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fkshg8465's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Such a strange story! Oddly (appropriately) enjoyable.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Confinement, Child death, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, and Death of parent
jayisreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
I really enjoyed Zhang’s debut novel, so I entered Land of Milk and Honey with relatively high expectations. Much like How Much of These Hills Is Gold, Zhang delivered exquisite lyricism and a distinct writing style that will be hit-or-misses for readers. She also presented some really interesting themes in Land of Milk and Honey—especially in relation to a dystopian world—which was a variety that included beauty, social class, pleasure, and climate change. I will say, though, that the themes were not overtly stated and might require the reader to tease them out, which could be frustrating given the prose. I also thought it would have been nice if Zhang had stuck with fewer themes to explore in-depth as opposed to the multiple that she seemed to have wanted to discuss.
I think Land of Milk and Honey fell flat for me because I wasn’t entirely invested in either the story or the characters. Regarding the story, there certainly was a plot, but it was a very slippery one to grasp that resulted in me losing interest over time. As for the characters and their relationships with one another, they were interesting enough, but I didn’t think they were particularly memorable. With all this said, I will say that I think I may have picked this book up at the wrong time and just wasn’t in the right headspace for it.
Graphic: Racism, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Car accident
juliusclearance's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is one of those books that is incredible but I’ll never read again. I cried at the end. It was so compelling. I couldn’t read it for more than fifteen minutes at a time or I knew it would ruin me. It did anyway. I cried again when I talked about it in bookclub.
Moderate: Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Body shaming, Alcohol, and Eating disorder
themandaflorian's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Death, and Classism
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