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nappower's review
2.0
Wanted to like this book, as it takes on an interesting aspect of us history - paper families and chinese immigration policies of the u.s. The language that some may deem poetic and metaphorical (and i do love my metaphors!) kept me from entering fully into the story and feeling for the characters or getting an idea really of who these characters were. Dates are a little unclear even though it's relatively easy to figure out from who is speaking but then dialogue from the younger generation became jarring because it's neither here nor there and ends up reading weirdly to me ("Being in China only made me feel more resolute about not reversing my tubal ligation.") This kind of 'historical' fiction novel about Asian/Asian immigrant characters does bring up the question for me about how language style should or can be treated. Eh my thoughts are a little too tangled still....
thechosenchun's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
adrianasturalvarez's review
3.0
This was a novel that barely held my interest the whole way through. It was enough for me to finish but I was never excited about reading the story. I think I just couldn't relate to the story at all, though intellectually it is a very sophisticated novel about the realistic anguish that comes with racist U.S. immigration policies.
helenlittle's review
5.0
Beautifully written. For some reason the jacket claims it's a book about unrequited love, but it's really about how people can carry within them two clashing cultures, and rejection from both. And how a story draws from the previous generation, and continues to the next. It's unashamedly complex and bittersweet. Five outta frickin five <3
mikolee's review
1.0
Chinatown San Francisco, emotionally closed man, lost woman have child who grows up lost but manages to get out of Chinatown. Tired overdone topic.
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