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rebeccazh's Reviews (2.89k)
Not my thing. Feels like a bunch of characters sitting around talking, nothing happening.
Disappointed not to like this more. WAY too much tell not show: Dickinson's prose feels like a Wikipedia info dump, Baru is supposed to be genius and complex I think but just comes off as flat and awkward.
this book is a book concerned about living in accordance to Taoist principles in a corrupt power-based society. Shen Qiao, the main character, embodies Taoist principles. he is thrown into many horrible situations and it is in his response to these situations and people that his strength of character shines. this is actually very similar to tgcf's core message, but this novel goes much deeper into it. also attica's review on novelupdates sums up the strengths of this novel really well.
i loved the first half -- it was a deep exploration of taoism and the values that taoism espouses. there were a lot of emotionally charged and moving scenes, and i really felt for Shen Qiao. i loved the way he responded to things and he really shows that strength is more than just strength or being cold and hard. the second half of the book was really just lots of politics, the 'brain-injury-causing-split-personality' trope, fake deaths... i just can't... i started to skim
this was written in older Chinese and while the writing is beautiful, it is quite difficult to understand! i had to read with a dictionary. there were phrases and descriptions taken directly from the Tao Te Ching and it piqued my interest in Taoism.
i loved the first half -- it was a deep exploration of taoism and the values that taoism espouses. there were a lot of emotionally charged and moving scenes, and i really felt for Shen Qiao. i loved the way he responded to things and he really shows that strength is more than just strength or being cold and hard. the second half of the book was really just lots of politics, the 'brain-injury-causing-split-personality' trope, fake deaths... i just can't... i started to skim
this was written in older Chinese and while the writing is beautiful, it is quite difficult to understand! i had to read with a dictionary. there were phrases and descriptions taken directly from the Tao Te Ching and it piqued my interest in Taoism.
Couldn't finish this. This is a detective novel set in a futuristic China. There are four to five large cases, and most of the novel's focus in each case is on the psychology of the killer. I really liked the first case (although I had some issues with how a victim of rape became a serial killer) but I stopped at 50% because the nonconsensual nature of the main couple's relationship was too much for me. There was some really interesting stuff about twelve Greek gods (Athena, Artemis, Zeus, and Ares have been introduced) and I think for readers who aren't uncomfortable with the noncon, this would be a creative detective/psychothriller novel.
A curated collection of short stories where the interviewed authors narrate their life stories. The range of experience is rich, but there are common themes: sacrificing for the family and children for a better future, hardship and suffering from exploitative and deplorable conditions, helplessness and hopelessness. I really enjoyed this collection.
I thought this would be a military political story based on the synopsis but it seems more of a domestic / slice of life story. I hit chapter 200 and still can't get into it so I guess it's not my cup of tea.
