Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Astonishing Color of After

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

85 reviews

crawdad_lake's review against another edition

inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you like the musical Next to Normal, this is a great book to get similar character connections and story. I love the culture that Leigh doesn't even know about being what pushes her forward. The grandparents were dear and the plot twist with Feng was overwhelmingly shocking! I had not seen it coming from a mile away and it was beautiful. I wish we got a more gradual connection back with the father, but that's barely a nick pick in a fantastic book like this.

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booksandbears's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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daffu9529's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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

4.25

This is a book I needed when I was 16. Being the same age as the main character, I too lost a family member and dealing with the grief was an overwhelming journey. I loved how art, music, and colors are incorporated into the story. This is the type of book that I can read over and over, finding something new each time I read it.

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msepulv2's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is a great and creative look into the loss of a loved one. I most enjoyed how the plot intertwined Taiwanese views of loss into a creative and unique journey for the main character. My only downside of this book, which may only be a personal preference, is that I wish the plot focused more on the development of the family after suffering such a great loss than the development of romance. I would have loved more time diving deeper into the family dynamic than reading more about a high school romance. Overall though this book does a wonderful job of creatively illustrating the grieving process and I would recommend it.

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achay91's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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marissasa's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.0

This book is so sad but so moving. I've never read or heard from the point of view of

a teen/child whose parent committed suicide

before and this one was deeply emotional and really played into the theme of generational trauma. I loved that it explored the family issues on each generation's level through the use of memories, and showing each woman's point of view. There were layers to Leigh's experiences and I felt that her different identities as biracial, a child of an immigrant, an artist, and more were well explored and added to her characterization. The most unique and memorable part of this story was the recurring motif of emotions and feelings as colors, which reminded me a lot of synesthesia and was a beautiful way for Leigh to express her inner thoughts.

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