times and the ways it looks away, leaves a lot of the story to be desired. And normally I like multi-POV novels, but this one felt like it could have been better served by being a single POV, probably either Lily or Nick (and Nick gets my vote, but I see why he wouldn't work for other people).
Ultimately it was a decently enjoyable novel that I feel like should have left me with more to digest and think about, but missed a fair amount in the telling of it, so I didn't get left with much at all.
Ultimately it was a decently enjoyable novel that I feel like should have left me with more to digest and think about, but missed a fair amount in the telling of it, so I didn't get left with much at all.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a slog. It started strong, and while the moment to moment prose is good, I just could not bring myself to buy into this story. It’s somehow about asian fetishism, DNA manipulation that causes POC to appear white, time freezing, Communism, slippery slope of technological advances, American materialism, and generational trauma within families. It is too much, and not handled well. Additionally, I couldn’t bring myself to like a single character. Just all in all uninteresting and messy. Not what I was expecting or wanting, but I am glad if this book resonated with you.
3.5 stars— loved parts one and two (about mom and son), and started off almost murder-esque (part 1 especially in a cliffhanger). Unfortunately, part three lost me a bit (too much backstory about communist china with grandma and I didn’t feel like I understood the science part that was slapped together) but would read something else by this author!
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m a sucker for a messy family drama, and I really appreciated the multi-generational viewpoints of one specific family. So much of this book made me sad, but things rooted in reality often make us sad—generational mental health problems, ugly parts of different nations’ histories, regret, the sacrifice of parenthood, etc. I felt this story to my core.
Audiobook.
3.5 stars
Nick's section was so unpleasant to me to listen to. I'm not sure if it was the narrator's tonal voice or thoughts from a young man, but I got soft psychopath vibes and did not like it.
Overall, light takes on big social issues while telling the story of family decisions.
3.5 stars
Nick's section was so unpleasant to me to listen to. I'm not sure if it was the narrator's tonal voice or thoughts from a young man, but I got soft psychopath vibes and did not like it.
Overall, light takes on big social issues while telling the story of family decisions.
Love love love!!! And I recommend to everyone!! 3 fantastic stories of three generations all important regarding their family history.